Joyous on my wedding day, though, someone once pointed out that my arms look fat. Let's cut right to it: women say horrible things to themselves about their bodies, and often we do it in front of impressionable young girls. It needs to stop, NOW. I grew up surrounded by women, young and old, who struggled with their weight, and I now can see that struggle is more about self-acceptance and self-love than it is about numbers on a scale.
If you are living your struggle with weight loss out loud in front of your daughter, then she is learning that she is not acceptable exactly as she is. She is learning there is something shameful about a woman's body. And that lesson, well, it sticks and can create some perilous outcomes down the road like eating disorders. These articles are worthy of your time, especially since if we are to shift cultural attitudes about women's bodies, then we have to start with ourselves.
This New York Times op-ed highlights the meaning behind the existence and removal of the Facebook "I Feel Fat" emoticon.
Young girls listen to the way we adult women talk about ourselves. This helpful article points out ways to change how we talk in front of our daughters.
If you want more articles on body shaming and its pervasiveness in our culture, The Huffington Post has a good assortment on this topic and you can choose from their catalog here.
Thank you for reading this post and one or two of the articles, considering your internal conversation about your body, and hopefully committing to making it a loving and joyful dialog.
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