Tell your daughters how you love your body.
Tell them how they must love theirs.

Tell them to be proud of every bit of themselves –
from their tiger stripes to the soft flesh of their thighs,
whether there is a little of them or a lot,
whether freckles cover their face or not,
whether their curves are plentiful or slim,
whether their hair is thick, curly, straight, long or short.

Tell them to love the skin they are in,
whether they are fair skinned, or dark
whether they are short, tall, big or thin
whether they are embarrassed by their scars,
or the blemishes and marks on their skin.

Tell them how beautiful they are
no matter what anyone else says
Tell them their body isn’t flawed
and how it fits them perfectly
in so many thousands of ways.

Tell them how they inherited
their ancestors’ souls in their smiles,
that their eyes carry countries
that breathed life into history,
that the swing of their hips
does not determine their destiny.

Tell them never to listen when bodies are critiqued.
Tell them every woman’s body is beautiful
because every woman’s soul is unique.