Since middle school, my body has been subjected to various types of work. When I was about 11, my parents started their own wholesale distribution company. They would order items from overseas and deliver them to different stores throughout the DMV. They felt that this routine was not enough to support our family so they began to sell their products at local flea markets on the weekends. When I was finally old enough, my parents brought me along with them to help out. The first time that I worked with them was arduous. We left for our local flea market at 3 AM because my parents wanted to get the best spaces. We slept in the car until about 5 AM, when it was time to set up our “shop.” I helped my parents unload the box truck, moving banana boxes that were filled with random items from their company. I was on my feet and talking to customers all day. We started to pack up around 1 PM, where we had to put all of the items back onto the truck one by one. When I got home all I could do was lay down and the next day, everywhere on my body felt sore. I have continued this routine every weekend, whether it is raining, snowing, or 95 degrees outside. This has affected both my mental and physical health. Having to forgo weekend plans that my friends make or talking to rude customers leads this work to be emotional labor for me. As Hochschild describes it, emotional labor is work that involves evoking and suppressing feelings. When I work with my parents, I feel mentally and physically drained. My body has adapted to strenuous activity but I still feel worn out every time I come home from work.
This routine has led me to not only dread the weekends but to wonder what my body would look or feel like if I did not engage in physical labor. When I look at myself, I do not see the “petite” and “small” girl that I am often described as. Instead I see someone able to lift heavy boxes and be on their feet for countless hours, propelled by many years of experience in physical labor. I am still unsure of which one I prefer. Society condemns those who are not stick-thin but part of me wants to overcome the stereotype that girls are weak. As mentioned in Slavishak’s “Made by the Work,” bodies are often symbols. Bodies that are bigger or muscular are seen as tough, strong, and capable of work. Whereas bodies that are small and non-muscular are seen as frail and not meant for physical labor. On first look, anyone would assume that I am the latter but in reality I am capable of doing work.
Unruly Bodies 
This was a really insightful analysis! what particularly stood out to me is the point you made about thin bodies being seen as weak and fraile, and big bodies seen as being strong. It’s ironic because while this is true (in terms of how people view bodies), society simultaneously shames people with fat bodies for being lazy, and praises thin bodies for being healthy and in-shape. So that goes to show that the argument is contradictory, and there is no correct way that a body should look. Just because someone appears to be curvier or thinner, it’s no indication of their actual health.
I agree with this completely! There is a contradiction in that argument for sure. I relate to this a lot and it is just another example of how skewed a lot of perspectives are. While I am skinny, I feel I have to prove that I’m not weak, while a lot of other people see me as strong and “healthy.” That also ties into our discussion about what it means to
be healthy.
Regarding your back story, I also related to this a lot. My parents would make me and my siblings do a lot of work around the house because they had a lot of land and a lot of kids. It made me think of how much my body has been used to work for other people, and how it will continue to do so.