I’ve struggled with weight all my life. That may surprise some people- but for me it’s
been about the correlation to my weight and my self-worth, self-image,
self-confidence, self-esteem and self-respect. Growing up I was very
slender. Because I danced a lot- and my
metabolism kicked in at a very early age, I had a more relaxed eating habit and
was moving quite a bit. In junior high
though, I dealt with some of the same societal pressures and expectations many
of our young women face today. This crazy idea stating the only way boys will
like you, the only way you’ll make friends, the only you’ll feel successful,
the only way you’ll feel beautiful, the only way you hold any value is if you
fit a certain pre-determined size and shape.
If you don’t fall in this unrealistic and often unattainable cookie
cutter image, you failed. Not only that, but you have to work twice as hard and
spend twice as much money to reach this impossible goal and “ideal.” And even
then, someone will find something wrong with you and determine you can’t be
part of this “elite” club- thereby leaving you with feelings of denial and
anger and bitterness and discouragement and self-loathing. Sad thing is- these “ideals” and these
feelings don’t go away as you get older- if anything- they get even worse.
Like I said before, I’ve always been slender. But in the past couple of years, I realized
(the hard way I might add), my metabolism doesn’t work the same way it used to.
My hips and waist and thighs aren’t the same size they used to be. There are
parts of my body which jiggle which never jiggled before. There are parts of my
body which touch that never touched before. There are certain outfits I can’t
wear right now, certain articles of clothing which won’t fit over my hips or
shoulders. There are certain sizes I never
thought I’d have to shop for, but that’s what I’m shopping for. And for some women, myself included, they may
look at these things and think “what’s wrong with me? why can’t I look like
everyone else? Why can’t I look like I did in high school? Why can’t I weigh
what my driver’s license says I weigh?” (not like we’ve never lied about THAT
before- LOL.)” Unfortunately, some of us
believe our value and our worth comes from what size we are or what our
measurements are.
Now last year, after realizing I’d gained about 25 pounds- I
talked with my doctor at a physical and she suggested going on the South Beach
Diet to try and trim away some of the pounds and inches. I did it for about two
months. The weight fell off like crazy. And I’ll be straight up- it was kind of
nice hearing comments like ‘you look fantastic!” or “I’m so proud of you” or “I
can tell you’ve been working hard” or “your waist is so tiny!” I’m not saying losing
weight is a bad thing- I’m not saying you shouldn’t work hard if that’s a goal
you set for yourself. Like I said, I
felt good hearing some of these comments- and because I made the decision
MYSELF to lose the weight- it was a good motivator for me. Now some of those
healthy eating habits I discovered and dedicated myself to haven’t been as
strong for me the past little while. And I’ve gained some of that weight
back. And I get frustrated when I put
pants on which don’t fit. Or when I get out of the shower- see myself in the mirror
and don’t like the image staring back at me. But I realized something the other
day. Often times, there is so much
pressure to be thin, skinny, slender, lean- whatever. I feel like there isn’t
as much emphasis on being “healthy.” Think
about it. How many times do you see billboards or hear ads on either the radio
or television or read something in a magazine and it talks about “we will help
you develop healthy eating habits” or “let us help you create a fitness plan
right for your age and body type” or “let us help you feel better about
yourself regardless of your size.” I don’t know about the rest of you- but
often times, all I hear or see is “we’ll help shave off those pounds and
inches- call us today for a laser treatment” or some kind of sculpting or an
out-patient procedure of some kind. And I
also see the “pinnacles” of feminine beauty as being size 2 sticks who barely
have enough skin to cover their bones. I
think Calvin Klein is currently facing heat over that very issue- with their “plus
size” model who is a size 10. (Note to
Calvin Klein- that’s actually the “normal” size for many women- especially the
women you are trying to reach.) Rather than trying to teach people behaviors
and actions which they can carry the rest of their life- society is pushing all these “quick fixes” to
make every woman look just like everyone else. Even diets- and yes I had
success with South Beach and I’m not saying diets don’t work- but how many
diets actually teach women how to keep weight off and still be healthy- rather
than just losing pounds quickly?
There isn’t anything wrong with being a size 2. There isn’t
anything wrong with getting one of those procedures or going to one of those
places. There isn’t anything wrong with going to the gym 5 days a week or
following a diet’s strict or loose guidelines. My only point is to ask the
question- “why are we doing it?” and again- I’m guilty of this myself. Do we do
this all because we WANT to? Because we feel like it will make us happier? Because
we feel like it will make us prettier? Because we feel like it will make us
healthier? Why is it so many people have a new year’s resolution to lose
weight? Because they are medically obese and they need to lose inches and
pounds to prevent any future issues? Because they have a BMI which puts them in
the overweight column and that’s a place they don’t want to be? Because they
want to be able to fit into their favorite outfits again or wear that sexy
dress to the holiday party? Why is it as summer approaches I always see
commercials telling women “get a bikini or beach ready body in blank amount of
days?” Why aren’t there are more commercials
saying something like “feel comfortable and confident in your own skin and come
find a swimming suit which will be perfect for your body type- no matter what
it is.” I have a bikini- and I wore it this summer (albeit once.) Do I have the
picture perfect beach bunny body? Heck no. Do I have a bit of a muffin top
right now? yes. But you know what? I put on that swimsuit, went to a friend’s
birthday party, slid down their water slide and had an absolute blast. Because I
wasn’t worried about how I might look or what people might think about how I looked.
I was there to have fun.
Again, I’m not trying to point fingers or make anyone feel
bad for their own eating or exercise habits- or non-habits. Like I said, I’ve
been on both sides of this. I’ve been
the thin tadpole- and now I’m the fuller frog. (warts and all- LOL.) Yet, I don’t
base my own self-image or self-confidence or self-worth on my size. Will I ever be the size I was in high school?
Probably not. Will I ever be the size I was in college? Maybe. Will I ever be
able to wear the collection of suits and shirts and skirts currently hanging in
my closet which won’t fit over parts of my body? Maybe. And if I’m not able to
ever fit into them again- that’s okay. Our bodies change as we get older and go
through life changing experiences. You have kids, your body is going to change.
You become sexually active- your body is going to change. You have a full time
job where you sit all the time- your body is going to change. And even just
going from year to year- your body changes. There isn’t anything wrong with that.
If you currently are at a size or a shape you don’t like- maybe ask yourself-
why don’t I like it? Do I think I’m too fat? Too skinny? Or, are there things I
can do to make myself healthier? If I lose inches and pounds because of it-
good. If I gain a higher sense of self and learn to love myself for it- better.
I’m currently trying to eat better and exercise more- but I’m also not stepping
on a scale at all this time around. I’m simply working to make myself healthy
and not worry about what my “numbers” are.
Guess what- I wore a size 12 skirt to my brother’s wedding. You
can see that I have hips and a butt in some of the pictures. But I also was
told a lot how beautiful I looked that day. Because at the end of the day- it’s
not our outside beauty which makes us shine- which makes us the people we are.
Our true beauty comes from our spirits, our smiles, our souls, our eyes and our
hearts. Be happy with who you are- no
matter what you look like. Be happy with who you are- no matter your size or
shape. Be happy with you are- no matter what others may think or feel. Be happy
with who you are- no matter the number. Be happy with who you are-
imperfections, love handles, stretch marks and all. And if you do want to
improve yourself- do it because YOU want to, not because you feel you HAVE
to. At the end of the day though-
remember you are GORGEOUS- JUST THE WAY YOU ARE. :D