I know- hot take.
Why am I telling everyone to throw their shirts to the ground and post a pic of their boobs?
Confidence. Bravery. Self- love.
Personally, I won't be taking my top off any time soon. But I applaud women who have the courage to show a full frontal without photoshopping the perfect breast on. It's really easy to hit that "smooth" effect and get rid of our stretch marks and cellulite. It's much harder to do as Madonna has done, and post your body exactly as it without even a filter to color-correct it.
I have never photoshopped my body or my face. But I'm EXTREMELY guilty of the smooth effect to hide my bumps, acne, wrinkles, and discoloration. Everyday I'm trying to better at accepting my wrinkles and my flaws and when I hop on IG and see a 61 year old women showing her perfectly imperfect boobs to EVERYONE... I do feel a little better.
I think everyone should have the confidence to do what she has done, but I get the internal struggle of telling yourself, "I'm beautiful," and actually believing it. I've had cellulite on my legs since I was 17 and wrinkles and grays since my teen years.
While I may not be bold enough to post a topless pic like Madonna, I respect her decision to do so and thank her for normalizing perfectly imperfect bodies along the way.
If you want to post one, GO FOR IT. If you don't...that is okay too. :) No shame in anyone's choice.
*image from getty images