body image

I've been thinking a lot lately about self esteem, and especially about body image. It seems like we are never satisfied with our bodies. There are days when it seems like I am able to find an endless list of things to criticize about my body, and I've never considered myself to have a poor body image. Driving between Salt Lake and Provo there are tons of billboards advertising breast implants, liposuction, tanning, etc. Women are expected to have these perfect bodies and faces and hair. And even if others don't actually expect that of us, I think we too often expect it of ourselves or put ourselves down because we don't look like Victoria's Secret models.

You've probably seen or heard the phrase, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." Apparently Kate Moss told a magazine that this was her motto. I saw this for the first time couple months ago and have heard it many times since, and, honestly, I'm more disgusted by this phrase each time I encounter it. I was looking at pictures of Kate Moss, and when I searched on Google I saw the Wikipedia entry, which says: "Moss is known for her waifish figure and popularizing the heroin chic look in the 1990s, which made her a supermodel. She is also known for her controversial private life, high profile relationships, party lifestyle, and drug use." This super-skinny, unhealthy, drug-addict look seems to be making a comeback with the hipster crowd. I don't think this level of skinny is the main-stream ideal of beauty, but it still troubles me. And let me just say that anyone who believes this has never tasted my brownies. Having some love handles and being able to eat brownies is so worth it! Food is one of the great joys in life, in my opinion.

I spend {too much} time to pinterest and I've noticed how often people have pinboards about "being fit" where they post pictures of scantily-clad women with 6-pack abs and skinny arms. How depressing is that? These boards are supposed to be about inspiration for "getting healthy" but I don't see that at all. That body type is not attainable by all women and you certainly don't have to look like that to be beautiful or healthy. I wish we could all love our bodies for what they are. Of course, everyone should exercise and eat a healthy diet and try to be healthy. But health should be the goal. We need to let go of the pressure to look like the photoshopped pictures in magazines or the models who have personal trainers and chefs and spend all of their time working to look like that, in addition to having the genetics for that look to begin with. I learned from my psychology text book this summer that some contestants in the Miss America pageant work out as much as 30-35 hours a week. If you don't include Sundays, 30 hours a week means 5 hours a day. I think I would like to do something more valuable with my time and I also think it's not fair to compare my body to their bodies.

Have you heard the Regina Spektor song Folding Chair? She says, "I've got a perfect body but sometimes I forget. I've got a perfect body because my eyelashes catch my sweat." I love that! I think we can all find a reason why our bodies are perfect. Our bodies are so different and special. Every body is beautiful, and it's wrong that we have such a narrow view of beauty in our society.

Now, a final thought that sums up my feelings perfectly about what I want for myself and my future daughters:

"I've got two daughters who will have to make their way in this skinny-obsessed world, and it worries me, because I don't want them to be empty-headed, self-obsessed, emaciated clones; I'd rather they were independent, interesting, idealistic, kind, opinionated, original, funny - a thousand things, before 'thin.' And frankly, I'd rather they didn't give a gust of stinking chihuahua flatulence whether the woman standing next to them has fleshier knees than they do. Let my girls be Hermiones, rather than Pansy Parkinsons. Let them never be Stupid Girls." 

- J.K. Rowling