This week I have one word for you: compensatory
I like to use the phrase "paying penance at the gym" a little too much. There's this video and these blog posts.
Exercise as penance was my form of disordered eating.
Is exercise your drug?
The Mythology of One Size Fits All
One of the largest issues with weight discrimination (pun intended) is that people start to believe that they should all look one way.
To quote one of my favorite songs from my angsty teenage years, "These plastic molded seats had to be cast from someone's perfect ass, leaving the rest of us to squirm uncomfortably."
In other words, just because what we see in the media looks one way does not mean that the rest of us need to fit into that mold. That's just the way one person looks. It's not really necessary for us all to look that way.
Is it bad to accept your body?
What if you decided to accept yourself?
I just recently went to go see Joy in the movie theatres. (SPOILER ALERT) The film was your standard Cinderella story. A young female entrepreneur overcomes the odds and becomes successful and rich and beautiful. It's the story of the American Dream. And, if you live in the United States of America, it's something we've all been taught to believe in.
I won't unpack that one. John Oliver has already very much unpacked that idea on his popular HBO show.
I think part of the appeal of the weight loss story is that many people see it as a viable American dream. It seems more realistic. It seems within reach. I mean, planet fitness is only like, what? $10/month?
You just go to the gym and eat vegetables and voila! Perfect body, right?
If that were true, the diet industry wouldn't be a billion dollar industry.
A Red Herring
Weight is a red herring.
It's the season of New Year's Resolutions. It's the time when a lot of people fixate on weight loss.
I've mentioned in previous posts how people talk as if losing weight were some kind of magic tonic. It's starting to really piss me off because it's not the best barometer of health. Health is measured in a million different ways.
You may want to be healthy. You may want to live a long time. But if you're focusing on the weight, you've caught a red herring.
Happy Holidays!
Joyous Kwanzaa! Happy Boxing Day!
If you celebrated Christmas, Hannukah, Festivus, or Solstice, then happy Christmas, Hannukah, Festivus and Solstice!
Happy Holidays to all of you!
Here's wishing you many great meals, fantastic outfits, happy shopping (and returning items), and lots and lots of wonderful time with people you love or just time off for yourself.
With love,
Noel