My ultimate favorite blogger, Gala Darling, just kicked off a new series of articles on loving your body. The message here is great and one that I would love to share with the girls I see in the lunchroom, not eating or sharing lunches because they are worried that they'll be fat.
While I've never had an eating disorder and I've never been more than ten pounds overweight, I have struggled with body image issues. I remember at a certain point in high school I purposely stopped reading magazines and watching MTV. It was possibly one of the best things I did for myself, because it definitely quieted the shouting in my head, "You're not (fill in the blank) enough!"
But those voices never quite go away do they? It's only been very recently, as I've started working out in earnest that I've begun to accept what God's given to me as a body. I have thick thighs, but I'm noticing they're thick because of muscle. My core is likewise tightening, but I realize that I will never be the kind of skinny that, say, Victoria's Secret girls are. I'm accepting that that's just not my DNA. I have a medium sized, athletic shape and I love it. I love my biceps and my quads and my calves. My legs won't ever look like stove pipes, but I have the potential to be a great snowboarder or dancer. My arms are long, but they are looking more graceful than gangly. Growing up, I always was drawn to characters who were strong, athletic females. Now that I've begun exercising my body, rather than trying to avoid looking at it, I am becoming that kind of girl. And while I don't make it the sole basis for my esteem, it totally helps that my boyfriend loves my shape.
So love on! Be your body; don't try to ignore it.
