Yep, that’s what I said to my husband. Our granddaughter has a sweet little cookie business and it was about a month from Valentine’s Day when I saw her advertisement on social media. It had to be a typo – maybe she meant to say peonies. There were several options for cookie packages, one of which was a dozen penis cookies with dipping icing included. So I sent her a text message asking if this was a typo. Nope, it was what it said. Then I just burst out laughing and ordered a dozen.
I was one of several people who messaged her about the “typo”. And it reinforces for me what I have always admired about this millennial generation. They do not see our bodies as something to feel guilty about. Your body is natural, nature at its finest. And at the same time, they don’t want you to make them feel guilty about their bodies. As older adults we might look at the clothing options and consider them too sexy but that’s on us – not on them. We were made to feel guilty if we showed too much skin, or cleavage, or leg.
They like to look good, they like to take selfies, they like the model pose, the pursed lips, the “I am looking fine” attitude. Can we just take a minute to realize how refreshing that is? I don’t want to perpetuate in any way the idea that you need to look a certain way to be loved and accepted. I want to perpetuate the idea that you are okay just as you are. And that is what I see in this generation. An acceptance of people just as they are.
I used to marvel at their ability to hang out in groups, boys and girls, all together having a great time. Life was much more segregated in my day. Girls had their activities and they were different than the boys. And we were encouraged to be different. When I was a sophomore in high school, I wanted to take mechanical drawing. I was told that girls typically did not take mechanical drawing and that with my grade point average I should be in college prep classes, not mechanical drawing. I didn’t argue – I was 15 years old and listened to the advice that was given. It is now many years later and I cannot tell you how many times I have wished that I had kicked up a fuss and insisted that I be allowed to take that class. Especially when I discovered that one of my female classmates was allowed!
So here is grandma, learning to take selfies. (Still not very good at it. ) Learning to celebrate who I am, every day, just as I am. I pray that you will, too.
And in case you are wondering – the cookies were delicious!
“Be proud of who you are and not ashamed of how someone else sees you.” Anonymous.
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