There are certain things I avoid saying in mixed company. For instance, anything relating to Glenn Beck. Or, things like, "I am so horribly out of shape!" See, I'm skinny, and a skinny girl saying something like that is likely to bring only outrage. This is because our society has a really twisted perspective on what it means to be "in shape". When I say "I am so horribly out of shape," this means that I can barely run a mile and that is extremely unhealthy. I have witnessed far too many girls stand in front of the mirror with sadness in their eyes. To them being in shape means looking skinny.
But let's imagine a scenario. Let's say that there is a girl who may perceive herself as "out of shape" because she doesn't think she looks skinny enough. Then put me next to her and imagine us hiking through the woods side by side. If a bear jumps out of the bushes, who's going to get eaten? The girl who has been working out most of her life trying to lose weight, or the girl who has never gone running in her life? You guessed it. The skinny girl gets eaten by the bear. After all, you don't have to run faster than the bear, just faster than the girl next to you.
I am not mocking women with body image issues. Most women have body image issues. Ironically, I've looked on jealously at those girls who frowned at themselves in the mirror. We all wish we looked like each other. Society says to one girl "You're not skinny enough" then turns right around to the skinny girl and says "Real women have curves you know." I was teased pretty ruthlessly in middle school. People called me anorexic, I got asked if I was a boy or a girl, and guys said right to my face, "Wow, bet you wish you weren't so flat-chested, huh?" Society just doesn't want women to win. So, here is my proposal. I know it's not easy, but why can't we stop thinking so much about how we look and just start being more concerned with what REALLY matters- our health.
I went running a week ago and thought I was going to die at one mile. I started to hyperventilate. That is HORRIBLE! I eat whatever I want and I'm quickly realizing that it's led to my being weak, frail, and unhealthy. So I've started running. I've decided that I need to eat healthier foods and eat more to make up for all the energy I'm now expending on working out. Ben and I have a sweet tooth like none other, but we've picked up a good habit. When we go grocery shopping, we're always tempted to get berries but decide against it because they're so expensive. But then we realized that if we just took the money we typically use on spontaneously buying sweets and used it instead to purchase berries, we could have a healthy dessert without spending any more money! So a couple nights ago we went and bought a couple cartons of raspberries and ate a carton a piece for dessert- SSOOO good on a summer night!
There are a lot of things I want to do, like hike mountains and see beautiful places. If I can't even run a mile, what kinds of things am I holding myself back from? I will see so much more, I will DO so much more as I work and grow healthier. Why isn't THAT what we focus on? After all, it's what you do and feel that makes you beautiful.
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