Curvy Squared: Does Identical Mean A Better Body Image?

Every woman and even a lot of men have something about their body they’d like to change. Unfortunately, as curvy ladies society is more than happy to tell us what we should change about our bodies to be acceptable.

I’ve always been fascinated about the closeness of twins and luckily I have quite a few sets of twins as dear friends. I was really curious whether “seeing yourself” could effect the way we think about our bodies. I asked two sets of twins; Nyn and Karen who have standard sized bodies and Sharrell and Shantell who have curvy bodies if having a twin inspired a better body image.

“There was/is something really helpful about being able to see someone who looks strikingly similar to you on a daily basis. While there were still things about my body that I was self conscious about as a kid, my guess is that it would have been much more intense had I not had a twin to reflect on.

It is sobering to realize that you have to let go of some of those self-critical voices because you would never say them to your twin… and so their ‘realness’ just falls apart.” – Karen

“Growing up, especially during the awkward puberty years, it was nice to have someone who was most likely going through something very similar to me. It felt safe to talk to my twin about body-related issues.

Yes, I think being a twin helps me feel gentler and more grateful for who I am. Now as an adult I think it helps me appreciate my grace and beauty more. Being a twin gives me the perspective of looking through a mirror, but with the knowledge that she’s a different person than I am. It’s easier for me to look at her and see how beautiful she is, than it is for me to do that with myself. Over the years it’s gradually dawned on me that she and I look so much alike people consistently confuse us, so I must not look all that different from her. Maybe I’m beautiful too?! Even some of the things I find quarky and weird about myself I can see as beautiful in her.” – Nyn

The love and compassion they have for their sisters is what allows them to open their hearts to self love. The Curvy movement is about compassion for women of ALL sizes to learn to love and appreciate their bodies as they are right now as beautiful.