I haven’t posted anything here in a while, but...
With the recent Abercrombie & Fitch thing in the news—about no plus sizes, etc—and this, which I saw today:
I wanted to take a few moments and say something about the insanely shallow attitude about size in our culture.
Here it is: we are really fucked up in our brains to believe that success and attractiveness and happiness can only come in a few limited sizes. (Actually, we are really fucked up in our brains concerning MANY topics in our culture, but today, I’m just gonna focus on this one.)
And here is my rant:
Be the size you are. I don’t mean that anything goes. I mean, honestly look at yourself and figure out what size you are. I don’t mean dress size or suit size...I mean how big you actually ought to be. NOT how big society thinks you ought to be. I mean how big your body should be, based on your body. Looking at your genetic relatives can help a little here, but you need to take into account environmental/behavioral issues.
Do we have an epidemic of obesity in this country? Yes. Are fast food and pre-packaged, pre-processed convenience-type foods and high sugar &/or salt content foods (and drinks) to blame. Yes, in part. Also, there’s economics involved, AND BEHAVIOR...CHOICES. That could be a whole documentary film...or several. But I’m not really focusing on that right now.
Just like some people are tall and some are short, some people are fat and some are skinny, AND THAT’S OKAY. Seriously. We all need to come to terms with that. People come in different sizes. Yes, we all have the same basic shape, but there’s a significant range in how big we “normally” get. The thing is this: be the size you should be. And learn to be okay with that.
Sure, if you’re the size of a house, and can’t leave your house, that’s a problem. You need to make some changes. Or if you’re an average-height adult and you weigh the same as an average dining room table, that’s a problem. You need to make some changes.
Activity is important. Whether you’re...let’s say “corpulent” or “whispy”, don’t sit around on your ass all day. It’s not good for you. Take a walk. Take the stairs. Do some activity. Now, I do not really exercise. I don’t go to the gym or run or swim or pull out the yoga mat and do crunches. Yes, I should, but it’s just not a habit I’ve gotten into. When I’ve tried, something always comes along to disrupt my schedule before it’s had a chance to really take hold. BUT, I do walk. I do take the stairs if it’s only a few floors.
Anyway, what I’m saying is, do some activity when you can. And if you feel that you’re not fit enough, then do more activity. If you’re thin and want to put on some weight, then start lifting weights, and drinking protein shakes, and maybe eating a little more. If you’re fat and want to take some off, do something that uses big muscle groups and increases heart rate and breathing. Yes, if you’re worried, consult a doctor first. And don’t go crazy right off the bat; you could hurt yourself.
But don’t compare what you look like to what you see in TV & movies, commercials, magazines. Don’t worry that you don’t look like some pop star celebrity type, and ESPECIALLY not professional “models” who walk on runways and do photo shoots for glamor magazines and perfume ads. Don’t be upset if you don’t look like that. Those people don’t even look like that. You gotta let all the shit go, and look at real people.
And if you’re a child or teen or even in your early twenties, you need to know that your weight, your mass, whatever, may change in the next 5 or 10 years. You may gain weight &/or height without doing much of anything to make it happen. Or you might lose weight, though probably not height, unless you have some degenerative bone disease.
So...in conclusion, two things:
ONE, learn to love your body. That means getting to know your body and being honest and realistic about it. That doesn’t mean you think your body is “perfect”. But it’s really important to love and accept your body. It’s a big part of who you are. In fact, some would argue that it’s all of who you are.
TWO, if you want to make changes, be healthy and reasonable about it. Sure, you might end up with really extreme positive results. Yeah! Great! Awesome! But if that doesn’t happen, that’s okay. The main thing is to be reasonable healthy and okay about that, and know that eventually, your body will degenerate. We can fight it, and that’s fine, but eventually we will lose that fight. AND THAT’S OKAY.
