Someone once complimented me on my good posture. To be honest, I hadn’t noticed it before. I sit cross-legged on the floor all the time and I’m always writing in front of the computer. I’ve been called a gazelle and a dancer. Friends and family point out this gracefulness when I move around, but why isn’t it conscious to me?

Because I notice that people respond to my openness. And it’s related to my posture.

This week’s theme is about POSTURE. Good posture is the difference between bad back pain and feelin’ the way your boobs look today. Look, I know you’re bombarded on social media by health and wellness companies all trying to sell you their product to “live your best life.” Let’s not forget that Instagram and Facebook have no chill when it comes to gathering information about your search patterns. 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched one video of a woman demonstrating an at-home workout routine only to later scroll through ads of ultra-toned, bronzed women, immaculately sculpted and squeezing their buttcheeks together while the beach waves move in and out in the background. It’s not news to you, I’m sure, that we’re targeted online based on demographics. As this newsletter speaks to a female audience, I wanted to discuss the superficial stench lurking behind these marketing campaigns. 

You’re reading this publication on Substack, which means you’re interested in reading content with value. Internet literacy is defined, by the way, as:

• the ability to address illegal and harmful contents on the Internet appropriately

• the ability to communicate on the Internet appropriately

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications includes the third point about privacy protection, but for today’s newsletter, Girl Play would like to focus on the way women digest information. 

Side note: I have some issues with the dietary analogies we make when referring to Internet reading. First, we consume then digest, and finally, we spew out shit to complete the information-processing cycle.  

Language is full of nuance and I suggest we turn the tables on the current status quo and favor word choice rooted in action and capability. For example, let’s select Internet content and negotiate its value.

That means putting down your phone or walking away from the computer feeling empowered and refreshed by Internet information.

I’m so sad when I hear women tell me how defeated and small they feel after comparing themselves to strangers online.

Like I said earlier, you’re not a turtle. 

You may curl into yourself once a month when you’re bleeding and cramping hardcore. After that, good posture is as important as making a good impression on your future employer to knowing what happened to that couple on 90 Day Fiancé (facts). 

You need to stand up straight for endorphins to course through your veins. Lady, you’re fucking gorgeous and every time you shrink yourself down you tell the world “I’m not sure, I don’t know, and I’m not worthy.”

Here’s some more truth about good posture:

• It can help your balance and alignment.

• Your mindfulness will improve. 

• You can stay on top of back, neck, and shoulder pain.

I struggle with a lot of neck pain because when I read, I tend to tuck my chin and tilt my head down. Before I go to bed, it catches up to me. I’ve made a mental note to remember how I’m sitting so reading doesn’t end up killing me. 

Are there small tweaks you can make to your posture?

Each week, I’ll share work from female illustrators and graphic designers who I think deserve credit for their artistic interpretation. 

This is a design by Gracie Newton. I LOVE the artwork for our POSTURE newsletter. Gracie works as a graphic designer at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. Check out her work here.

See what you can do better this week after changing your posture and feel free to let me know how you’re feeling by hitting the ‘Reply’ button. 

But, if you’re still not subscribed, go ahead and take care of that now too.