Tag: #bodyshame

Dear 22 year old

by southernbelleoncaffeine, posted in Women Stuff

thI have been where you are. I know what is going through your head. I am still there most days, but I have got some age on me now. I know things you do not know at 22, or do not believe yet anyway. It is hard to believe them, when all around you everything goes against it. But, I am writing this because at 22 there is still time. Time for you to change your thought process . Time for you to become head strong. Stronger than you already are so that when you do have years on you too, like me, you will be able to look back and think, “I’m so happy I was able to change my way of thinking.” The reason is this, your mind is one of the most powerful tools you have. It can help you, it can hurt you. It had done both over time to me. It continues to do it daily. I wish I had someone to say this to me at 22, really at 15.

My story begins at 15, really younger, but for the sake of this we will say 15. I looked around, I noticed what was going on. The girls getting the attention from the boys. Meeting them at the movies. I could not figure it out. I was outgoing, friendly, had plenty of friends but I was not one the one the boys noticed outside of the “friend zone”. I realized what they did notice. I became obsessed with it. Exercising like crazy, becoming “healthy” is what I said. But at one time my parents considered sending me off to treatment because my “healthy” behavior had gotten out of control and on my large boned frame, the weight I had lost down to was skeletal thin. However it paid off where I wanted it to at the time. According to what the “norm” was anyway.

At age 16 the first boy notice me and asked me out. We hit it off. blah, blah, blah, fell in love, married when we finished college at 21 and the rest is divorce history. I could not keep up the charade. I am not born to be a naturally thin person. I am not a skinny girl by birth. I began to gain the weight back when I began to eat again. Just eating healthy, minding my own business, still exercising like normal and eating like normal, but gaining weight above Skeleton’s level. After gaining the weight, this person who promised me forever, better and worse, realized he only like the size I was at 16, not the size I had become 12 years later. Immediately my mind went to the place , “no one will ever want me, love me, if I am not small”, really there was evidence of that right?

Time passes. My soul was searched. Prayers were prayed. I cannot tell you all scars heal, but now I know that body shaming is a real thing and a real problem. I actually lived it the entire time I was married not only by my ex-husband but his family also. The people out there that talk, whisper, stare. They are not secure with something they have, something they are dealing with. Yes, I said I struggle now. Because I did not change my thought process early enough.

That’s what I want for you. Change your mind now. You are good enough RIGHT NOW! RIGHT THIS SECOND you are GREAT, exactly how you were meant to be. Whoever does not see that, whoever comments to the contrary does not deserve a second thought. I know it is not easy. I KNOW it is not easy. But you can do it. You HAVE to do it. Now. Change your thought process now and stop body shaming yourself. NOW.

OMG! It only took 5 days to get it all down

by southernbelleoncaffeine, posted in Women Stuff

(Photo credit : http://www.dumpaday.com )

I’ve literally been thinking of this post all week, if not longer. It all started when this video started making its way around Facebook. Penelope and I have turned this over and over. We’ve watched, read comments, tried to see every angle of the point of the video.  I have very mixed feelings about the video and the reactions. The original video was posted on www.coffeeblocks.com on May 11, 2015 and it is entitle “Moms Empower Us”.

This make day 4 of trying to work on this post and at the rate I’m going right now, with the penguin in the room, it looks as if I’m going to run over into day 5, which will help me back up some of what I’m trying to “say” in the post.

Day 5….it will be done.

Okay, so if you’ve watched the video you have had time to form your own opinions. My purpose of the post is not just about the video, the video just happened to spark the thought process. If you watched the video with no sound you opinion may vary slightly from what it may be if you watched it with sound. I have picked out a few comments from the Facebook post just to give some insight to how different viewers formed their opinions and how they relate to how I feel about things. Trust me, the comments run wild, over 1,400 of them if you feel the need to read more.

