What is a personal experience with your own body image that you would like to share?
I can't quite remember the first time I felt negatively about my body. I grew up with a really good home life. I had two parents that loved me more than anything in the world and encouraged me every step of the way. But I also grew up in a predominately white community. I was surrounded by girls that were skinny, white and had straight hair. I personally don't posses any of these qualities. I have hips, thighs, and a rather plump derrière. My skin is a brown color and my hair is curly. None of these traits line up with what I was surrounded with. It was hard growing up in a community where I didn't see a lot of people that looked like me, so naturally I was insecure.
The pressures of being a high school girl hit me pretty hard. I was a cheerleader and I had a group of pretty well liked friends. I was in no way the girl that was "supposed to not like herself"..but I didn't like much of anything about myself for while. The thing about me is that everyone thought I was such a strong and confident person. I've always been the queen of putting on a tough face and this was no different. But behind closed doors, I really loathed my body. Unfortunately, when you don't like your body, the place you're pretty much stuck for the rest of your life, you tend to not like much of anything else about yourself either.
I was a sophomore in high school when I picked up a couple negative eating habits. Spring break was coming up and I really wanted to look like all my others friends on the beach. I distinctly remember my schedule every day. I would get up in the morning, have coffee and maybe a piece of fruit, go to school and eat a protein bar for lunch, then come home, exercise, and try my hardest to avoid or eat as little for dinner as possible. This routine carried on for about 2-3 months. It makes me very emotional to write this because I regret this time so much.
Looking back, I realize that I was in such a deep place of hate. From experience, I can tell you that when you're in that kind of mental state, limiting what you eat can feel like such a release. For me, it felt like I could finally control something in my life.
My plan worked too. I dropped 20-25 lbs. just in time for spring break. People would comment on how great I looked. "How did you do it?", they would ask. This only fueled the fire even more. I had finally become what I wanted to be: like everyone else around me. I basked in my glory for that time, but it was short lived.
As you can imagine, it was hard over time for a girl like me that deep down actually loves food to maintain that kind of eating regimen. I slowly put back on weight and it upset me at first. I felt worthless again because I wasn't the "right size". I eventually came to the realization that those kind of eating habits were unacceptable and unhealthy, but I hadn't fully accepted my body at that point.
It wasn't until I began college and found independence outside of my bubble of a high school that I really began to understand what true body acceptance was. I joined a sorority, Tri Delta and met a group of girls that were not perfect, but accepted who they were and stood for a cause: Body image 3D. I fell in love with Fat Talk Free Week and the impact they were making on college women. I started to realize that there is no such thing as the right size. Every size is beautiful in it's own right. For me, it was the realization that God made me this way. I am completely unique and I was given this body for a reason.
My sophomore year, I was given the opportunity to become the Body Image Coordinator for my sorority. My job is not only to plan Fat Talk Free Week, but to educate the girls in my sorority on issues of body image. Despite the constant encouragement from family, friends and sorority sisters, I was petrified that I would do a terrible job and fail. I thought "How the heck am I going to inspire people when I'm not 100% confident myself?" I had dealt with my own acceptance issues in the past and was afraid it wouldn't be the right fit.
To my surprise, this position has been my saving grace. I find that researching, educating and helping other people understand the importance of body positivity, makes me feel even better about myself. In this whole experience, I have learned how to accept myself and my body. When we encourage other women to love themselves, we encourage ourselves also.
When do you feel the most beautiful?
I think that I feel the most beautiful when I'm wearing a dress. I love the way a good dress hugs my waist and shows off my body. I think there's something really womanly and beautiful about it.
What do you think is the most important thing for young girls to know about their bodies as they grow older?
I think the most important thing for girls to know about their bodies is that it's unique! Completely unique to them. No one else in the world has that exact body as you..so it should be honored. Girls can begin to have feelings of body dissatisfaction in young childhood. So in my opinion, it's up to our mothers to start instilling in young children's minds that their bodies should be loved not hated.
What is a quote or saying that makes you feel great about yourself?
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams- live the life you've imagined." -Henry David Thoreau
The first time I saw this quote my aunt gave it to me on a magnet. I really fell in love with the way it made me feel and I now have it on the front of my college planner. It just reminds me as a college woman to push forward in times of resilience and follow my dreams. It's a quote that really makes me feel proud to be 100% me.
How do you feel the media's portrayal of women's bodies influences women's body image?
Personally, it's an everyday struggle for me. No matter where I go I see something that's promoting unrealistic body expectations. You walk into the grocery store and there's headlines like "Lose 15 lbs. in just 2 weeks"on magazines, you turn on the TV and there's actresses and models with size zero waists. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with being a size zero, but there is something wrong when that is the only thing we are presented with as young women. What are we to think? That this is the only acceptable size to be. In order to break the cycle, we have to just remind ourselves that our beauty cannot be put inside of a box and made to be one dimensional. Bodies come in all shapes and should be appreciated.
- 12:00 PM
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