Having a poor body image from a young age contributed to my eating disorders. Not in the stereotypical stare in the mirror “I must be skinny way” often depicted, but in the deep seated beliefs I formed which told me “this body you have will not give you a happy life as it is”. Growing up I never imagined the body I had could get me a partner, a job, or friends. I felt that it wasn’t good enough, but that if I changed it, I’d feel better, become less shy, more bubbly, & all of the other parts of life would become available to me. I would have given all my money to someone who could change my body. I would have & did take dangerous pills to quell my appetite. I would have slept through months of my life & lost them forever if it meant I could have woken up having not eaten in this time, and therefore shrunk myself.
Image credit: Instagram @jennifer_rollin
What interests me about the way I thought as a child is that there was some evidence around me that people of all shapes and sizes were doing things like getting jobs, marrying, having babies & even smiling. What did I think of these people? Did I even consider these people? I think I presumed they must have either had a lucky break, or been secretly miserable, just like the people with ashamed faces in the “before” photos of the dieting magazines had. The dialogue around fat activism, body acceptance & body positivity will surely help dispel the myths around this, & books such as “Happy Fat” by Sofie Hagen are refreshing to see.
Image credit Instagram @sofiehagendk
Had I never seen or heard a single diet culture friendly story or image that sold me self hatred, I’d not have wasted so much time on the path I did. Whilst we aren’t going to combat every diet culture promoting image, story & conversational chat, we can show young people that there’s another way to think about their being as more than a body. We can share with them that people are profiting from selling products & that this is why they lie to them. We can show them that we all deserve to be fed and to be loved. We can remove talks of being “good” or “bad” for a food choice. We can NOT praise or scold others for what they eat or how they look. We can encourage them to listen to & trust their one unique body.
Image credit: Instagram @ownitbabe
Laila Bloggs 