I am fired up as I sit down to write. I want to kick body shaming to the curb, yet again!
Recently I encountered body shaming through the lens of someone I love and adore.
“Body shaming is known as the action or practice of expressing humiliation about another individual’s body shape or size.”
Resource: https://anad.org, “Body Shaming”
When we criticize the outward appearance of self or others, we are body shaming.
My heart beat quickens and my blood pressure rises when I encounter body shaming. This, my body’s visceral reaction.
You see, I struggled with an eating disorder for six years in my teens and early 20’s. I remember all too well feeling completely uncomfortable in my own skin.
It wasn’t just body shaming back then, it was more like body hatred.
It wasn’t until I was in my 40’s that I learned self-love; the kind that allowed me to love and accept my body and my soul. And with that came a mental and emotional freedom that I now cherish and protect.
Here are a few tips on how I kicked body shaming to the curb and how I keep it there.
I accept how God created me, inside and out. Back when I was growing up, I bought into “You can never be too… skinny.” and “Skinny equals pretty, popular, happy, boyfriends, good life…”
This became my motto and my belief system. I had to begin to chip away at the foundation of this belief system to reveal a new truth.
I am ME size! I AM ME SIZE!
And you my friends, are YOU size!
I challenge the “Skinny equals…” destructive path by replacing it with “healing, growth, and recovery”.
Healing, growth, and recovery are what lead to “pretty” from the inside, happiness based on life’s precious moments, excitement in discovering purpose and fulfillment.
THIS is the good stuff, the sweet spot that has NOTHING to do with a number on a scale or the size of clothes.
How about we try this on for size and discover it’s perfect fit!
I recognize and celebrate my own uniqueness and that of others. I look at others through the eyes of my heart and I see their beauty. I really do.
I accept my own short comings (which are many) and my own humanness. I acknowledge, own, apologize for, and learn from my mistakes. I no longer mentally flog myself for days on end.
And I love and accept others where they are at. I meet them there and walk along beside them.
We are all on this journey called life. Human connectedness helps us survive and thrive. Sometimes we loose sight of this, especially during a pandemic.
I recognize and appreciate the gift of life that my body gives me every day I wake. It is not guaranteed. And I remember the feeling of being in the depths of despair. Having walked through the pain to get through to the other side, I cherish each day now.
Without the storms of life, I wouldn’t be able to appreciate the sunshine.
When I hear people body shaming, I gently but firmly put a kibosh to it. If I catch myself body shaming, I put the double kibosh to it.
I understand that what I allow to take root in my thoughts will manifest in my life. I only water the beautiful seeds and pluck out the weeds (the “stinkin’ thinkin’”).
Lastly, I do NOT accept what society tells me is beautiful. I now determine it. I look for it and I see it all around me; in myself, in others, in life’s moments, in nature, in my dear ones.
May you see the beauty in and around you today.
Blessings dear ones,
Christine
For more information on body shaming, click the ANAD (Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders) link below.
https://anad.org/get-informed/body-image/body-image-articles/body-shaming/
ME SIZE, I love that! There’s really no excuse for body shaming is there. I think anyone who does it is perhaps reflecting how they feel about themselves. Thank you for an empowering post Christine. We are all imperfectly perfect. 🙏💙