There's a big difference between loving our bodies and loving our fat.
I love myself, and I love my body. Aesthetically, I love my curves, my legs, my breasts. I love being a woman and all the aspects associated with that. I also love my body for its functions. It gave life to two beautiful children. It has endured two caesarian sections, from which I bounced back physically within only a couple of weeks. My body takes me from point A to point B. It can contort into a pretzel or stretch like a cat.
My body is pretty amazing, and I love my body!!
Your body is pretty amazing too, and you should love your body too!
But with all that said, does loving our bodies mean that we have to also love our fat? Do we have to love the jiggle in our thighs, the cellulite on our butts, or the hanging flesh from our arms that tells people hi or goodbye before our words do?
To love our bodies, does it mean that we have to love all of us? Is it un-feminist to say we don't love our fat?
I try to promote a very body positive message on the blog. After 37 years, I have really and truly grown to love my body, and I want to help inspire other women (and men) to love their bodies too. I spent too much time loathing my body and comparing it to others, and I don't wish those feelings or mindset on anyone.
I mentioned on a recent post that I had been eating too much over the holidays and was feeling the need to disguise some extra poundage. I've accepted my body at its size, but I'm not happy with the few extra pounds I seem to have put on in the last few months.
Many people who are overweight practice healthy habits. I don't. Lately, I'm becoming more aware of the effects of my unhealthy lifestyle on my body, not just in adding more fat to my body, but also in how I feel. I haven't really made any New Year's resolutions, except for a few light-hearted style-related ones which you'll see on the blog this week, but I am trying to make some smarter decisions about what I put in my body and how much I move.
I love my curves, and I have learned to accept my body at any size. I just don't love all the aspects of being fat. Maybe it's simply years of socialization towards preferring a thinner ideal, but I prefer my body aesthetically when it's a bit smaller. I don't usually like the way that my belly looks.
Acknowledging this is being honest to myself and being honest to you, my readers. Acknowledging this doesn't mean I don't love myself or my body...it just means that I am admitting my imperfections to myself and to you.
We all have aspects of ourselves we don't like or of which we aren't as proud. I can be selfish, possessive, lazy, obsessive, and overly critical. I also know that I'm passionate, loyal, affectionate, giving, and kind. By the same token, I don't necessarily love some of my extra fluff, but I do love my body.
My body is beautiful and amazing, and SO IS YOURS!
My body is pretty amazing, and I love my body!!
Your body is pretty amazing too, and you should love your body too!
 |
| Dress: Target Petites |
To love our bodies, does it mean that we have to love all of us? Is it un-feminist to say we don't love our fat?
I try to promote a very body positive message on the blog. After 37 years, I have really and truly grown to love my body, and I want to help inspire other women (and men) to love their bodies too. I spent too much time loathing my body and comparing it to others, and I don't wish those feelings or mindset on anyone.
 |
| Tights: New York & Company |
Many people who are overweight practice healthy habits. I don't. Lately, I'm becoming more aware of the effects of my unhealthy lifestyle on my body, not just in adding more fat to my body, but also in how I feel. I haven't really made any New Year's resolutions, except for a few light-hearted style-related ones which you'll see on the blog this week, but I am trying to make some smarter decisions about what I put in my body and how much I move.
 |
| Purse: Target Boots: Target |
Acknowledging this is being honest to myself and being honest to you, my readers. Acknowledging this doesn't mean I don't love myself or my body...it just means that I am admitting my imperfections to myself and to you.
We all have aspects of ourselves we don't like or of which we aren't as proud. I can be selfish, possessive, lazy, obsessive, and overly critical. I also know that I'm passionate, loyal, affectionate, giving, and kind. By the same token, I don't necessarily love some of my extra fluff, but I do love my body.
 |
| Necklace: The Limited Earrings: trendylittlepieces |
I love that you're totally honest with this. There are days when I look in the mirror and I'm like YES BODY! Then other days when I'm pinching my fat like "why are you still here" but I do overall love my body. I think that most women go through that phase constantly where they're judging themselves based on size or where their fat is stored.
ReplyDeleteFor a long time I absolutely abhorred my breasts because they're huge for my small frame but I learned to love them. Don't get me wrong, some days I wish I could march onto the doctor's office and get a reduction but the way we feel is apart of life. Having a few "omg I'm fat moments" doesn't necessarily translate into I hate my body because like you said, these temples are beautiful.
Hope you're having a great start to your week!
xoxo
Eesh | The Other Side of Paradise
What a wonderful post. You hit the nail on the head with me talking about some extra holiday poundage. I am working on taking some of that off partially for vanity reasons (the belly roll) and for other physical reasons (I start to snore when I reach a certain weight & wake myself up every 2 minutes, not fun). It's funny because I think there is a difference between body acceptance that I have & feeling uncomfortable either physically or emotionally. I admit too, I have both.
ReplyDeleteI have a job that is sometimes very physically demanding and at other times it is very sedintary. Even though a few extra pounds got added over the holidays, they are slowly coming off and I am happy about that. I am also happy that I kept up my exercise routines all through the season so it does not seem as bad to continue rather than having to start after not doing it.
Thank you for your honest words and I look forward to following along in 2015 and beyond!
Janeane
www.designingfrommycloset.wordpress.com