6-Man Volleyball Tournament! What's Your Favorite Thing About Your Body?
6-Man Beach Volleyball Tournament, Manhattan Beach, CA | Saturday, August 1st, 2026 | 2:30-5:30pm
I hadn’t been out on the streets with my sign since Memorial Day, so I was excited to get back out there this past weekend! I decided to go stand near the 6-Man Beach Volleyball Tournament in Manhattan Beach, CA. I biked down because it was such a beautiful day, and I’d never biked with my sign before (which was surprisingly not as difficult as I thought it might be!).
I got down near the pier, ditched my bike on the beach without even locking it up (that’s how busy this weekend is in MB), and headed to stand near the pier.
I love how quickly people start answering, but it always kind of surprises me.
A little girl ran over to me, on her own accord, and said, “My opposible thumbs.”
Another woman said, “My small titties. I love them.”
And another woman came running out of a sea of people, popped right in front of me and said, “My Italian skin.”
About ten dudes said their [you know what], and the amount of women who said they love their small boobs was more than I’d ever heard before.
My friends Megan and Gabi found me, and I decided to join them for the final game. We then took to Culture Brewing, one of my favorite spots, for a beer. I ended up meeting a group of dudes who saw my sign and realized they’d walked past me earlier.
We then biked back to Vista in Hermosa Beach and met another group of people. One of the guys wanted to take the sign out, so we stopped a few people near the Hermosa Pier, which was silly and fun.
Right before we were about to leave Vista, we started chatting with two older men who’d asked about my sign. One of them said to me: “So many people have ideas like this. But not many execute on them.” He reflected back to me that it’s courageous and admirable that I’d put my idea into action because a message like this one is needed in today’s world.
Here are the answers I took note on/remember most:
“What’s Your Favorite Thing About Your Body?”
LOCATION: 6-Man Beach Volleyball Tournament, Manhattan Beach, CA
DATE: Saturday, August 1st, 2026
TIME: 2:30-5:30pm
Answers I heard:
My eyes
My waist
My eyebrows
My tits I paid for
All of it because it moves
Everything
That I can walk
My feet
My biceps
My toes
My butt
My freckles
My hands
My orange toenails
My nose
My skin
My teeth
My shoulders
That it hasn’t broken down yet
“I’m having a baby!”
“Honestly, how small my meat is” - yes, there were a LOT of dick jokes this day.
Exhibit: “My dick.” and his friend said, “Easy answer”
My fuckin’ face
My long torso
My hairline
My smile
My beer belly
My back
The theme that stuck out to me the most:
A lot of men said their hair
A lot of women said their small boobs
MANY dick jokes
First-Time Responses:
My juicy ass
Nipples - “I have great nipples”
My Italian skin
My opposable thumbs
Powerful responses that stood out:
Two girls came up to me. One said her pancreas because it doesn’t work, and that’s why she met the friend she was with. Her friend cosigned that, saying the same.
A young girl and her mom came over and said, “All right, we’ll bite.” The young girl answered her eyes and her smile.
My favorite thing about my body that day was… my smile. A few people (men) said that was a cop out response and that a lot of people must say that. But alas, it is not a cop out, and yes Joe, a lot of people do say their smile ◡̈
Next time I go out, I’m going to bring a tripod and record as many responses as I can/start collecting real data. So stay tuned!
And as always, I’ll leave you with this: What’s your favorite thing about your body?
❤️🔥Megan
If you want to be a part of the conversation… either reach out to me via email at themegangill@gmail.com to schedule a conversation or fill out this form to share your body image story anonymously.
Do you have a friend, family member, or peer who might want to be part of the conversation? I’d be honored if you could help me spread the word about Continued Conversations
While I’m not a licensed therapist, registered dietician, or medical health professional and cannot speak to body image topics from a clinical, trauma-informed place, I am an expert of lived experience. I’m an academic of my own body, and I’m passionate about facilitating conversations with other humans about their relationships with their bodies. I believe it’s important to continue conversations about healthy body image in creative spaces as a means to heal individuals as well as the collective whole. But just know the information presented in this medium is not professional mental health advice or medical advice, and any questions or concerns you have should always be directed to your healthcare providers.