What Happened to My Neck

Nobody warned us about the neck.

Or the eyes. Or the hands. Or the hundred other things we’re apparently supposed to fix, tighten, inject, and apologize for. What Happened to My Neck is a love letter to every woman who has stood in front of a mirror and been unkind to herself — and a gentle, fiery reminder that real beauty was never something you could buy.

Blazing orange wings edged in dramatic charcoal and navy, soft pink eye spots like little acts of self-compassion, cool gray lower wings grounded and steady — this butterfly is not trying to be anything other than exactly what she is. Untouched. Unapologetic. Stunning.

Beauty isn’t a problem to be solved. It’s a life being lived.

Original acrylic on 5×5 birch wood block · One of a kind · From the Getting Through the Ugly collection by Lori Friedrichs