Body Love Part 1
Mary Lambert Lyrics

Know girls who are trying to fit into the social norm
I am aware of many girls who are striving to fit into society's expectations of body standards

Like squeezing into last year's prom dress
They struggle to fit into clothes that no longer fit them because society says their bodies are supposed to look a certain way

I know girls who are low rise, mac eyeshadow, and binge drinking
I know girls who feel pressure to conform to a certain look and lifestyle, which sometimes involves unhealthy habits like binge drinking

I know girls that wonder if they're disaster and sexy enough to fit in
I know girls who question whether they are attractive and desirable enough to fit in with society’s standards

I know girls who are fleeing bombs from the mosques of their skin
I know girls who feel like their bodies are constantly attacking them, and they are trying to escape the negative self-talk and judgment they feel about themselves

Playing Russian roulette with death; it's never easy to accept
Sometimes we engage in behaviors that are potentially dangerous, like self-harm or extreme dieting, to try and meet societal standards of acceptability regarding our bodies

That our bodies are fallible and flawed
Our bodies are not perfect and often do not meet the idealized standards that we are taught to aspire to

But when do we draw the line?
When do we stop trying to change our bodies to fit society's expectations and start accepting and loving ourselves as we are?

When the knife hits the skin?
Do we need to resort to extreme measures like self-harm or plastic surgery to feel like we are meeting these standards?

Isn't it the same thing as purging
These extreme behaviors can be seen as similar to the harmful act of purging, or forcing ourselves to vomit after eating, in the sense that they are both destructive attempts to conform to societal ideals

Because we're so obsessed with death
Our preoccupation with changing our bodies to fit societal norms can sometimes lead us to engage in dangerous behaviors that risk harm to our physical and mental health

Some women just have more guts than others
Some women have the courage to resist society's harmful expectations and embrace their bodies as they are

The funny thing is women like us don't shoot
Women who struggle with societal expectations around their bodies are less likely to commit violent acts against themselves, but are still at risk for engaging in self-destructive behaviors

We swallow pills, still wanting to be beautiful at the morgue
We might try to change our bodies through extreme measures like diet pills, but what we really want is to be seen as beautiful by society, even if it means putting our health and safety at risk

Still proceeding to put on make-up
We may continue to engage in behaviors that are supposed to make us look more attractive to society, even when we know they are not actually making us feel better about ourselves

Still hoping that the mortician finds us fuckable and attractive
Even in death, we feel pressure to conform to society’s ideal standards of attractiveness, which is a testament to the all-encompassing nature of this societal pressure

We might as well be buried with our shoes
We are so entrenched in society’s ideals that even in death, we feel like our appearance matters more than who we are as people

And handbags and scarves, girls
Our preoccupation with material possessions and appearance is indicative of the cultural values we have around what is deemed “important” in our lives

We flirt with death every time we etch a new tally mark
We risk harming ourselves every time we engage in self-harm, and it is a way of reckoning with the societal pressure we feel to meet beauty standards

Into our skin
Self-harm typically takes the form of cutting or scratching the skin in some way

I know how to split my wrists like a battlefield too
The artist has had personal experiences with self-harm and understands the physical act of it

But the time has come for us to
It is time for us to recognize the harmful nature of this societal pressure to conform and make changes

Reclaim our bodies
We need to take ownership of our bodies and reject the ideals that are imposed on us by society

Our bodies deserve more than to be war-torn and collateral
We should not feel like our bodies are a battle zone where we are constantly waging war against ourselves in order to fit societal standards

Offering this fuckdom as a pathetic means to say
Our preoccupation with appearance is a type of societal pressure that has been given too much importance, and is in reality an oppressive system that needs to be rejected

"I only know how to exist when I'm wanted"
Many women feel like their entire self-worth is tied up in whether or not society finds them beautiful

Girls like us are hardly ever wanted you know
Women who do not fit society's idealized standards of beauty are often ignored or actively discriminated against

We're used up and sad and drunk and
The impact of this societal pressure can manifest in depression, substance abuse, and other harmful behaviors

Perpetually waiting by the phone for someone to pick up
We are constantly waiting for validation and recognition from others to feel good about ourselves

And tell us that we did good
We are seeking external validation for our worth, rather than being able to feel good about ourselves based solely on our own internal measures of success

I know I am because I said am
The singer is rejecting societal standards and affirming their own self-worth outside of these structures

My body is home
The artist is claiming their body as their own and recognizing its importance to their personal identity