Let me start with the comment that sums the main purpose of not only the video, but also this post up:

“I’ve thought a lot about it since seeing a friend share it. I see all sides. I think the part that bothers me most are the judgmental comments. I understand the “point” of the video is to lead by example and not give up, but the people that have got it figured out (not saying it’s easy) -the balance of it all, shouldn’t be so quick to judge the ones (myself included) who don’t quite have it all worked out yet. It’s not easy for anyone, I agree, but it’s harder and may take longer for all the pieces to fall together for some. I know I need to take care of myself as a mother, but I’m working on the balance part. What works for your child may not work for mine. Besides taking care of ourselves as moms and teaching our children that, we could also start teaching our children understanding and encouragement of each other as women/moms.”

We can start with this one because it is mine 🙂 Originally the video made me angry. I admit I watched without sound and all I saw was fitness obsessed moms ignoring children to achieve the perfect body. And the comments I read that encouraged them enraged me because I felt it made mom’s like me look bad or feel bad because we are not able to achieve what is shown in the video. I understand that once you watch with the sound on you get the message of empowerment and how the children never see “mom give up” and all that. But I still stand behind my initial thought that not all moms can achieve what is shown. And I don’t agree with comments like the following:

“The negative comments are why and how I ballooned to 225 lbs after having 3 kids. It’s also the reason children are self entitled and spoiled.”

(Not my quote) Really? Children are self entitled and spoiled because moms choose to spend what little time they may have during their day with them instead of running up and down bleachers? Huh? How about my theory that it may create body image issues in children if all they ever see mom do is work out and not spend time with them. What about that theory? I’m not suggesting that the moms that have taken the fitness route and have dedicated the time and energy to become healthier and more fit have had it easier. I know their have been sacrifices made in their family life and personal lives. Please don’t misunderstand me. What I am trying to say that I feel that women/moms that area able to achieve this level of fitness commitment have almost turned this into a new type of body shaming for those moms that aren’t able to. With Facebook post every other second “what’s your excuse”, “on Friday’s we flex”, “I ran 200 miles today uphill”. Great. I applaud you. I even have friends like this. Am I a bit jealous? ABSOLUTELY. No denying that. But I will not be shamed into giving up to the little bit of time with my child at 4 years old, holding her, playing with her, to go achieve the latest fitness craze.

But if other working mom’s can do it, why can’t every working mom do it? Because not every working mom, whether in the home or outside the home is the same. Just as not every child is the same. Those children in the video were content to play by themselves even if only for 30 minutes. And their were plenty of comments giving “advice” on what to do with those darn kids that aren’t. I don’t need your advice. I KNOW MY CHILD. I know what works and what doesn’t. I also know my schedule and you don’t. Some say, “I get up at 5:00 to work out while everyone else is sleeping, that’s the sacrifice I’ve made.” Good for you. Do you know that some moms are still at work at 5:00 a.m., just getting home, or in my case I’ve just dropped off my 4 year old with her Nana so I can go to work? I’m not going to go on and on about the schedules, ya-da, ya-da, ya-da,

The bottom line is this. I would love to be healthier and I do what I can by eating right. I also do what I can by the little bit of exercise I can do when I can do it. Don’t assume that because moms don’t look like the video they don’t want too or haven’t’ put out an effort. Empowering women isn’t just about fitness goals, it’s about supporting one another in everything. Quit judging, quit making assumptions. I’ll raise my child with out lifting dead weights you raise yours while pushing a stroller. I don’t care. Let’s just stop. Stop body shaming in all forms. Stop judging and being so mean. Lets really start empowering.

The Psychology of it all (Part I)

by southernbelleoncaffeine, posted in Uncategorized

katequote

(photo courtesy of codenamemama.com)

When I fist read this quote, it spoke volumes to me. I could picture one of those timelines you learn to do in school around 4th or 5th grade and know where to put everything on it as it related to my body image and weight issues. I have vivid recollections of negativity from my daddy, who honestly would not want to hurt me but his words have always spoke the loudest in my psyche. I remember the taste of the canned tuna and green beans that were allowed on the weight watchers plan when I first attended around age 8.

