Hermosa Beach Pier! What's Your Favorite Thing About Your Body?
Hermosa Beach Pier | Friday, March 13th | 4:30-8:00 pm
I was so inspired by what I’d experienced on my first day out with my sign in South Redondo, that I had to take to another location.
The act of standing along a public walkway, holding a sign that says, “What’s your favorite thing about your body?” was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. The feeling that lingered after that day told me this was something I needed to keep doing. So this past Friday, I took my sign, and I went to the Hermosa Beach Pier.
I parked a bit far from the pier, grabbed my sign, and headed to my spot. I wanted to stand at the cross-section of the pier to get the most foot traffic. I knew this was going to be different - a new vibe, a new crowd, a new energy. And I was right.
When I arrived at the area I wanted to stand in… I was, again, nervous. My heart pounding as I raised my sign up in front of me.
The people sitting on Hennessy’s bar patio across the way from me looked over. One man pointed to his head, insinuating his brain. I smiled.
Like the first day, it didn’t take people long to approach me.
The first two men strolled over, one saying his “thing” was his favorite thing, to which his friend replied, “You can’t think of a better answer than that?! My brain. Without my brain, nothing else functions.” We all exchanged some laughs about the comedic answer coupled with the very serious analytical answer, while the next gentleman came over to share: “This heart. It does a lot of things for our body.” The first two gentlemen biked off, and he and I chatted for a bit longer before embarking on the rest of his 20-mile run that day.
From there, a younger gentleman, Axel, came up with a camera, asking if he could photograph me - an honor. [He took the below photo on the right, and sent it to me after.]
Clusters of people approached to chat. So many groups of younger kids on their e-bikes stopped by to answer. It was an incredible evening. Read on for my reflection on the experience and what I remembered most.
“What’s Your Favorite Thing About Your Body?”
LOCATION: Hermosa Beach Pier
DATE: Friday, March 13th
TIME: 4:30-8:00pm
Answers I heard:
My calves
My eyes
My physique
My back
My legs
My hair (curls)
My face
My nose
My shoulders
My fingernails (because they’re long and hard - a dick joke? We’ll never know)
My smile
My personality
My teeth
My belly
My strength
My height (a tall woman)
My height (a short woman)
My little toe ( a different man than the first day - ha!)
That it works
The theme that stuck out to me the most:
How many people said their legs or their smile.
The first few people to approach me:
Male-presenting
Special responses that stood out:
Mom asked twin sons, and their responses were: “My brain” and “My heart.”
Women walking by *smacking their butts* (this happened multiple times, it was incredible)
Older man: “It used to be my hair, but now I’m losing it.“ We had a conversation about what his second favorite thing was - I wouldn’t let him get away without finding something he liked.
A woman: “My butt tattoo.”
A woman: “My belly piercing.”
A younger man said his eyelashes. He said something along the lines of growing up, women would compliment them and tell him how beautiful they were. And how he didn’t care or understand why at the time, but now he loves them.
Woman: “I can do my first non-girl push-up!”
Woman: “My boobs - they helped me get my husband!”
Powerful responses of learning to accept what was once disliked:
A man said his body hair - that he used to be insecure about it and not like it. But it’s actually pretty great.
Another man said his “big ole schnoz” - that he, too, used to hate it, but he’s grown to love it.
[^ These were two of the most powerful responses of the day, by a long shot.]
Various groups that approached me:
Two sisters and their daughters - one of the sisters said how needed this is, and how nobody is speaking about the experience of being an aging female, that there’s not enough talk about it, not enough information out there about it.
A big group of parents and kids who took to my question, all answering it, and also ended up taking a group picture with me (so sweet).
Mom and young girl: Young girl said, “Are you filming?” I said, “No, I’m not.” Her mom said, “Ok, is that it, sweetie? Let’s go.” I said, “What’s yours?” The young girl said, “My lips… and my eyes.” Her mom said, “Ok, let’s go.” - Such a fascinating interaction to witness. The mom was open enough to let her come ask me a question. And the young girl was so receptive to the question, while mom didn’t answer and wanted to keep moving along. There’s so much in this. I’m still sitting with it.
