The Other Body Image Conversation We Aren’t Having.

I am feeling this one today.. so going to re-post it for you all! it was originally shared in May, 13.. yes, right before bathing suit season began!
BLUNTmoms.

This post is not going to make me popular.  And that’s ok.  Sometimes the truth hurts.

I’ve been reading a lot lately about women and body image. It’s a prevalent topic and it’s an important topic.  We have been programmed to feel inadequate, even disgusting if our bodies aren’t perfect by somebody else’s standards.

Your ass is too big or too small.  Your boobs are tiny, saggy or lopsided.  Your lips are thin and your nose is wide. There is no winning in this perfect body game.

So, we preach self-love and acceptance.  I’m all for it. I’m not like you and you are not like me.  We might even be the same dress size and have dramatically different bodies.

I don’t believe in “skinny”.  I can tell you I’ve been handed that label more times than I can count and I hate it.

I believe in fit.  In healthy.  In treating your body the way it was meant to be treated.  I don’t believe that people who truly love their bodies, self abuse or neglect their bodies in extreme ways.

If we came with an owner’s manual there would probably be a section on routine maintenance.  That section would suggest things like what kind of fuel to use, not to overflow the tank, that regular use is important for longevity, to protect from extreme temperatures, give it plenty of rest and oodles of other useful information.

The thing is we don’t need an owner’s manual.  We know what it takes to keep our bodies operating properly.  Yet so many of us don’t do it. Yes, I know, it’s complicated.  Lord how I know. But there comes a time when you have to take a long hard look in the mirror and ask yourself “Am I doing the best I can with what I’ve been given?  Am I giving my body the respect it deserves?”  If you can say yes and believe it.  I mean, really, deep in the core of your heart, believe it, then keep up the good work.

Now, I have never, ever looked in the mirror and saw perfection.  Far from it. But there have been times when I have glanced at my reflection and thought, “You know you are doing a pretty good job here.” And the better I treat my body the more I learn to love it.

You can’t love anything that you don’t treat with respect.  You just can’t.

I can tell you that as much as I will teach my daughter about loving herself, inside and out, I will be teaching her how and why she needs to take care of her body, to treat it in a way that will empower her, again, both inside and out.