The Importance of Body Acceptance
Submitted by Ariana Krista
Most people don’t believe me when I tell them that I grew up being an overweight kid.
When I was younger, I was fully aware that I was ‘bigger’ than other kids around me but it didn’t really occur to me that I was negatively seen for being fat until I entered elementary school. I would like to add that I am fortunate that I was never extremely bullied by my peers but little things have stuck with me, resulting in a detrimental effect on my self-confidence and making me increasingly self-conscious as a young girl.
Growing up overweight made me feel like an outsider. I was treated differently to the point where the appearance of my size was amusing to others. I had to shop for clothes in the Plus Size section because it was difficult to find clothes that fit me. I was never picked first to be on anyone’s team in gym class. I was always horrified to get changed in the girl’s locker room, thinking that someone was looking at me or judging me because I had stretch marks. Family members would call me chubby but also say I was cute at the same time just to make me feel better. And the list can go on.
“Step away from the mean girls and say bye-bye to feeling bad about your looks. Are you ready to stop colluding with a culture that makes so many of us feel physically inadequate? Say goodbye to your inner critic, and take this pledge to be kinder to yourself and others." — Oprah
By the time I was 12 years old, I took it upon myself to start a new lifestyle when my doctor told me that I was on the verge of becoming obese. Hearing this didn’t shock me because I knew that I was not at a healthy weight. That’s not to say that being fat is a bad thing. Bigger people can still be healthy. Anyone can still be confident and rock their look if they are a bigger size. But for me, it did spark something inside of me that I needed to change in order to feel better about myself. I ended up dedicating my summer to eat healthier and go to the YMCA almost every day to exercise. In the span of 2 months before entering my Grade 8 year, I lost over 40 lbs. The process of losing weight at a young age was an internal journey that I didn’t know how to encounter. I had to learn how to take care of myself, learn about proper nutrition, get used to incorporating exercise into my daily routine and become my own cheerleader. Through this, I developed a strong resiliency with my mindset, built my character, and came out with a brand new authentic personality.
On the first day of my Grade 8 year, I remember my classmates and teachers being stunned when they saw me in my ‘new’ body. The number of compliments I got made me feel good. For the first time, I was being noticed but it also gave me the reassurance that I was being recognized for the hard work I put into transforming my body.
However, even though I lost all that weight in elementary school and it gave me some confidence as a young child, I still struggle with my own body image today. Being in a world where we are constantly bombarded with pictures and facts on what women should look like definitely puts pressure on me to conform to that norm. We are overloaded with unrealistic social media expectations everywhere that women should be thin or fit. Rarely do we ever see the representation of larger body types in the media. Looking at content that promotes the ‘thin’ ideal brings me back to how I felt when I was overweight (and I’m sure that every woman has experienced this feeling before): comparing myself to others, blaming myself for not looking like the girls I see and feeling my self-esteem lowering by the second.
Because of this, I am always trying to find ways to change my body. It’s like I am never happy with the way my body is. Yet what I have learned throughout the years, and it’s something that I constantly have to keep reminding myself is that my body isn’t perfect, and that is totally okay. I’ve come to an understanding that I need to practice and give myself more self-love. There are days where I feel like I have the most confidence and there are other days where I find myself in self-doubt or unhappiness. Self-love is a journey and something I have to work on every day. I may not be 100% there yet but I know I am strong and working towards my goals, bringing me one step closer to fully loving my body, imperfections, and myself.
I want to encourage you to accept yourself as is because you are fine just the way you are. You shouldn’t feel pressured to change yourself to fit some unrealistic expectation set by society or the media. It doesn’t matter what you look like and what your size is, there is no ‘perfect’ body. If losing weight or changing your body to become stronger is going to make you feel more confident then go for it! If you only care about being healthy overall whether you look thin or heavy, then don’t let anyone tell you how you should look. As long as you are in a place of self-love and compassion, you are already successful in achieving a healthy and happy body image. And for the people that make comments about you and your weight, I’ll leave this inspiring quote to remind you that their opinion shouldn’t really matter:
"Your inner dialogue needs to change. If you repeat what others have told you about yourself, you are going to believe the bad part. Make up your own mind about who you are" - Cristina Curp