I Love Me...All of Me

I'm fat. It's true. I'm not looking for comments like, "Oh you're not fat." I am. I want to take that word back. When we say that now, it has a negative connotation. I'm tired of that. I'm done. I'm fat. I'm working on loving my body just the way it is...by reading a book. I confess I'm reading the book on my Kindle app because I was embarrassed about the title. It's called, "Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls" and it's written by Jes Baker.

Her mission is self-love...for all. I've highlighted so many lines, I can't possibly share them all, but here are some of my favorites:

"Our bodies are our physical bookmarks that hold space for us in the world. Our bodies are magnificent houses for everything else that we are. Our bodies are a part of us, just as our kindness, talents, and passion are a part of us." (p.10) 

"Your size is irrelevant to your ability to find fulfillment, purpose, love, a sense of worthiness..." (p.17)

"We can't treat our minds and bodies well until we learn to love them...I'm loving myself. Just the way I am. Right now. And I am happy." (p.21)

She talks about all of the things fat people avoid because of being fat. One summer, I avoided the pool and swimming, which is my very favorite thing to do, because I felt like I was too fat. Shame kept me away. I avoid sleeveless shirts because of jiggly arms. I pose carefully for pictures, so you don't see my double chin. I spend too much time wasted on this madness. And it's not just me! I can't go a day without hearing someone bemoan the fact that they are "too fat" or they must "go on a diet" or something like that. 

And for those of you thinking about health, she quotes many studies and write, "It's actually a documented fact that being fat isn't an indicator of being unhealthy, and being thin is no assurance of good health." (p. 65) And she goes on to say that even if it is unhealthy, do fat people deserve shame for that? "I believe in glorifying all bodies. All of them. Because every single person in the entire world deserves to feel good about and love themselves. It's that simple. Fat and thin, healthy and unhealthy." 

Here is a sobering statistic, "In a survey of girls nine and ten years old, 40% have tried to lose weight." (p.14) Here's one more, "91% of women are unhappy with their bodies and resort to dieting." (p.14)

I'm done hiding. 

I'm done being ashamed. 

I'm fat.

I'm beautiful.

I'm kind.

I'm smart.

I deserve to be loved.

I deserve to be treated respectfully...and from now on, I demand it.

This post is about saying it out loud. It's about owning who I am and loving who I am. It's about doing it for all of those kids who hear us and think they aren't good enough as they are. 

 

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