I assume, from looking at pictures, that there as a time that I didn’t know anything was wrong with the way I looked. I guess you would say I was an average looking kid with an average weight. Not as skinny as some but not as big as some either. I also have the two sides of the family to think about their views on weight and body image. It’s really weird, because in some sense I had not self esteem issues. I wore anything I wanted, much of which was to “fashion forward” for my small town, and I did it without any problems. But, on the other hand I don’t much remember a time that I haven’t worried about what was on my plate. Somewhere between the pictures of the average size kid and the carefree adolescent who wore weird clothes, something happened and I became the “fat” kid.

I don’t remember being anything else in school, but the fat kid. I was taller and matured at a much faster rate than my classmates. I guess compared to their yet matured body I was fat. I do remember kids sort of making fun of me, but nothing jumps out at me. So, I cannot decide if the body image concern was from classmates or family. I don’t remember not being able to play sports, participate in games, or anything like that. I remember passing the President’s Physical Fitness challenge, so I couldn’t have been that bad off. I was just different. I’ve never fit any sort of mold, much less one of the small town molds. So, that leads me to 2 very crucial incidents that can never be taken back and I can never get them out of my mind and they seem to be the start of me questioning myself.  *Side note* as I type this I am thinking….even when girls start getting noticed my boys, I wasn’t all that heavy. I was big boned, athletic, but I danced for crying out loud. I did backbends and back handsprings. Yes, I remember being upset that boys didn’t “like” me, but I’m starting to think that it had nothing to do with my size. Probably my attitude and self assuredness. Like I said, I was not size 2, but I’m remembering some pictures in my head, and I wasn’t a size 22 either. So, again I have to search myself to know if the body image has been created because of those around me or because of my social interactions with peers * End random thought process….

Weight watchers and 8 years old and the fear that “you will be like your Aunt, big as the side of a house”. Yep, that’s it folks. The 2 doozies that have haunted me. Why did I go to weight watchers at age 8? Again, I tell you, the pictures were not grotesque. Heck, my cousin right now has a 10 year old that wears a size 38 in pants. That may be cause for concern. But not looking back on ME. I tell you why I think I went to WW at age 8. Because my mother did. Because my grandmother did. Because I had a tiny seed in my head that maybe I needed to be like the petite girls in my class and since 2 of the influential women in my life were going to WW to loose weight it made sense that I would go to. Okay. WHY did my mother let me? I’m sure she did it out of love and support, thinking that it might help my slightly damaged self esteem. Oh boy! It took a slightly damaged self esteem and confirmed that there was something wrong with me that should be fixed and just drove a tornado through my adolescent self esteem. Because now all I can remember is that I went to WW at 8 years old. All I can see is the affirmation that I did need to be fixed, that I did need to loose weight in order to be an acceptable member of society. Okay, next lesson. My Aunt also inherited the “B” and “M” genes from our family. They are just big people. I’ve seen pictures of my aunt growing up and she is just a big girl. Not a “fat” girl. But, my entire life she has been overweight. I didn’t question it has a small child, not until my grandmother, a petite 5’3″, started saying things to me. Again, I’m sure trying to be supportive. But what they didn’t realize and what so many adults don’t realize today is, if you have a child who isn’t questioning these things…weight, self esteem, acceptance, etc…and you decide “lets be proactive” and talk about it, you have now opened up a host of questions for this child to think about. “If my parents are talking to me about (fill in the blank), then it must BE IMPORTANT< MY PARENTS LOVE ME AND WANT ME HAPPY> THGEY WOULDN”T TALK TO ME ABOUT SELF ESTEEM AND MY WEIGHT IF I didn’t have a problem”. I just think that parents need to think about the influence they have over their children. But, I digress. So, as I said my aunt has been overweight as long as I’ve been alive. My daddy went through some health transformation when I was around 5 years old and has been fit ever since. I remember being at my grandmother’s dinner table and I apparently reached on his plate to take a bite of something. He quickly responded, “if you continue to eat like that you will end up like your Aunt Betty, big as the side of a house.” No, my aunt is not that overweight.

Whew! I need a couch and an expensive bill after that therapy session. Dr. Melfi has nothing on me. I will return with part II.