Body Image, Body Shaming, Western Culture Sucks, etc.

Once upon a time I wrote a blogpost about body image and poured my heart and soul into it. And I got a lot of positive feedback and a lot of people benefited from it. THEN I DELETED IT. 

Today I joined a gym. This wasn’t some life-changing, “I’m starting off on the right foot” kinda deal, because during school I worked out 6 days a week. However, for the first time in my life I was surrounded by people much older than me -- I was the minority! At high school, we received this massive grant when I was in, like, 7^th grade (I think) and they put in a gym in our school. It was crowded and sweaty and 9/10 the machines were always broken and some people would just go down there and sit, occasionally lifting a leg or flailing an arm like, “Look guys!  Physical activity.” And a college gym is just a bunch of college kids who grunt and use shifty eye movements to communicate with each other. But this time was different.

Planet Fitness is a really cool place. Not only are their machines reaaaal nice, but they’re also extremely body positive. I toured the gym when I signed up with a worker and he told me that they strive to have all members to adhere by their ‘No judgement’ rule. At first I laughed it off, like, “Okay. It’s a gym.” But then I felt like an idiot. I was surrounded by people who were at all different stages on their weight loss journey. And it is so brave to do that. I really respect Planet Fitness for how hard they’re working to make people feel welcomed -- like they belong.

Body Image has become so westernized that across the board, girls are trying to look like that. “I want a stomach like that.” “I want thighs like that.” “Why don’t my hips look like that.” I hate THAT. It’s been a long, tiring uphill battle for me and body image and the word THAT is ripped from my personal dictionary.

In April/May alone I’m guessing I’ve gained about 10 pounds. 14-year-old Abby would absolutely have lost  it. I would have ran 7 miles a day, ate only salads, never even glanced near junk food. Then I would tired myself out and run out of energy come day 4 and then binge. And then cry. And then repeat. However 18-year-old Abby is EMBRACING it. I’ve let myself go after finish school and I’ve recognized that. And now I’m taking action

I’m not going to lie, this journey wasn’t made by “faith in myself.” Sure, it helped, but I’m definitely not strong enough to ignore all of society. My mom obviously helped me, but it was mainly pop culture icons embracing their body that helped me the most. The two that come to mind for me personally is Demi Lovato and Jennifer Lawrence.

I’ve already talked about Demi in an older post and I stand by everything I said. Jennifer Lawrence doesn’t even need an introduction.  But just in case you live under a rock, Jennifer Lawrence is an American actress known for her goofy one-liners, laid-back attitude, but most importantly, on taking a stand against body shaming. She is an athletic build. And Hollywood has the audacity to call her fat. What scares me is that I have an athletic build. I have muscular legs and arms and instead of losing weight, I gain muscle. So to read that Jennifer Lawrence is fat, is enough to knock someone down a few rungs.

Who cares. Who cares what the media says. Who cares what society thinks. It’s hard to ignore all that pressure that just builds and builds and builds. I know. The billboards, the commercials. Every celebrity you’ve ever loved has been involved with some very thin, tanned, legs for days model. Then you feel like crap. You feel like you’ll never be as beautiful as someone like that. Then you feel bad for yourself. I know. But who cares about what other people are doing? Hint: Not you. Answer: No one.

Here’s my advice -- 1. stop looking at sizes. In my closet right now I have sizes 9, 7, 6, and 4 in pants. They all fit the same. But yet their range is extremely high. Clothes are being made smaller and smaller. I know it really hurts to have to go up a size, but why buy something that doesn’t fit, looks extremely unflattering on you, and will only shrink in the wash to make you feel better. It sucks, I know, but it’s not worth it.; 2. Be healthier. You can mope and whine and point to models in Seventeen all you want, but nothing is going to happen unless you cleanse your body. Eat fruits. Eat vegetables. Don’t drink pop.  Cut down on sugary foods and processed foods. Get 30 minutes of exercise a day in. There. That’s it. That’s all you need to do. You don’t need to go overboard. A healthy lifestyle comes with hard work and determination. Not starving yourself. (That's a WHOLE different post for me.) 3. ‘Skinny’ doesn’t mean healthy and ‘fat’ doesn’t mean unhealthy. Body shaming goes both ways. Be kind to others with your words.

I know how hard it is to accept your body. I know how much of a struggle it is to look in the mirror and not be happy with the person you see. It sucks. It really, really, really sucks. But nothing is going to get better unless you take the change to being happier and healthier. Your body is yours and no one else's. You need to take care of it. 

Be happy, be strong, be confident.

But most of all,

Be beautiful.

Xx
A