The Importance of Body Sovereignty

Body sovereignty is having the full autonomy and decision making over your own body. No one can tell you what you do or do not need to best support yourself and quite frankly, it’s often none of their business.

Choosing what you put in your body, honouring your cues, who you spend time with, what you wear, how much you sleep, who you have sex with, where you birth your baby, and having the option to create personal boundaries on your accord are all examples. Not everyone has the privilege to practice body sovereignty for themselves, and it’s a constant acknowledgement for those of us that do have that access to advocate for those who don’t. Practicing and reclaiming our body sovereignty is an act of resistance to our society that was built up teaching us not to honor our needs and desires, but to do what’s “right” in the eyes of others. There’s an anarchist feel to it. It’s important. No matter the color of your skin, what your body looks like, what language you speak, your gender, your sexuality, your education level, your income etc. you are worthy of bodily autonomy and sovereignty.

In the words of an essay by Rachel W. Cole “body sovereignty is the clear inhabitance of your choices and domain of flesh…...the permission to choose, to err, to protect, to feel to experience, to play, to refuse, to take up space, to be different, to be the same, to make noise, and to perform for no one.”

I am a huge advocate for body sovereignty. I am a believer in choice, options, education and having important dialogue about what we choose for ourselves. Practicing and teaching body literacy is an important branch of body sovereignty that can’t be forgotten.

Of course, there is nuance to this conversation such as if someone doesn’t have the means to make a choice for themselves. But I believe there is space for this and still a right for the practice of body autonomy no matter who you are. It just might look a little different for some and that’s okay.

Enough of these ideologies we put on ourselves and industrial complexes infiltrating our thoughts into thinking of what we “should” be doing. Let’s focus on more true embodiment.

This is forever an ongoing conversation and I hope you find empowerment for yourself in these daily moments, however that may look for you.

-Ness xx