The Art of “Shapeshifting”
I opened the YouTube Music app on my mobile device to play some good music. I had just eaten what I’d call a mountain of Eba and Afang soup. You know that feeling you get when you eat good — that one that makes you sway your head gently and move your legs the way you would to send off those little miscreants called mosquitoes when you’re catching some fresh air outside your house. Yeah, that feeling. I knew I should have stopped when I was beginning to feel my stomach expand, but greed didn’t let me give in to common sense. I loved the feeling that came with eating the sumptuous meal and, therefore, didn’t stop until I had my last morsel.
Feeling satisfied, I happily bounced on my heels to go wash my hands and return to work. My stomach felt so expanded; I felt like Mrs Pooh they never told you about. So I pulled up my oversized shirt to observe my waistline (if I still had any), and my eyes met a beautiful sight. Thick thighs and a formerly slim waist now broadened by eba, adorned with beads. I felt like a sexy Mrs Pooh.
Still pleased with the image, I sit on the edge of my bed and pick up my phone to listen to Billie Eillish’s “What Am I Made For?”. The first thing I saw on opening the app was a suggestion of Adele’s live performance of Easy on Me. I was going to ignore it, but I was captivated by the essence of her beauty. So I played it, and I just couldn’t help but admire and observe how she looked like a Nigerian Igbo auntie. The white version, of course. She sort of reminded me of Uriel, the Nigerian reality TV star. Made me wonder if I needed sleep. I really hope someone reading this agrees that they share a resemblance.
After watching the complete performance, I headed to Instagram to view her profile, and oh boy! I was in awe. For the first time, I actually really paid attention to her looks. That woman is goddam gorgeous! Of course, everyone knows of her weight loss journey, and I really found it inspiring.
Mind you, I’m one person who’s very intentional about not appearing slim or thin. I love to see a lot of flesh on my bones. You want to know how intentional I am? I eat even when I don’t feel like it just because I’m scared of losing weight and gaining deep wells in my collar area. But after spending some time observing Adele’s new look, I flirted with the idea of transitioning to my slim version for a short time. Nothing drastic, just enough to lose my double chin and get a defined jaw.
This thought brought me to think of the beauty and complexity of the human body and how we can mould it to what we want…to some extent. For some, gaining weight and increasing body size is a near-impossible mission. For others, size reduction is very challenging. Then there are people like me who can wake up and decide to be on any side of the size scale they desire. It’s like switching wardrobes. They don’t have to do a lot. They know exactly what triggers weight loss and gain. I find it very interesting.
Anyway, I have yet to decide if I want to remain thick-thighed and keep saving lives or if I want to have a defined jawline. I want to end by asking you what you think I should do, but I wouldn’t want to waste your time since it wouldn’t make a difference.
