The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

How do you feel about your body? These comic artists got personal.

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Perspective by
Art Director
July 27, 2021 at 11:25 a.m. EDT
(Christine Suggs/For The Washington Post)

This is the third installment of a special edition of Lily Lines featuring comics from our archive. Subscribe to get future editions here.

As someone who identifies as a woman and spent my teen years in the early aughts — during the era of low-rise jeans, super skinny celebrities and countless magazines telling me how to lose weight — I’m surprised I don’t have more body image issues or unrealistic beauty standards than I do. Because I definitely still do. I scrutinize myself in the mirror. I tell myself that my thighs are too large or my stomach shouldn’t stick out so much. (Fun fact: It might just be your uterus!) And I’m constantly challenging my perceptions of what I consider beautiful, whether that’s by not shaving or finally becoming comfortable wearing absolutely no makeup.

Right now, I’m striving for body neutrality — accepting my body in its current state. Honestly, I’m just tired of constantly thinking about how it looks and how others and myself are perceiving it. Like a lot of people, I gained weight in the past year, when the world came to a halt and we spent more time than ever inside. And that’s totally fine. But, it also means I have a new body and I’m learning to love it (or more realistically, just be okay with it) — as I’ve been trying to do for 31 years.

I feel really grateful to be able to work with so many comic artists who trust The Lily to share their deeply personal experiences with body image. I admire their honesty and vulnerability and I hope you do, too.

I would love to hear from you about a comic that resonated with you or if you’re a comic artist who would like to work with us.


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It has taken me years to acknowledge the shame I feel around body image. Progress is slow, but it adds up.


Fat and anorexic: Everyone praised me for my weight loss but I was sicker than I’d ever been


Martial arts made me appreciate my body like never before. Here’s why.


Why I’m saying ‘no more’ to trying on clothes in stores


I’m plus-sized and Asian. Some days, I feel pressure to look different — but I know my body doesn’t have to fit the mold.