My body is a road map of where I come from. It contains all the clues of my ancestors, the struggles they went through, and the adversities they overcame in order for me to be here. 

My body tells countless stories of life before me. It speaks to the environments my ancestors lived in, and how their bodies adapted in amazing ways in order for them to live longer and enjoy this world.

My legs are long because I come from a long-line of farmers who relied heavily on their physique to maintain the demanding work of farming, to provide not only for themselves, but for their communities. But now? Now I tower over those boys who think they have the right to comment on my body.

My thighs are thick because my female ancestors refused to sit around all day, and instead, chose to squat for long periods of time to obtain milk from cows to feed their families. 

My stomach expands when I eat, and even when I drink water, because during hot days and blistering heat, my ancestors retained water in their bodies so they wouldn’t suffer from dehydration and heat stroke. My stomach is definitely not flat nor will it ever be. But now, I have the ability to stay hydrated for longer periods of time.

My shoulders are wide and broad because my ancestors carried crates of water, corn, rice, milk, and vegetables long distances to their loved ones and their neighbours. 

My skin. My skin is brown because my ancestors spent countless hours under the Indian sun playing, working, walking, running. Now? Now I can enjoy countless days on the beach without burning. I don’t rely on lotions and moisturizers because my skin is naturally moist. And, I definitely don’t pay money to sit in tanning beds to get this skin colour for a week.

My forehead is big because, well, my grandmother used to tell me that people with large foreheads have a bigger brain and are highly intelligent. So she’d constantly push my hair away from my face and back on my scalp. So I’ll just leave that explanation there. 

My hands are bigger than most guys I’ve met, but they are the reason why I can shoot the lights out in a basketball game, and the reason why I am that player that will drain those two free throws in the last 30 seconds of the game to win.

I have hair all over my body. My back, my legs, my arms, even the top of my fingers and toes. I used to spend thousands of dollars a year to remove it, not realizing that with it, I also removed the reminder of who I get it from. Now, when I look at my un-waxed arms and finger tops, I am reminded of my dad, and everything that he is: my role-model, my teacher, my coach, my friend, my protector, my idol.

I have a large beauty/birth mark on the left side of my neck. I never once had the thought to surgically remove it because my mom had the same one in the exact same spot. It symbolizes how much of her amazing genes I have, and how much of her spirit, love, intelligence and kindness lives within me. 

To all my sisters, I encourage you to discover the beautiful story of your body, and your origins.

To all those boys, from high-school all the way up to the fashion/beauty/modelling industries, who feel they have the right to say even one thing about mine or any woman’s body, you are disrespecting generations of ancestors before me who used their bodies to their advantage (probably don’t want to deal with that karma).

And remember, this is just my story. Don’t forget that you have one too.