My problem is that I dont think people understand what loving your body truly means. Loving your body is about self-respect. Wanting to be healthy, and wholesome. That means finding, striving for and maintaining a healthy weight. Putting good things into your body, acknowledging moderation and feeling good about yourself at the same time. The definition of "loving your body" that women perpetuate today is very different. It reinforces complacency really. It gives an overweight woman the excuse to not try and give up on her battle for health. 1 in 3 Americans are overweight, it is an astonishing statistic. Also recall that the leading cause of death is cardiac disease. Diabetes is a growing concern among Americans as well. Many of the leading health issues today are directly related to unhealthy weight.
The fact is that Marilyn's weight fluctuated drastically throughout her career and there were times where she was slightly overweight. Her average size was comparable to today's 10 (sizes are different now than they were then). While I may not agree with today's definition of "plus size" in the fashion world (mind you in the "real" world plus size is larger than runway plus size...), Marilyn was neither as large as some people think she was but was also by no means exactly thin. I refuse to believe that she had a 24 inch waist with 36 in hips and waist... I wear a size 4-6 and I dont have a 24 inch waist... in her pictures she doesn't look extremely un-proportional. Other people make the point that in other cultures being bigger is more beautiful. My argument there is look at which cultures those are. They are typically 3rd world societies where size is a marker of wealth, a large woman means she comes from a family with the means to feed their family, it is more a sign of wealth than an image of beauty.
The one that really got me was someone walked around the BART stations posting fliers onto the advertisements for LAP bands also lauding the whole "love your body there's nothing wrong with you, there are other ways to lose weight" philosophy. I found this extremely ignorant. They don't give just anyone a LAP band. Recipients meet a strict criterion of level of obesity and having already tried other means of weight loss. People who qualify for a LAP band are unhealthy and often morbidly obese. LAP bands are not for the casual dieter who wishes to lose a few pounds. They are also a last resort for people who have tried to lose the weight on their own. It isn't about becoming toothpick thin, it's about being healthy, avoiding cardiac disease, extending quality years of life.
When people talk about being comfortable in your own body it has more to do with embracing who you are and accepting the things about yourself that you can't change than it does about size or shape. So yes, love your body, but also respect yourself and your body, find health and balance.
When people talk about being comfortable in your own body it has more to do with embracing who you are and accepting the things about yourself that you can't change than it does about size or shape. So yes, love your body, but also respect yourself and your body, find health and balance.
This makes me so angry that I can't read more than half. Knowing you're my best friend, well, I am speechless.
ReplyDeleteI think I see what you are getting at Em... But your argument does seem pretty one-sided. I think the MAIN reason why the whole "love your body" mantra ever came about was because of women taking drastic (unhealthy) measures to get to or maintain a healthy weight. The people who look at it as an excuse to be fat, lazy and unhealthy are the ignorant ones to the real meaning of it. We should all strive to be healthy, by eating healthy and exercising, but the fact of the matter is that some women will NEVER be what the popular media deems as "sexy." No amount of healthy dieting and exercise can get all women to their ideal of what is "sexy." People have different body types. I think the point of all of the hype is that there are really so many women and girls nowadays that stress so much over their bodies and want unrealistic expectations. Idk... that's just what I think though. For example, my younger sister is almost 6 feet tall and has a rather larger build. She happens to be overweight but when she diets, she has this unreal expectation that it is even possible for herself to become small and petite. The whole point is to dress for your body and get to the best look for your own body type and shape and not want what you don't have. Does that make sense? :/
ReplyDeletethat's what i'm SAYING. being healthy is not necessarily thin and don't content to be fat. but you get all these overweight women who to hide behind their insecurities develop this whole "no you should love your body whatever the size" mantra and that's not ok. One should never become complacent with being overweight and stop trying to be healthy. I'm not saying all women should strive to be skinny. I never said that. I said that women who content themselves with being overweight because they see what it is to be sexy as un-achievable when really they should be looking to see what is HEALTHY as what is beautiful. everyone has a different body type and while some may never be able to be that slender thin type there is a healthy weight and body composition for every frame. Some people have medical conditions that hinder weight loss but it isn't an excuse to just become complacent. I can accept that as being that it's not because they dont respect their bodies that they are overweight but as long as they are taking the necessary steps to be healthy that's ok. I just dont like the extremes that people set on things that either you have to be super thin or that "big girls" are sexy. Why can't being healthy be sexy? THAT is what I'm saying.
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