The Body Project, Day 2

In the mid-90s, in maybe my sophomore year of high school, chokers were all the rage. Everywhere I shopped, they stocked adorable chokers, in keeping with the massive trend for them.

I couldn't wear them.

Most of the time, they wouldn't even fasten around my neck. I was born, see, with the exact opposite of the swan-like ballerina neck I always wanted:

Photo credit

I, instead, have a short, rather thick neck, and this can still sometimes bother me. Throughout my adolescence, I compared my neck to everyone else and felt it must stand out in the worst possible way. In retrospect, I can see that no one really noticed or cared. But I did. I couldn't wear chokers like the girls in My So-Called Life.

Until I lost a lot of weight, most of my necklaces were too short. I bought extenders, and those helped. Losing weight enabled me to wear normal necklaces without extenders, but I still have a thick, strong neck. I will never be compared to a goose or a giraffe, and I'm okay with that. Maybe because I have cow lips. (I kid!!)

Anyway, my neck is my neck. I've lived with it for almost 36 years, and I suppose, as long as it is holding my head up where it's supposed to be, I can continue to live with it. 

So here it is. My neck: short, thick, sloping out towards my shoulders. Not a horrible neck...just a neck. (That said, I avoid turtlenecks for many reasons.)

Just as strong as the rest of me.