Are we women just sentenced to struggling with body image our whole lives? Must we be in bondage to matters of weight for a lifetime? Chained down by the desire to be something different than what we can realistically be? Good gravy, I do wonder.
I’ve spent the summer, once again , not feeling comfortable in my own skin. Trying to find that “sweet spot” between a size 2 (which I’ll never be) and somewhere on the other side of the scale (where I don’t want to be) seems to be a constant battle for me. No doubt it goes deeper than just my desire to look good…because as an intelligent reasonable women, I know that no matter what the size is, women can be beautiful and look amazing. Why this battle? Why can't I seem to find that balance that is appropriate for my age, my health and my lifestyle?
We were sitting around last weekend with friends (both male and female…while eating a blueberry crumble pie with light ice cream) discussing how our bodies have changed since high school/ childbirth/ surgeries/fill in the blank and recalling high school weights when we were our most fit.
And we all agreed that we could never be the size we were in high school and even look good. And yet, that’s where, if we were to honestly confess, we sort of wished we could be.
But it’s not realistic….exactly because of childbirth, surgeries/age/metabolism. And therein lies the struggle. On one side of my brain I imagine that I can be that fit and fabulous and on the other side of my brain ( the side that likes sitting around with friends eating blueberry crumble pie) I know that I really could do something to improve what I’ve got. But wait...then I realize that there is a way to be fit, fabulous AND reasonable....I just have to get off my butt and do it! And that being fit and fabulous doesn't have a number attached to it! We have been so brainwashed into thinking that a certain number equals fabulous when that is not true at all! We are all fabulous for a thousand and one reasons...we can all be fit in a reasonable way that works for each of us individually!
So I wonder. How do you deal with the whole body image thing? And what are you doing about it?
Very interesting point that you've brought up. Seems that no-one is ever happy with whatever size they are. Does it really matter? - so long as you are feeling healthy and have enough energy to enjoy life and to do whatever you wish - all those numbers really don't mean a thing.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm always planning what I am going to do about it...but never seem to actually get my act together!
ReplyDeleteBut you look amazing in all your sew ups...why change?
ReplyDeleteI however, am FAT. I have begun working on a Nordic Track, Nordy I call him. WE just got him after California. ANd Im now a vegetarian..except when I visit VIrginia..then I have ham.
I think you always look so fabulous! I try to walk at least 2 miles everyday, I should lift some weights but going to the gym isn't my thing until it gets cold. I have a milestone birthday a week from tomorrow, might have to pick up my walking to 3 miles a day. LOL
ReplyDeleteFirst, you always look great.
ReplyDeleteI just joined a gym, so that I can swim. It's the only cardio I can do without further hurting my knees and feet. I'm doing it for my overall health, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't hold out hope that it will help me slim down and tone up as well.
Going to the gym and sharing the changing room with so many other women is an eye opener. It reminds me that no one is perfect, and that not overly thin bodies tend to look better with their clothes off. It's a nice, realistic counter balance against the images we are bombarded with in the media.
What is perfect? Or Normal? I think that's in the eye of the beholder. I struggle with my weight my whole life. At the beginning (25 years ago) because I wanted to look like the models in the magazines, but after getting married and having 2 beautiful kids I started to want to loose weight for different reasons, the main one is because I'm trying to stay away from my family history of diabetes on both sides as much as possible and second to set an example to my kids so they can have a healthy life. It's all about balance.
ReplyDeleteWomen are the worst enemies of other women and the harshest of critics (one look can say it all!) I don't know why we can't support each other rather than be in unspoken competition. We are hard enough on ourselves. Men seem to like us just fine.
ReplyDeleteThere is a school of thought that says you shouldn't be your high school weight ( 2 sizes larger in fact) and there are very good reasons why we gain naturally as we age. And life's too short without enjoying blueberry crumble without guilt. You just have to balance it out.
Can I just ditto Irene's comment and then add that I walk my three miles a week for health. Lori I'm jealous of 2 miles a day! But then I would have to give up some sewing and sleep time & that's just not happening! *LOL*
ReplyDeletePersonally I don't ever want to look like I did in high school again. My body tells the story of my life and I don't want to erase any of my experiences.
I saw Barbara Streisand on Katie's show today and was amazed at the fact that she has done hardly any work to her face. That is a woman who is confident in who she is because she lives in Hollyweird. Something to strive for...
I walk the dog every day at least once, try to eat healthy , try to only eat when hungry and wear all my tops untucked ! It is certainly sad that the media make women feel bad about themselves .
ReplyDeleteGosh, interesting post! It's sad, but I think that all of us struggle with body image regardless of where we are in life. For me, I don't struggle as much with weight as I'm in my twenties and haven't had children, but I have struggled for years with acne. And I work in a male-dominated field (I'm the only girl in a department of ten people), and I dress very casually because we work outside, but my lovely but frank coworkers constantly make comments about my appearance ("Your hair looks weird today. Do you need a haircut?" "You're such a boy! Why don't you dress like a girl?"). It's hard to remember that our value doesn't come from what we look like and our identities aren't dependent on our outer appearances. Tough stuff!
ReplyDeleteI could have written this word for word (I know, your're shocked, right?) You, however, are my inspiration in that you dress so beautifully. On What Not To Wear they're always telling people to dress the body they have now, not wait for the body they want, and that doing that will make them feel better about themselves, and more apt to want to treat themselves right and lost weight, if that's the goal. Me in a nutshell... waiting the body I want to dress better, and schelpping along until then. Keep inspiring me with your beatifully made clothes. I'll get it together yet!
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