Stand out words of encouragement:
A 60-year-old woman (she revealed her age to me) said, “My smile and the fact that my body is always changing. It took me way too long to figure that out,” what her favorite thing was. “So I’m glad you’re out here with this question.”
Patterns I noticed:
People walking in pairs would see my sign, I’d see them mouth, “What’s your favorite thing about your body?” to the person they were walking with, and they’d engage in conversation. It was getting people talking, even if not directly to me. (How cool is that?)
Groups of younger kids were more apt to stop by than adults. I had quite a few groups of kids on bikes come over to answer my question. It was fascinating that they seemed to be so receptive, turning to ask the friends they were with what their favorite thing about their own body was.
A lot of the time, older people answer what their favorite thing used to be, or they speak to their experience of aging and what it’s like to start to lose muscle, mobility, and strength. This is another facet of our bodies that not many people are addressing, so it was an honor to hold space for these types of responses, and I’m so grateful multiple people opened up to me about their struggle/experience with this.
A few younger women came up to express their thoughts about what I was doing, and we’d hug before they carried on with their evenings. Nothing beats girlhood.
I also saw a few friends! Jack stopped by - his favorite thing being his red beard, just in time for St. Patty’s Day. And I saw my friend Carl, who stopped to chat. He told me that, more often than not, he has a hard time seeing the good in himself. And then the most unexpected and magical thing happened:
My friend Halle came over (she just started a Substack - go subscribe!). She was at the pier having dinner, had seen my Instagram story, and came to find me and say hi. We got to chatting about how we share the same commercial/print agency (Evolve Artists Agency), and not two minutes later, our wonderful agent, Taylor, came over. Like… what?!
Mind you, Taylor from the valley, but just so happened to be in Hermosa for a friend’s birthday celebration. She mentioned she saw my recent posts from the first day I was out with my sign, so when she saw the sign, she thought it might be me. I’m so glad she came over to say hi - it was true serendipity, and Halle totally manifested her presence!
Taylor’s favorite thing about her body was her smile, and Halle’s was that it powers her throgh her sport (volleyball).
I’m yet again finding myself in extreme awe and gratitude for each individual who shared their favorite thing about their body with me that day. I feel so lucky to have the honor of holding space for people to explore how this question sits with them.
My chosen place to reflect: Georgia’s Lounge, Redondo Beach, CA
I arrived after 8:00pm and snagged the only bar spot available, which just happened to be next to Michael, a man who showed interest in what I was up to with my notebook and pen at the bar.
We got to talking, and I asked what his favorite thing about his body was. To which he replied, “My face,” because people don’t usually know how old he is. He then thanked his mom and dad for good genes before adding, “I want to trim the pepper parts from my salt and pepper beard sometimes, but I don’t.”
I then asked the bartender Evan (whom I used to serve every Taco Tuesday a few years ago at an old restaurant job) what his was. He said, “My eyes or my smile.”
The other bartender, Joe, asked what I was up to. I explained what I was doing, and his response was how dense his body is because he’s spent years practicing martial arts and building muscle and strength.
Sae sat down next to him, and her answer was, “That it works!”
I asked the last standing bartender what his was, to which he said he refused to respond. I later found out he was JOKING, and he ended up saying his eyes. (Can’t beat a man with a sense of humor.)
It was powerful to see, first-hand, the possibilities that lie within this question. It can bring us closer to peace within our own human experience, but I believe it has the power to unite us in community as well. This day at the pier, and what transpired at Georgia’s afterwards, was a true testament to this.
My favorite thing about my body that day was… my smile and smile lines, because a smile is a powerful way to connect with people, and my smile lines are a visual representation of the joy I’ve experienced in my life.
Stay tuned for more of this! I’m inspired by what I witnessed in doing this two times now, and I’m so freaking excited to continue this experiment. Where will I go next?
And per usual in this forum, I’ll leave you with this: What’s your favorite thing about your body?
❤️🔥Megan
Do you have a friend, family member or peer who might love this too? I’d be honored if you could help me spread the word about my writing and body image 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.
You are doing something so amazing, it was so incredible to be a part of 😍