To my younger self: you will go on to do great things
At eight years old, Arbel Tenembaum felt different in ballet class. Now 24, she reflects on body image, scars, and finding self-acceptance in a world of comparisons.
When I was a kid, growing up in New Zealand, I remember that I was the biggest girl in my ballet class. I was only eight years old, but for me, that’s where the “issue” started.
The critique from the teacher saying “tuck your bum in more” (of course, there was nowhere for it to go), being placed at the back of the group dance, and the fact that the studio didn’t have the correct-sized shoes, leaving me to wobble in heels.
I was only eight years old when I couldn’t help noticing how different everyone thought I was. My body was bigger than the other girls. I know that I am definitely not the only girl who was made to feel like this as a child, and looking back at it now makes me feel sorry for my younger self.
So this piece is a prayer and meditation for my friend and you, my reader, about our body and finding acceptance.
As a 24-year-old woman, I still have a complicated relationship with my body. I scroll on social media as much as you would expect and can’t help but feel the way eight-year-old me felt all those years ago.
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