Sex: A Perspective From the Bench
We recently came across an interesting article from Kelsey Wallour at The Huffington Post, which gives brief insight into the author’s journey of self-discovery outside of the conservative Baptist environment she grew up in.
In this piece, Kelsey speaks candidly about how her upbringing where sex was rarely discussed and her battle with anorexia cultivated in her a deep fear of sexual intimacy. Kelsey writes, “Yes, a large part of it is with how I was raised, but there was also the separate, but equally enormous, hurdle of my abysmal body image. Then I came to, what was for me, a profound realization about the interplay of anorexia and sexuality. For me, anorexia is essentially the antithesis to sexuality in every way. Sexuality calls for nudity, closeness, intimacy, relationships, body awareness and love, and a deeper “knowing” of one’s self and others than can be gathered from conversations. Anorexia is cold, isolated, rife with self-hatred, unfeeling, and when it’s so severe it’s like the living dead — which you don’t realize until you’re in a better place. So the process of reintegrating the sexual self back into my overall identity requires a colossal level of self-acceptance that I was not willing to entertain until recently.”
The article concludes with Kelsey encouraging readers to seek out information, talk to others with different perspectives, and ultimately own up to knowing and respecting one’s body/self.
Check out the article in full by clicking the title of this post or by clicking here.
