You get a twofer today. I'm not usually one to go off on a total rant, since I believe almost all the time there's a more effective way to communicate. But something came across one of my social media feeds that set me off. Your twofer today is that I'm writing two posts on the same topic: one full on rant and one more compassionate. That way if you're not in the mood to deal with someone's ranting, you can read the more contained version.
OFFENDING ITEM -
Part 1 - THE RANT
This is just a perfect object lesson in what's wrong with how our society views and treats the astoundingly miraculous human body. Where do I even start with this ridiculous thing? How about we just go from top to bottom?
- The name of the site! (Gigantic eye roll) - "Perfect Body" - Really?! Who are these people to think they can decide what makes a body "perfect?" Are they God? I don't think so! There is NO SUCH THING as one "perfect" body type and it's downright repulsive and reprehensible that they promote such an idea!
- "Choose problem areas" - Well, thank you very much for exposing your ignorant bias in pointing out what you (wrongly) perceive to be imperfections and promoting such toxic ideas.
- "Saggy Breasts" - My saggy breasts may be a problem for you, but they're not for me! I earned them by nursing four children and living as long as I have. How is that a problem?
- "Belly fat" and "Thick buttocks" - Exactly why would the fatness of my belly or the thickness of my buttocks be a problem? Seriously. Why?
Are you implying I should change the natural results that living has had on my body just for your or anyone else's viewing pleasure? Oh, it's so I can feel better about myself and my appearance, not for anyone else's sake, you say? I call BS on that! It's so you can make money off people's insecurities by keeping them chasing "perfection." It's for my own health, you say? Again, I'm calling BS. For one thing, what in the ever loving world do saggy breasts have to do with health? And for another thing, you have no idea, and I mean absolutely ZERO idea, of what my health may be just by seeing my size.
By looking at my body shape, can you tell what my blood pressure is? How about my blood sugar level? My cholesterol? How much I exercise or how much sleep I get? What my eating habits are or how my mental health is? Does my physical size give you any indication of how healthy my relationships are or how happy I am with my life? No? I didn't think so, so how can you possibly say you're concerned about my health?
- "Learn More" - Um, HARD pass! It's you who has more to learn! Go read the book Health at Every Size for starters! This ad, the whole belief system behind this ad, is nothing short of predatory and opportunistic. You should be ashamed of yourselves!
Part 2 - THE MORE COMPASSIONATE POST
This ad makes my heart hurt. It brings to mind how many years I wasted believing my body was anything besides okay how it was/is, and how many of my sisters out there (and increasing numbers of my brothers) still buy into this toxic ideology of body "perfection."
Take a minute to imagine what our world, what your world, would be like if we could leave our bodies alone, if we could could stop wasting so much time and energy being dissatisfied with our bodies and often ourselves. What if we stopped berating and beating ourselves up? What if we thought less about how we view our bodies and embraced the fact that we are not bodies to be viewed? What if we completely let go of some manufactured idea of what we're "supposed" to look like? Imagine if we focused, instead, on how miraculous our bodies are and lived in gratitude for them, no matter our size or even our health.
Here's a radical thought - WE ARE NOT OUR BODIES.
We are so much more. These intricate, incredibly complex, astoundingly breathtaking physical forms of ours - no matter their size or health - are gifts to house our even more impressive essence, our spirit, our soul.
Another post came across my social media feeds that made me want to shout, "Amen, sister!" It was a quote from Ailey Jolie, who said, "No one is going to stand up at your funeral and say, 'She had a small waist and a great thigh gap,'" or perky breasts, a flat belly, or a non-thick buttocks, I would add.
My only "problem area" is being exposed to ads like the one above.