Body Image, Goat Style

Does my butt look fat?

It's everywhere: Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Skype, Pinterest, FaceTime, WhatsApp, Twitter. My God. It's 24/7. It was hard enough to be a teenager when we were NOT physically attached to our camera. Now there is an unwritten expectation that kids will put themselves out there, literally, every single day with a continuous string of selfies to stay connected with their (loosely defined) “friends.”

In the process, they primp and preen and practice bizarre looking facial expressions from every angle. If the zoom function on their phone detects the tiniest flaw in their complexion, they delete the take and start all over again. And, wait, adults do it, too!

My thoughts, exactly

I have 2.5 teenage daughters (I’m counting the 12-year-old as a half teenager). One is currently obsessed with her body, which worries the other 2 who wonder if they should stress too. Monkey see monkey do.

Man Brain (sometimes)

Why do we do this to ourselves, girls?? To impress men? I got news for you: men are myopic. When they glimpse flesh, their brains go all fuzzy and they can't focus their eyeballs. And then, sometimes, they focus on some body part that you never even noticed - like your feet. But that's a story for another day.

Stop the madness. Stop taking pictures of yourself and dissecting your flaws! No one is lookin' that closely at you - I guarantee it.

Where am I going with this? Oh yeah, goats. I've been observing the herd and we could all learn a thing or two about body image from our caprine friends.

Fat goats <---> Skinny Goats

Yes, it's true. Some are fat and some are thin. Sometimes the fat ones get thin, and then the thin ones get fat. Go figure. Does it stop them from eating? No way.

Big Boobs, er, Udders

This is goat porn in the Pygmy Goat world. "Milking Doe Class" here we come.

Little Boobs, er, Udders

Eyeball asks, "Why are you looking at my butt?"

Yeah, so what?

Lopsided ... Udders

We can't all be perfect.

Bad Hair Day

Same feed, same hay, same environment. Way different coats. We all have bad hair days.

And sometimes we have good hair days, too.

"Ugly" Noses & “Pretty” Noses

 

Really, they are just DIFFERENT noses. It's comparing apples and oranges. Or, in this case, Boers and Pygmies.

Goats (and, ahem, people) come in all different shapes and sizes. Some days they are in "better" shape than other days. But that can change tomorrow!

Goats snarf down hay and grain with no concern for "getting fat." 

Goats don’t try to impress anyone. 

Goats make friends and live their lives. 

Goats are content with their imperfections and their authenticity.

We should be, too.