a love letter to body image
written by Erin
What would your life look like if you felt comfortable in your body? How would you truly feel?
Body image is something so many people struggle with. Diet culture sucks us in to believing we are not worthy, we are not accepted, and we are not loveable until we fit into this cookie cutter body type that society has set for us. We are told we have to eat a certain way, exercise consistently, and that we always have to be doing something to change our bodies.
It’s no wonder so many people struggle to love their body and even more so to love themselves. We are bombarded with messages every day that make us believe we need to be “fixed”. We are meant to believe we must be a certain size or it’s “unhealthy”.
Your body size doesn’t determine health. Diet culture profits on our insecurities. They make us believe there is a magic diet that will solve our problems and make us more loveable. I call B.S.
I can tell you that changing your body does not change how you feel about yourself. The number on the scale won’t tell you the kind of person that you are. Yet, we are constantly seeking external validation.
Changing your body does not change how you feel about yourself. The number on the scale won’t tell you the kind of person that you are.
We burn ourselves out trying to be accepted into this thin ideal of society. For what? Did losing weight change how you feel about yourself? Did you have to give up food you enjoy just so you can buy a smaller pair of jeans?
For years I counted calories, tracked my macros, weighed myself daily, went to the gym 5-6 days a week. I gave up foods I enjoyed, eating what I really wanted when I went out for dinner, and was afraid of gaining weight. Internalized fatphobia from our experiences and diet culture is something we all have.
We have a choice to change it or not. For me, choosing to change my beliefs led to me to stop avoiding my emotions and pursue the things that truly make me happy. I know what it’s like to hate your body, but now I know what it’s like to love it, or at least accept it.
Body image is attached to how you feel about yourself. Having a positive body image doesn’t mean you have to love your body every day. It’s about accepting the body you have and being grateful for all the things that it does for you.
When you can learn to accept your body, you start truly living your life. You start realizing you are worth so much more. You start doing things you want to do because it makes YOU happy. You start embracing yourself for who you are and stop hiding.
We spend so much time trying to change our bodies while making ourselves miserable in the process. By choosing to learn to love our bodies, we are choosing self-love and our own happiness.
Eat what you want and do what makes you happy. Choose yourself because you are worth it.
We don’t have to change our bodies, we need to change our standards in society. We need to stop comparing ourselves and setting unrealistic standards.
When we love ourselves and the body we are in, we treat ourselves better and we show up for others as our best self.
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about the author
Hey, I'm Erin! I live in Huntington Beach, CA. I suffered with eating disorders and disordered eating for many years. After I recovered, I turned my pain into my passion to help others heal.
I became a certified eating disorder recovery coach so I can help men and women learn how to love themselves and their body. I help with breaking free of behaviors, diet culture, fear of weight gain, and body image. My recovery journey was the best thing I ever did for myself. I am more present in my life and a whole lot happier. I don't obsess over food and my body and I truly love who I am. There is a better life out there waiting once we learn how to love ourselves. Every body is worth it.
Follow along with Erin on Instagram or Facebook! And be sure to grab her body image workbook here.
