"On the subject of body image and health, there are many slogans and phrases meant to help people all over the size scale. Three of the forerunners are "fat acceptance," "thinspiration," and "fit is the new skinny." Tell us how each of these affirmations make you feel."
To begin with, I have never understood phrases like “fit is the new skinny." To me someone with a nice athletic build has ALWAYS been the epitome of sexy. Far sexier than those rail thin runway models who look like famine victims covered in makeup. And yes, for most of my life, I have had a nice athletic build.
I have a NICE looking body. Even though it is no longer as toned and tight as it was when I was in my teens, twenties and thirties, mainly due to an injury that left me unable to exercise for over a year, it is still in pretty good shape. It is the type of body that many women wish they had. It is not too thin – and yes, there is such a thing as too thin – and it is far from fat.
However, let me say it again with a slightly different emphasis, I have a nice LOOKING body. It LOOKS nice. From the outside. It is definitely not nice to live in. I have had health issues since I was a small child. Nothing obvious and life-threatening like cancer, but more subtle, insidious problems that have made my life miserable in many ways.
The slogans and catchphrases that serve as inspiration for this article all have to do with weight. And, barring those few individuals who actually have medical issues that make weight control impossible, there is a well known way that people can fix their weight. It is called eating right and exercising.
as described in the article of the same name. If that doesn't appeal to you, try something else. Just do something other than sitting around whining about your body while not doing anything to change it. ]
Of course, sometimes there are medical reasons why you can't change the way your body looks. And sometimes, your body actually looks just fine to everyone else, and your only problem is the way you perceive it. In those cases, finding words and phrases that can help you to feel better about your body may be useful. So when I hear people constantly whining because their bodies do not LOOK the way they want them to, it infuriates me. If someone is so dis-satisfied with their body's appearance that they feel the need to constantly complain about it, then why the hell aren't they doing something to fix it instead of just talking about it.
I wish there were a way that I could fix the things about my body that I don't like. I wish that my doctors could fix the things about my body that I don't like. I wish that some doctor somewhere would find some way to fix me.
But that hasn't happened yet. I have to live with my health issues. I have tried everything available to me to fix them, and they can't be fixed, not yet. Maybe not in my lifetime. However, I haven't given up, not completely. I keep doing the best that I can, and I try my damnedest not to let my personal problems affect those around me. I don't always succeed, but I try. I certainly don't just sit around whining about my issues and coming up with slogans and catchphrases to try and make me feel better about myself.
Let me be clear. I do NOT mean to say that you shouldn't feel good about yourself if you are more than a few pounds away from the ideal weight. Bigger bodied women who embrace that certain kind of sexy that comes with an abundance of curves are wonderful. And the girls who are racehorse thin, but still healthy and happy with how they look are great. If you have a healthy body, whatever it looks like, you SHOULD be happy with it.
It's the whiners that I can't stand. The people who are always TALKING about their weight issues. Yet all they do is talk. They never actually do the work it would take to change their weight.
They seem to be the ones always coming up with slogans and catchphrases to try and cover up the fact that they are NOT happy with their bodies, but they are too lazy to actually do anything more than talk about it. Even though the things that they are not happy about CAN be fixed with a bit of effort on their part.
It's not easy. Life is never easy, and anyone who tries to tell you different is trying to sell you something. But there is a solution to their problems, one that they themselves can implement. It doesn't require numerous doctor visits or expensive medicine or even a gym membership. The solution to their problem is in their control.
And that is what makes me so angry. If they really want to, they can fix their issues with their bodies. No matter how much I want to fix the issues with my body, I can't. And all the words in the world aren't going to change how I feel about that.