7. The Mirror, the Shame & the Healing- Body Image in Dominican Culture

In this deeply honest episode, we explore what it means to live in a Dominican body — shaped by joy, survival, colonized beauty standards, and silence. From being called “gordita” as a greeting to hiding from mirrors and skipping joy, Caitlin unpacks the shame we’ve inherited — and how to return to reverence.

We name what hurts, talk about disordered eating, cultural pressure, and the early messages we internalize before we even know what self-worth means. Through spirituality, ancestral wisdom, and softness, we start to come home to our bodies again.

✨ SEGMENT 1: The Caribbean Body Standard
Caitlin calls out the colonized ideals that taught us to fear our bodies instead of honoring them.
📝 What parts of your body were you taught to critique?
📝 What would it feel like to reclaim them as sacred?

✨ SEGMENT 2: Body Dysmorphia at the Table
How family comments around food and body shape our self-image. Sometimes the first shame didn’t come from strangers — it came from home.
📝 What phrases from your upbringing still shape your self-view?

✨ SEGMENT 3: Self-Talk & Generational Pain
From whispers of “you’re not enough” to hidden eating habits, Caitlin shows how body shame becomes our inner voice — and how to break that cycle.
📝 Whose voice is behind your inner critic?
📝 What would compassion sound like instead?

✨ SEGMENT 4: Mindset, Energy & the Mirror
Energy doesn’t lie. We attract what we believe we deserve. Body shame shifts our posture, presence, and power.
📝 What beliefs about your body are shaping your energy?

✨ SEGMENT 5: When Shame Makes You Miss Life
Shame isolates. We miss parties and joy — not because we want to, but because we don’t feel good enough to show up.
📝 What joy have you skipped because of shame?
📝 What would showing up fully look like now?

✨ SEGMENT 6: Returning to the Divine
Your body isn’t a project — it’s a vessel. We reconnect with spiritual truth and abuela wisdom.
📝 What would it mean to treat your body as sacred — not something to fix?

✨ SEGMENT 7: Dominican Food Is Not the Enemy
We break the fear of our own food. It’s not rice or plátano — it’s the guilt we’ve been taught to eat it with.
📝 What food rules created fear or guilt?

✨ SEGMENT 8: Why This Hurts Women More
Dominican women are taught to shrink — in body, voice, and presence. This segment is about unlearning that script.
📝 What are you ready to stop passing down — even if it’s hard?

✨ SEGMENT 9: And the Men? They’re Hurting Too
Our brothers carry shame quietly. From gym pressure to jokes that mask pain, this segment honors them too.
📝 What unspoken pressure are you carrying — and are you ready to let it go?

✨ SEGMENT 10: A Prayer for the Mirror
We close with a blessing. A return to the body. A whispered reminder that you are already sacred.
📝 What would it mean to forgive your reflection — and start again?

🎧 Listen now on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you stream.
 📱 IG: @caitlinlajefaa & @unfilandunapologeticpod | Tiktok @Caitlajefa
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