"You are not Fat, Just Solid."
"Hold your belly in."
" Enjoy that chocolate now while you can, it's gonna catch up to you."
" Are you SURE you want another helping?"
What
was said to you as a child? Many of us were given messages that our
bodies were wrong and our weight needed to be controlled. We were taught
early on that food was an enemy. Food would inevitably make you fat.
And fat was bad ...really really bad! Fat essentially meant you wouldn't
be loved.
"You eat like a truck driver."
"Stay thin or your husband will leave you for a thinner younger woman."
"Keep eating that way and you'll end up fat like your mom."
We
often have beliefs and thoughts soaring through our heads that aren't
even ours. What if you could take these beliefs and send them back to
their rightful owner? Mother. Sister. Dad. Aunt.
Sometimes
we live our whole life without asking- "Is that belief true?" Is it? Is
it true that you aren't loved if you weigh 10 pounds more? Is it true your life will suck because you eat 'too much' ice cream?
Our beliefs create our reality. Believe it and it becomes true. Create a
story and stick to it and then create behaviors and a life that affirms
that belief.
As
women, we are perpetuating our own fears by teaching our daughters and
younger girls to be discontent with their bodies. The cycle goes on and
on and on. Did you know that 80% of 10-year-old girls have been
on a diet? Most young girls have a similar belief about their bodies as
their mothers.
This is a post from the
Body Image Project Blog. It has endless posts from anonymous young girls pouring their hearts out about their bodies. Check out this post:
"At
the age of sixteen, you would think that the only thing a girl would
have to worry about is school or getting her drivers license. But no,
not me. I have to look in the mirror everyday and see an ugly and fat
girl staring back. I cry all the time about it. I hate myself. I want to
be skinny. Actually, I feel like I have to be skinny. This world we
live in isn't fair. It's just so hard trying to workout and diet
everyday and then see no results. I'm trapped...I want to get out of
this. "
We need to WAKE UP
and acknowledge that our own beliefs about our bodies affect those
around us! Do you want your daughter or niece to dislike their body?
Then stop putting yourself down! Cultivate a love for yourself. The best
way to teach acceptance and love is to model it. We know this and yet
somehow we forget it when it comes to our bodies. Young children are
being physically and psychologically harmed and our own beliefs will
make an impact.
I feel it is my responsibility to LOVE MY BODY, so I can teach young girls around me that they too can love their bodies.
Love,
Marla
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