I Wore a Crop Top and Filmed Myself Dancing

Summary

A 41-year-old mother of three embraces her body positivity by wearing a crop top and sharing a dance video on social media, celebrating her journey of self-love and challenging beauty standards.

Abstract

The author, a 41-year-old woman who has gained weight during her three pregnancies, shares her personal journey of self-acceptance and body positivity. Despite not achieving the flat and toned belly she initially aimed for, she found joy in dancing through a Latin dance-based workout app called STEEZY. Her decision to wear a crop top and film herself dancing was a spontaneous act of self-celebration, which she shared on Facebook, receiving supportive feedback. This act was significant for her as it defied the limiting belief that only certain body types can wear crop tops. By sharing her experience on Medium and YouTube, she hopes to inspire others to embrace their bodies and redefine societal beauty norms.

Opinions

The author believes in celebrating small victories in body shape changes, such as her belly becoming less flabby.
She values the importance of enjoying the process of working out, particularly through dance, rather than focusing solely on the end result of weight loss.
The author challenges societal beauty standards by showcasing her body as it is, without conforming to the ideal of a flat and toned belly.
She feels that sharing her dance video is an act of gentleness and self-compassion, which is crucial in the journey of self-love.
The author is committed to promoting inclusivity in the definition of beauty by encouraging others to confidently show up in their various body shapes.

Celebrating my leap in self-love and body positivity with you

Screenshots of myself in my dance video

Yes, that’s me in the photos! 😁

I’m 41 years old and put on a lot of weight throughout three pregnancies. My youngest son is going to celebrate his fifth birthday soon, and I’ve yet to lose much weight since I gave birth to him. Two years ago, I bought a cute crop top, thinking it would motivate me to have a flat and toned belly if I kept up with the daily workouts.

I didn’t keep up with the 45-minute workouts. But I did continue to do the 6-minute warm-up routine in the Figure 8 Latin dance-based workout, and I fell in love with dance again. It’s been so much fun learning many different dance genres using my STEEZY app and sharing my passion for dance in their global online community. I still didn’t lose much weight yet, but I grew to love my body more.

Yesterday morning, I lifted my T-shirt and admired my belly in front of my standing mirror. My belly is still not flat, but it’s becoming less flabby. I call that a win! My beautiful belly deserves to be seen and admired by the world! Woohoo!

On impulse, I took out my crop top, wore it, and filmed myself dancing to this super fun dance routine I had just learned on the STEEZY app. I shared the video on my personal Facebook profile and received many encouraging comments. It warms my heart that I can now embrace my current body shape and be celebrated by my friends worldwide.

I didn’t challenge my limiting belief that only flat and toned bellies deserve to be seen in crop tops. But I was celebrating how my belly was less flabby by wearing the crop top. This limiting belief I’ve carried for so long is starting to lose its hold on me with my gentle action and celebration of my action.

This, to me, is gentleness in action.

I’d also love to share my mini breakthrough with my Medium community. I believe that when more of us show up confidently in our various body shapes, we are forging a new path for a much more inclusive definition of what beauty means.

Here’s my little dance video. I hope it makes you smile!