III.
Take a long hard look in the mirror. Don't focus on you muffin top or acne scars, forget your love hate relationship with McDonald's double cheese burgers. Stop worrying about the chipped polish on your toenails that's been there six months or that stripe of fuzz down the front of your leg, y'know the one you always seem to miss whilst shaving.
If you're familiar with the impressionist movement of the 19th century and the cubist movement in the early 20th century then I'd suggest you put your artist's hat on. Look at your body, focusing on the areas you struggle with, and look past your flaws. Start with a Monet approach and strip your body down to light. Take stock of where and how the light falls. Try unfocusing your eyes and only seeing the boundaries between light and shade. Then move on to Cezanne and consider the colours that are present and how they add depth. Focus your image so the blurs of light intensity become soft lines. If you have the time, consider your body in the style of Renoir or Degas, keeping everything soft but forming something more solid.
Moving on from a study of light to a study of shape and structure, think Picasso. Take your soft lines and make them bold. Either mentally, or physically if you have any talent with drawing a la this amazing post from Toots, outline the shapes that make up your body. A triangle here, three curves there, a teardrop, an ellipse, maybe an octagon if you feel it has a place. One condition to this exercise, unless your breasts are perfectly circular, they can't be assigned circles. Think again. Once you can see your body in an abstract sense, and in terms of light and shade then it's time to look at yourself as a person again.
Really focus on your bust. Think about the way it falls, how the tissue is distributed, where the volume is greatest, whether your breasts meet at the centre of your breastbone or have space in between. Look at the distance from your shoulders to the top of your breasts, feel their weight, assess how they feel in your hands and check for lumps while you're at it! Consider which breast is smaller or if theres no noticible difference (we all have one side of our body that is smaller but its not always immediately apparent). Be objective and refuse to allow your focus to wander into detrimental thoughts. If you're assigning a description to a certain characteristic of your bust then choose a neutral word. Don't say your breasts sag or are low hanging, rather that the greatest volume of tissue is found at the bottom of your breasts, or they're bottom heavy. Aim to be completely familiar with the geometry of your bust.
Having knowledge of, and appreciating all the little details of your least favourite bits, especially with an area as variable as the bust, can lead to affection and even a wee bit of self confidence.
Other posts in this series:
*This "commandment" is only a suggestion and i in no way pass any judgement on those who chose to embrace different or contradictory behaviours. This is purely something that i, personally, find helpful towards being a more positive and confident person. These are all my own opinions and do not have any scientific weight behind them. I respect everyone's right to an opinion and understand that my own opinion should not apply to everyone else.