I keep seeing things popping up on my dash regarding women, their bodies, and their morals and I feel like I need to say something on this, especially after reading this article and seeing Frogman’s gif everywhere. This is going to be a bit long so I apologize but I need to get this out there.

First and foremost, what someone decides to do with their body is their business. If someone wants to keep it free of drugs and tattoos and mortal sin that is their choice, in the same way it is someone’s choice to get tattooed, show their skin, or expand their consciousness (those these things don’t go hand in hand in any way, they were just the first things to pop into my head). Neither choice makes you a better person than the next; from where I stand, how you treat people and the world around you makes you a better person. Because I have tattoos, show my skin through my photography, used to take copious amounts of drugs, and live an “alternative” lifestyle, I am automatically not classy, never finding true love, am a slut, or am never finding God according to the internet police.

Well, lucky for you, I’ve already written a neat little bit on why I show my goods about 85% of the time. If you’re new (hello!) or need a refresher, you can find it here. Posing naked doesn’t make me a “slut,” but who is it to you if I decide one day I want to have a sexual revolution and bask in the glory of love with multiple people? It also doesn’t make me a terrible person. I might be a terrible person if I sat around all day hiding behind a computer telling people how to feel about themselves without any regard to their personal circumstances and past experiences. Everyone approaches life with a different a priori; we all rebel in different ways. Some of us are just more outward in our freedoms and expressions than others.

On the subject of tattoos- I think Lisa has completely missed the boat. My first two tattoos were direct results of my experience through my accident and are messages to myself. I have “untouchable” in white ink on my wrist and the words “hold on a little tighter” right above that. Why? Because going from competing on state levels in track and pole vaulting and knowing you were going to do these things in college and have a bright future ahead of you, then having to relearn how to walk because some asshole plows into your car at 60 mph sucks. Every single one of my tattoos has meaning, they’re all little notes to myself to keep going and not let my physical or emotional issues handicap me in any way, shape, or form. I know more women (and men) that exude confidence, classy, and beautiful energy that are covered in tattoos than I can count. Tattoos or body modifications don’t automatically make you lesser in the eyes of society, your peers, or whichever God you pray to. Again, its how you live your life and the beliefs that you hold dear that make you a good person.

I don’t understand why in this day and age, we seem to be waging a body war again. To to truthful, three of the most interesting and beautiful women on the internet have tattoos, are naked, and all appear to have fantastic morals. Katie, Josepha, and Cam are all absolutely beautiful women who seem to know what they want in life and directly challenge all of society’s misconceived concepts of what should be “beautiful,” “classy,” or “moral.” From where I stand, I would rather be friends with them than with someone who has a ton of sand in their vagina and wants to sit around telling people what to do rather than living a good and fulfilling life in their own unique way.

I’m sorry if we offend you in our freedoms. But by continually perpetuating the stereotypes that women need to sit around in gyms, never eat carbs, dress in heels and knee-length dresses, all the while getting their hair and nails done and talking about kittens and rainbows, you are outrightly setting us as a human race back hundreds of years. I may be a damn good cook but I still know my place isn’t in a kitchen waiting for some man to come home to play with our two kids. For some people it may be, but for me, it’s out in the real world, communicating with those who have body issues or have gone through hard times. Having tattoos or a sense of who I am doesn’t make me immoral. It makes me human and interesting.

Slut-shaming, telling people they have no morals for choosing to live a different way, and this whole idea that people are any less than another really needs to end. It’s tiring to see it on my dash all the time. We’re all beautiful in our own way, get over it.