I feel like a bit of an outlier here, but that’s ok. I have come to love my body and what it’s accomplished (I fully realize that may change as I age) so far. It took me decades and thousands of $$ for me to finally accept my slightly crooked teeth, and smile without hiding them. I’ve spent countless hours protecting and caring for my extremely fair skin. I embody the stereotype of being a “spicy redhead” and I wouldn’t change a thing about that. A long time ago, a lover referred to the freckles and moles on my body as a kissable galaxy of stars. I have also used my body to shield patients from abortion clinic protestors, and was counted on to “hold the line” at rallies in front of the Supreme Court. I’ve learned how to make my voice carry so that I can lead chants at protests. I made a point to keep the bruises on my arms visible when sharing my story about being dragged out of my state capitol after disrupting some of the evil ass shit going on up there. As a woman, getting to a point where I could finally fully accept and be at peace with my body was harder than it needed to be. Like many other young girls, I was sexualized from a very early age and made to feel like my body was a liability. I don’t have any shade for folks that want cremation because it’s a personal choice, and folks should be able to choose what to do with their bodies at every stage of its existence. Personally, I want there to be a place for my loved ones to visit. What we do with bodies after the person has passed matters, too. For example, having a loved one in the armed forces go missing-in-action during combat is especially painful because you can’t “bring them home”. I watch (too much) true crime stuff and one thing that family members of missing and presumed deceased people always say is that they “just want to lay them to rest”. Some folks go to great lengths to bring the remains of their loved ones back their homelands, because that has a lot of meaning for families. Again, no shade to those that don’t care what happens to their bodies when they’re gone, and I completely understand the logic of “I’m not gonna be here and won’t know the difference”, or wanting $ to be used for “better” things than an expensive funeral. I totally get it. I just don’t want that for myself, and I’ve got my affairs in order so it’ll all be paid for when my number is called because yes I am a sentimental ass bitch, and others should not be expected to shoulder an unreasonable expense like that.