So, You Got Fat: 8 Steps Towards Body Liberation
How to move forward and embrace your body just the way it is
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It’s not easy to move from a life of embracing and buying in to diet culture to one where you appreciate your body for what it is. We live in a culture in which expectations are placed upon our bodies before we are even born (think gender reveals). Where my children’s BMI, an outdated and inaccurate gauge of health, has been printed on their pediatric after-visit summaries from the age of 2. Where my girlfriend, a dancer in a non-traditional dancer body, realized that the first time she looked at a photo of herself and thought she looked fat, she was only five years old.
We live in a culture in which expectations are placed upon our bodies before we are even born.
On my article, I Am a Fat Woman, and I’m Not Sorry About It, Bjoern-Erik Hartsfvang left a thoughtful comment about the battle they, and so many others, face in coming to terms with accepting their bodies. Here are eight steps I’ve taken to allow me to move towards body liberation, several of which use portions of Bjoern’s comment as a jumping off point.
Expect Recovery to Be Ongoing
Can I use you as a role model?
I love it when people look at me and see something to aspire to. It reminds me why I’m so outspoken about my body and bodies like mine. It’s hard to find the strength to move forward when you feel alone, and this conversation has gotten more common but it still isn’t where it needs to be.
The first thing to understand about body liberation, body acceptance, and fat acceptance is that it’s not a destination, it’s a journey. Much like any recovery, recovering from years of being immersed in diet culture is an ongoing process.
The first thing to understand about body liberation, body acceptance, and fat acceptance is that it’s not a destination, it’s a journey.
While I write articles about how I won’t apologize for my size, I also try to write about the times when I am struggling. The truth is, it takes a…
