AWARDED THIRD PLACE IN THE PHILIP PYKE MEMORIAL PRIZE 2024
You love thick thighs until
You realise they often come with tiger stripes,
Or cellulite,
And having thick thighs means
You struggle to find clothes the right size-
Your jeans just don’t seem to fit right-
Always too big or too tight.
You’re always labelled fat
If your stomach isn’t flat.
Saying you like thick thighs isn’t empowering-
You’re glamorising their biggest insecurity.
Are you saying this out of pity?
Do you enjoy subjecting them to your scrutiny?
You must be mistaking their flaws for beauty-
But you were convincing when you said they were sexy.
You didn’t even have to say it
Because the way you look at my thighs when I sit-
The way the cellulite bunches up a bit…
I just get self-conscious-
I try to cover up, I wear tights in the summer,
Always black so I look a bit thinner
And feel like I’m not so much bigger
Than the rest of you.
