My Body Is Mine is a powerful, unapologetic lyrical song about bodily autonomy, consent, personal boundaries, and reclaiming ownership of your body after experiencing trauma, sexual violence, and the violation of personal choice.
 
Through emotionally honest lyrics and music, Julie Jewels Smoot gives voice to a truth that should never need defending:
 
Every person has the right to decide what happens to their own body.
 
Inspired by her experiences as a United States Navy veteran, survivor of sexual violence and Military Sexual Trauma, and longtime survivor advocate, this song confronts the devastating consequences of having bodily autonomy violated.
 
For survivors, reclaiming a sense of ownership over the body can be complicated. Trauma may leave lasting physical sensations, emotional responses, memories, and challenges with trust.
 
But none of those experiences change one fundamental truth.
 
My body belongs to me. It always has. It always will.
 
My Body Is Mine challenges the belief that anyone is entitled to another person's body, attention, affection, vulnerability, or access.
 
Consent is not assumed.
 
Silence is not consent.
 
 
A relationship does not create entitlement.
 
Past permission does not guarantee future permission.
 
And saying no does not require an explanation.
 
This song is also about the freedom to establish boundaries without guilt, shame, or the responsibility of managing someone else's disappointment.
 
You are allowed to say no.
You are allowed to change your mind.
You are allowed to decide who touches you.
You are allowed to protect your privacy.
 
You are allowed to choose what feels right for your body without being pressured to justify your decisions.
 
My boundaries are not an invitation to negotiate. My body is not available for someone else's entitlement.
 
For Julie, reclaiming bodily autonomy is not about pretending the past never happened. It is about recognizing that the violations she survived do not grant anyone ownership over her present or future.
 
Her body is not a debt.
 
Her body is not an obligation.
 
Her body is not the price of someone else's comfort.
 
And her body is not something she must surrender to prove love, trust, forgiveness, or healing.
Part of Julie's Listening First. Nothing Is Required. philosophy, My Body Is Mine is a declaration of personal sovereignty, dignity, consent, and the right to live without coercion.
 
It honors survivors who are reclaiming their choices, their boundaries, and their right to determine what happens next.
 
I survived what was done to me. I do not owe anyone access to me. My body is mine, and that is not up for discussion.
 
My Body. My Choice. My Boundaries. My Life.
 
Listening First. Nothing Is Required.
 
© Julie Jewels Smoot. All rights reserved.