Let the legs fly!
May we never lose our wonder. Wide-eyed, mystified, may we be just like a child, staring at the beauty of our King.
Photos by: Tumi Yusuf
Storytime
When I was 12, I went back to Nigeria for a year. During my time in Nigeria, the transition back had a major impact on my skin. I quickly began to react and develop boils (abscesses) all over my body and the worse assault was on my legs. This was worsened by the fact that mosquitoes loved my body and back then, insect repellent was not a thing. Unlike a typical mosquito bite, after mine healed it left a black spot, which eventually led to several black spots on my leg that did not heal.
I remember one day walking on the school grounds towards my class and on my way there, I noticed there was a boy sitting by the door of a classroom. As I was walking up, I could tell he was staring at my legs. After a full cross-examination, he looked up with full disgust on his face as I was walking by and said, “Jesus!” No, he was not calling upon the holy spirit for deliverance for my legs, but his words to me translated, “your legs are disgusting.” Unknowingly, from that moment on, those words and that experience stuck with me for over a decade.
That moment to some extent defined to me what beauty was. It told me that “a physical component that attributed to what was called beautiful was flawlessness.” I would later spend all of high school and undergraduate year developing ways to avoid showing my legs and in days where I had no options available, I would wear long socks with shorts during gym class, or seat cross-legged, or sit with my legs underneath the chair, out of sight. I would spend summers in long pants, and when I discovered jumpsuits (which later became my obsession), it felt like an answer to a prayer.
What’s my point?
Everyone has insecurities. It’s up to you to decide if your insecurity should continue to occupy space without paying for rent, or whether it’s time to serve it an eviction notice.
Should that eviction notice be served, remember, it is not just about the insecurity. It is the thought pattern that was created and the mindset that solidified because of it. Should you choose to change either, be certain about which battle you are fighting, remembering that every victory starts in the mind.
I still do not particularly love dresses, skirts, etc, but I have decided to let my legs fly, kind of. I am still a work in progress. There are days when I will not feel as confident to walk in my new found freedom and days where my mind will gather evidence to support my decision; but like any new experience, I will choose fear as my motivator and learn to flourish in the uncomfortability.
Until next time,
Outfit details
Skirt: H&M
Top: Ally Fashion
Shoes: Call it Spring
Purse: Local market purchase
