From Teenage Insecurity to Forest Freedom
Stephanie Peirolo's struggle with her body began in her teenage years in the late 1970s United States. At just 15 years old, she experienced a dramatic growth spurt, growing nine inches in just nine months. This rapid change left her feeling awkward and towering over her classmates, exacerbating existing insecurities about her curvy figure, which didn't align with the fashion ideals of the time.
She embarked on her first diet as a teenager, absorbing the critical commentary women often direct at their own bodies and others'. This established a painful narrative that her body was fundamentally faulty, a belief she carried well into her adult life.
A Transformative Trip to the Oregon Country Fair
The turning point arrived when Peirolo was in her early 30s. Recently divorced and with her two children spending the summer with their father in Europe, she was persuaded by a friend to drive from her home in Seattle to the Oregon Country Fair. Both were recovering alcoholics, and she had initial reservations about attending a three-day music festival.
Despite not being outdoorsy, she camped in the forest with her friend and his circle of acrobats and circus performers. Immersed in this creative, uninhibited environment, something shifted. Food tasted richer, her body felt more connected to the earth, and for the first time, she spent extended time with fellow artists. It was, as she describes, like receiving a backstage pass to a heaven she never knew existed.
The Liberating Power of a Communal Shower
The most profound moment of her transformation came when she needed to shower. Opting against the paid private stall, and with some trepidation, she chose the public showers. She walked naked onto a large, open-air wooden platform surrounded by trees and sky.
There, approximately 50 people of every age, race, gender, and physique showered together without a trace of self-consciousness. In this deeply hippy environment, cultural signifiers fell away with their clothing. She witnessed a young man who could not walk being carried, nude, by his friends to a shower spigot, his face reflecting the same sense of freedom and acceptance she felt.
This was a spiritual awakening for Peirolo. It marked the beginning of a new practice: honouring her body as a vehicle for connection, pleasure, and guidance, rather than seeing it as a problem to be controlled.
A Lasting Legacy of Self-Acceptance
Now 62, Peirolo carries this hard-won perspective with her. She no longer diets and finds joy in simple pleasures, like the taste of raspberries from her garden. She is grateful for her body's strength, particularly her ability to swim long distances. Most importantly, she hopes her two young grandchildren will grow up with a different refrain: that our different bodies are all wonderful.
Stephanie Peirolo is now an executive coach and the author of The Saint and the Drunk: A Guide to Making the Big Decisions In Your Life.
