Bootylicious

By Zandi Mlotshwa

"I don't think you're ready for this jelly, 'cause my body's too Bootylicious for you, baby."

I know it, you've heard it 

"Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes"

But why do we view beauty on a spectrum?

A misguided system that hardly ever takes into consideration someone's inner beauty.

Inner beauty: sounds cliche, right?

Today I was told that I am not a certain shape and because of that, I'm undesirable

Silly. I know.

Once upon a time, appearance was most everything to me

If you didn't look a certain way, you couldn't look at me

I know now that that wasn't my finest moment

Part of the reason why I prioritized the trivial and narrow-minded view-point is because I wasn't one with myself

I am now, and that makes all the difference in the world 

I am a big, beautiful, black woman with double d breasts and child-bearing hips

Sexy. No? I certainly think so.

Beyonce coined Bootylicious for women like me, for you, for everyone who's fed up with being put in a box

Choose to be your own definition of Bootylicious

But never allow yourself to be shallow

Fall for the soul, I certainly will.

P.S. It also helps that beauty rhymes with booty.