Although hard to admit, I must confess that still at almost 50 years of age, I struggle with having a flat butt! I’m sure I’m not the only one, and I’m also sure many of you have been able to deal with it, deem it of little to no importance, or have just accepted it. I, on the other hand, haven’t, but I’d love to try. I think it’s about time.
As a child and preteen I never really noticed my butt was flat. I have always had nice wide hips, Latina curves, a flat tummy, and athletically built, with much work I admit, due to my commitment to eating well and exercise. It wasn’t until my grandfather brought my flat butt to my attention publicly during a family gathering that I knew of this affliction. I felt so ashamed, as if something was wrong with me, that I had a defect or something. I especially felt bad when I noticed that my sister’s butt was the way I would have wanted mine to be; round and well, big (in a good way).
Latinas are viewed by society as having lush bodies, big boobs, big butts, wide hips, darker skin and dark hair. That is the common stereotype of my culture. After the embarrassment I endured by my grandfather, I started noticing other differences between my siblings and myself. I had crazy, unruly curly hair; tan Spaniard-like skin; and smaller breasts, to go along with my flat butt.
Still, none of them bothered me as much as the shape of my buttocks.
Since then, sadly, I formed a habit of obsessively looking for the right pants that would make my butt look less flat. I would wear longer shirts to hide it and have gone as far as wearing butt-lifting panties. I even looked at butt augmentation surgery. That’s how much I allowed grandfather’s comment to mess with my head.
This is a great example of how key people from your childhood can cause you to develop insecurities about your personal self if you allow it like I did. Over the years I’ve learned to make peace and work with many things from issues with body image such as cellulite, and emotional traumas such as childhood issues and a divorce. However, never have I thought about dealing with my flat butt obsession.
Today’s the day I will let go of this fixation because it does not matter to anyone but my insecure self. My husband thinks I’m sexy, and beautiful with or without a big Latina butt. I will no longer allow this negative behavior to rule the way I look at myself in the mirror. I will focus on what really matters which is being healthy, and the many blessings I’ve been given and acquired. I will change my thoughts about body image and being self-conscious about the one insignificant thing I don’t like about my body. In a way, it seems a bit shallow, but honestly, it’s not. It’s mostly what someone whom I trusted pointed out as a flaw, and I just would not let it go.
Do you have a story like this you’d like to share?
Remember, what others consider flawed or ugly is only a matter of opinion.
