You Did What?!
*Candace had been struggling with body image issues for some time. We had worked on it quite a bit in both individual and couples therapy sessions, and she was making good progress. She looked like someone you’d think would feel great about how she looked, but her husband felt like he wasn’t “seeing enough” of her!
One day Candace walked into my office and said, “Guess what I did this week?” I couldn’t guess so she said, “I vacuumed naked!” I said, “You did what?!” “I actually vacuumed naked…while my husband was watching even!” Wow! I was stunned and thrilled all at the same time.
I asked what made her decide to do that. She said she thought it would help her get more comfortable with her body. I asked if it worked, and she said, “Yes!”
Body Image Issues as Intimacy Barriers
No matter how attractive a woman is, most tend to have some kind of body image issues that often get in the way of really letting go and engaging fully in lovemaking with their husbands. Learning to love and accept ourselves and our bodies are necessary ingredients of passionate and mutually fulfilling lovemaking.
It’s difficult to really “go there” and give ourselves to the experience when we’re consumed with the cellulite on our thighs or our sagging body parts.
Go for It!
Vacuuming naked may not be a bad idea for any of us who really want to overcome our insecurities and learn to be more okay with ourselves. Nothing like going for the gusto!
And if you want to start out a little easier you could even just vacuum naked in your locked bedroom! Either way, I can imagine it helping women to practice relaxing and learn to let go of their body image issues.
The good news is that most husbands are generously able to overlook our inevitable imperfections if they think they might get lucky…!
* Names have been changed to protect the guilty! : )
Related Resources:
- PODCAST #033 Body Image and Lovemaking — Part 1 (09:01)
- PODCAST #034 Body Image and Lovemaking — Part 2 (08:33)
- PODCAST #035 Beating the Body Image Blues: Part 1 — What is Real (09:54)
- PODCAST #036 Beating the Body Image Blues: Part 2 — Emotional Eating (10:58)
- PODCAST #037 Beating the Body Image Blues: Part 3 — Making Peace with Your Body (11:05)
