As an almost 25-year-old women growing up in today’s world, I don’t know one female that loves her body. NOT ONE. Now, while that might not be important to you- it’s important to me. It’s also important to every other female facing the same problem who may be your wife, daughter, sister, friend, etc., And even if she might not realize this, she’s thinking about what to eat for lunch to lose weight or whether she should start her diet tomorrow just so she can be skinny enough for the world to accept her body. When in fact, it’s not the world’s job to love her body, but her own.
Negative body image is a disease; it affects us physically and mentally and for a substantial amount of time. Sometimes our whole lives. Let me repeat that: there are women out there who worry about the way their body looks for their entire lives thanks to the society’s expectations as to what is the ‘ideal’ body weight for today.
Since going to college I have gradually put on weight, yes the freshmen 15 is quite real! I never thought much about my body prior to entering college and gaining weight. But as the years went on I started to take more and more of a notice of my body and the change it was undergoing.
Now, being an avid traveler and a foodie I was faced with the dilemma of whether I should eat all of Europe and then worry about going on a diet when I come home or whether I should pass on that I’ve-never-heard-of dessert. Let’s face it, we all love food and turning it down is hard, but losing weight is so much harder. So when it came to making a decision on which route to take, I wasn’t thinking it for me, I was thinking about how the society would see me as if I chose the dessert and gained an extra pound. And herein lies the issue: I’m not questioning this for myself; I’m questioning this because of the society we live in.
According to my BMI, I’m actually considered ‘overweight’. But I don’t feel that way and I also don’t think I look it. In fact, I love the way I look. Never have I loved my body the way I do now. So although the BMI says I should be at 125, right now I’m the happiest at 20 pounds heavier. Because here is the thing; throughout the struggles of gaining and attempting to lose the weight repeatedly, I have more importantly taken notice of my body and the change it was undergoing. And it was miraculous. It’s incredible what our bodies can do, and through that, I gained an appreciation for my body and I learned to love my physical self.
So get naked and look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself how beautiful you are because the compliments from the world are not promised, but when they come from you, it is the most important things you can give yourself. This positive image will not only benefit you, but also your daughter, sister, friend, and quite honestly any other female that knows you. So let’s all stop staring at the media and what their expectations are for our bodies. Girls are born every day and although the media is always there waiting to eat them up, when they are old enough they will first be listening and observing the women closest to them before the media has a chance to win.
When you learn to love your body you also learn to respect your body, therefore, eating better and incorporating exercise. When you love yourself and your body, you learn to make better life choices. So loving your body isn’t just a gift to yourself, it’s a gift to all the females in your life. This change starts with you, how will you impact the ones around you?