When ‘beach body’ gets mentioned, you can normally expect body shaming and very narrow definitions of beauty to follow. Ageism is likely as well. Rather than doing any of that, I want to subvert the idea of the beach body by inviting people to imagine their ideal beach form in much wilder terms. This isn’t a totally original thought – I saw something go by on social media a few weeks ago.
I posted this notion to facebook yesterday and the responses were glorious – lots of takers for going to the beach as a dog, or with a mermaid tail. Quite a few people wanting gills and sun proofing. I also really liked the suggestions of going as a bird – for ease of getting there as well as being well suited to paddling if you go for a wader.
I’m not sure about gills for myself – in part because I fancy the idea of a long trunk, and being able to stand under the water and raise my trunk like a periscope, and just be there. Apparently I want to be some kind of costal elephant, with a hide tough enough to deal with both sun and sand.
I think properly foolish daydreaming is a good and necessary thing. I’m very much in favour of letting the mind wander around sweet and whimsical notions, and playing with possibilities. There’s a way of gently stretching my creative muscles, and playing and making room for ideas to come in. I am unlikely to achieve any dramatic revelations by imagining my ideal beach identity, but there is charm in it. If you want to speculate wildly in the comments, please do!
June 28th, 2018 at 11:02 am
Leathery soles on my feet with retractable flippers, amazing temperature regulation, a second pair of eyelids – tinted other than that I think I’d keep my basic body form and functionality (as long as my bikini line is waxed to perfection 😜)
June 28th, 2018 at 11:08 am
I love the idea of being an elephant! It would be great to spray water over myself, and to immerse under water. I’d also love to be a mermaid. or a whale. 🙂
June 28th, 2018 at 11:09 am
Reblogged this on Blue Dragon Journal.
June 28th, 2018 at 3:43 pm
Some kind of hardened shiny exoskeleton that reflected all sunlight away from me, an internal cooling system and the ability to raise a large back-fin as an umbrella to create my own shade. I don’t get on with beaches (not in summer anyway, beaches in winter are magical) 😉
June 29th, 2018 at 7:08 am
I’ve always been a mermaid at heart. I’d have an enormous tail and some kind of body thermal system for the cold ocean. Super strong teeth and nails, for cracking open shellfish, and of course eyesight that would enable me to see for miles! 🙂 Not the first time I have thought about this, hehe!
June 29th, 2018 at 7:12 am
Sea otters carry a little rock under their armpit to use for breaking up shells!
June 29th, 2018 at 11:36 pm
They are clever! 🙂
July 5th, 2018 at 5:46 pm
Sand whale. Not beached. Perfectly at home rolling and swimming in the sand.
July 14th, 2018 at 11:59 am
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