There is a lot of power in the “body positive” movement of today’s day and age. We have come a long way from the supermodel status quo, and I could not be prouder of where we are as women and what we have the rights to do.
I do think, however, we should be careful that we are not throwing our health and wellness out the window in the name of being positive about our bodies. I will use myself as an example for you.
I am (almost) 35. I am 5 foot 0 and right now I weigh 129 (ish) lbs. According to my BFP (body fat percentage) most modern day doctor’s offices would say that I am obese. HA! That is very far from the truth and I know this and laugh at those statements and charts. It almost seems as though those have not been updated since the year before it became acceptable for women to wear pants in public. However – I am allowed to see that I personally want to create some progress in myself to get my BFP down. It is OK that I am not OK where I am. I had a baby in 2016. Do I want to be back to where I was before I had my precious girl… sure. Am I upset at myself that I am not there yet, if I let myself think about it in a negative way. Am I OK with where I am now… no, but that is what gives me drive to get better – and start working towards a goal.
It is OK to want to be healthier. It is OK to want to lose some weight to be healthier and feel better about ourselves. It is OK to want to create positive, healthy changes in your daily routine to get yourself to a place where you are happy. Weight-loss, eating healthy, and getting stronger – is not always about vanity as many people think. These things can be just as positive for your outlook on life as your positive mind about where you are now. You can be a positive person, be positive about your weight, be happy about progress you have made, and still want better for yourself. IT IS OK TO NOT BE OK…
There are some things that are NOT OK… and should not have to be mentioned – but I think they need to be in order to drive the point home just a little more – and possible clear up (if any) confusion that anyone may have on my stance on the issue of being “body positive”.
- It is NOT OK to look at yourself in the mirror daily – put yourself down and pick yourself apart because you are no like “the rest of the world”.
- It is NOT OK to think you have to be a size 2, 4, 6, 8 or any other size…
- It is NOT OK to start to create unhealthy habits to meet your unrealistic expectations for yourself.
- It is NOT OK to shame anyone (male or female) for their size or weight… You do NOT know what they have been through in life – you do not know where they are now, and you do not know what it has taken to get them there…
- It is NOT OK to think that because someone is a larger size than what the magazines or clothing commercials say is normal or who they choose to use as models in their ads is the “norm” and everyone else is unhealthy.
- It is NOT OK to automatically think that someone who is a fuller figure is unhealthy, when they could have a clean bill of health and you are just judging them on their size.
Bottom line – all of this is judging a book by its cover. You do not know who these individuals are – you do not know their stories – or where they came from… even if they told you, there are parts to everyone’s story they keep hidden and private.
It is OK to be happy about your progress an still want to be doing better.
It is OK to want better for yourself.
It is OK to be fit and want to be stronger.
It is OK to not be OK… (for the moment)…