Spring break is just around the corner and the misery of midterms are coming to an end! Everyone is looking forward to being out and about, poolside, and in their favorite bathing suit…or are we? For some, #bathingsuitseasonsucks
The cosmetics and diet industries are constantly brainwashing us all to believe that there’s only one acceptable body type. Our culture takes the message and runs with it – impacting social media, our friend groups, basically everywhere you look is tattooed with messages about food, weight, and health. Make it stop!
There is a need or expectation to look and dress a certain way in order to be accepted or respected. It can put a real damper on spring break and summer.
Weight stigma is defined as “social rejection and devaluation that accrues to those who do not comply with prevailing social norms of adequate body weight and shape.”
Weight stigma, or weight bias, needs to go.
It’s literally hurting us. And it’s so not cool.
Promoting weight bias, which often leads to weight-based discrimination can be detrimental to health in many ways. First and foremost, being on the receiving end is stressful. This stress is linked to poor physical and mental health.
Imagine being in a larger body and being told “you really shouldn’t eat that.” Hurt feelings are an understatement. Bring on the depression, low self-esteem, poor body image, and social isolation, just to name a few.
Researchers have actually studied what happens to a person on the receiving end of weight stigma and they found that eating behavior increases.
That’s right – when people think they are being “helpful” it’s completely backfiring.
Plus, losing weight does not equal being healthy. It contributes to stress, is linked to disordered eating behaviors, and avoidance of physical activity leading to weight gain, greater stigma, and consequences towards psychological and physical health.
Instead of trying to change our bodies, we need to change society.
Instead of trying to manipulate our bodies into societal standards, we need to get the word out that societal standards are all jacked up. And that we’re all MEANT to be different sizes and shapes. Not to mention the fact that the shame and blame methods surrounding body weight (hello doctor’s office! I’m talking to you!) are not working and telling people they need to lose weight is causing more harm than good.
How about we all just do our best to eat balanced meals and snacks, if we have the resources to do so, and discover joyful ways to move our body, if we’re able to. And leave it at that.
Let our bodies be how our bodies are gonna be, based on our genetics.
In the meantime, let’s celebrate our diverse body shapes and sizes as no accident, but another piece of the diversity puzzle that makes us unique and amazing.
We’ll fight the diet industry every day until we die. And until we win, here are some tips for putting on armor to the weight stigma that plagues society. Let’s get ready for a fun and rejuvenating spring break as we say “get outta here, #dietculture!”
- Get educated. Read up on Body Kindness and Anti-Diet. These are two great books that spell out how as a society we’ve all been duped. Body weight and health is not as intertwined as everyone things. When you actually look at the scientific evidence you will see that health and happiness is possible for all body types and sizes and that it’s health behaviors that matter more than body weight in predicting health outcomes.
- Change Your Self-talk. Catch negative things you say about your body. Throw them in the proverbial trash and find some new mantras on Pinterest that inspire. Instead of “I hate my thighs” how about “I’m so lucky I can use those thighs to get up these three flights of stairs.”
- Discover Joyful Movement. Exercising for health does not need to be dreadful. Find forms of exercise that you personally enjoy and that you find energizing and fun! Remove the pressure from #dietculture and replace boring treadmill regimens with fun things like volleyball, tennis, or whatever floats your boat.
- Surround Yourself with Friends Who Build You Up Not Tear You Down. Surround yourself with friends who don’t diet or talk about needing to lose weight. And if you don’t want to let those friends go, then ask them nicely to please refrain from talking about weight and food in your presence. You can just say something like, “I know you don’t mean anything by it, but when you say things like that about yourself it makes me feel self-conscious too. Could we just make a pact to not talk about that stuff anymore?”
Wishing everyone a fun and safe spring break!
Lyndsay Bottoms, Health Coach