In a world that subliminally tells you to hate your body, I say, at the very least, when you can’t quite love it, respect it. #bodyneutrality
Choose respect.
DESPITE:
The messages from your Mum that the outfit you have on makes you look frumpy
The people around you steeped in body hate when you’re trying so hard to shift a lifelong focus
The message from diet culture that you don’t deserve to love your body until you’ve lost weight
The kids at school/siblings at home who teased you about your body
Being put on your 1st diet at age 8 & wondering why
The billboard on the passing bus which promotes the latest weight loss shake
The before & after photos where you subconsciously absorb something ‘wrong’ with the body of the before, whilst celebrating the body of the after
The comment from your Dad that you ‘better lose weight for your health’
The shame you feel when your Healthcare Professional tells you to lose weight when you came in to receive respectful healthcare irrespective of weight
The images of women/men with diet cultures ‘ideal body shape’ plastered all over your social media/TV/magazines
The collective diet-culture based belief that in order to be healthy (& worthy) then we must fit into society’s ‘ideal body shape’ (i.e. just ‘less’ at present) is subconsciously drilled into us everywhere we turn. Not only is this widely unhelpful, but the concept of it is incorrect. This is also WEIGHT STIGMA.
Some days our bodies feel so uncomfortable to live in. These feelings are SO valid. You CAN choose to respect your body in the absence of ‘loving’ it.
Respect it for the young girl/boy who didn’t know anything but what their environment told them was wrong with their bodies. For the mature woman/man you are now who has body autonomy & the right to formulate your own beliefs. If for nothing else, then for the children you are bringing into the world.
Choose respect. So we can change the cycle that is unhelpful, uneducated, & moreover, plain old exhausting.
Every BODY deserves dignity & respect. #HAES @ryankennymedia
