I Want My Body Back

TW: mentions of sexual assault.

I want my body back. Can I ever take it back?

I want my body back when my boyfriend hits me in the face on a train, and nobody stops him.

I want my body back when a stranger takes a photo of me when I am wearing a dress that shows maybe just a little more skin than other girls.

I want my body back when I overhear one of my classmates laugh and say, “I could bang her.”

I want my body back when a group of boys talks about how my breasts are not big enough as they pass by me.

I want my body back when I get criticized by people for not wearing a bra.

I want my body back, every time when people say, “You have to hurry and get married; otherwise you will end up alone and not be able to have a baby,” making me feel as if my body has a time limit.

I want my body back when I hear people talk as if it is their duty to criticize others for gaining or losing too much weight.

I want my body back when a guy casually asks to have sex without protection because it feels better.

I want my body back when my self-value is based on sizes of my breasts, weights, height, weights, and literally every part of my body.

I want my body back.

I am no longer asking for anybody’s permission.

I am taking my body back and yours, theirs, and everybody else’s.

Edited by Emiru Okada

Graphic by Emily Mogami