Why It’s Important To Promote Body Positivity In Your Life

Let’s promote body positivity!

It’s Monday! Here’s to another glorious work week. My kids have off for Spring Break all week and I am preparing for chaos. #momlife. Today on CCG, I am writing an article on a subject that can be quite touchy. However, it’s an important conversation to be had. Sure, you may be thinking, what does this skinny chick know about body positivity? How dare she tell me how to be body positive. What advice can she even give on this topic? Read on to learn why it’s important to promote body positivity in your life.

Why It’s Important To Promote Body Positivity In Your Life

The insecurities and embarrassment over my body developed as early as 3rd grade. I remember “Johnny” didn’t like me because I was way too skinny and he liked “Jessica’s” body better. I was called stick figure, anorexic, bulimic, Olive Oil (that’s an old one) and various other names to describe my body by others. This went on daily for me all the way through high school. In middle school, I would wear bulky wool ballet legwarmers under my jeans to make my legs thicker. Changing in gym class always posed a problem and I had to get creative on how I would undress wearing them in front of those girls that called me names. I used to drink Ensure and chow down on Snickers bars in addition to my regular healthy eating in hopes it would add an inch or two to my boney body. At this same time, my scoliosis became very prominent and so my insecurities were taken to a completely new level with this added deformity. It’s something that I struggled with every single day.

Fast forward to adulthood, my scoliosis and the deformities associated with it grew worse and worse (especially after each pregnancy). I found myself using clothing as a way to camouflage the body that I had grown to hate. I became so insecure about my body that I wasn’t even comfortable undressing in front of my own husband. Isn’t that terrible? You can read more about this subject in my post, here. In that post, you will also see pictures of what I am talking about.

Once I had multiple surgeries, and lost 25 pounds in the process during my hospital stay, the only thing on my mind was staying alive and getting healthy again. A feat that has proven difficult on my journey but nevertheless, I continue to move forward from. Once the dust settled, I stared at myself in the mirror, looked over my various scars (the stomach scar is most unpleasant. I look as though I was gutted like a fish), and had a “come to Jesus” moment. I just made it through hell and back, relearned how to walk, and got past a plethora of obstacles. Finally, after all those years and all those times I hated my body, I looked at myself in the mirror and felt love and a sense of pride; scars, skinny body and all.

I won’t pretend to not have bad days. With the intestinal issues I am still currently going through, and will for life, I look 5 months pregnant by the time 5 o’clock hits. It can get depressing. Sometimes, I catch myself dwelling on that and I have to refocus on everything good in my life. I touched on this subject in this post, here.

Several months ago, I posted on Instagram a quote about body positivity. Without knowing my story or anything about me, a “biggish” blogger (over 100k followers) commented with, ” How would you know anything about body positivity? You can eat whatever you want. Give me a break.” She ended up deleting her comment a few minutes later, however, the damage was done. I saw it. So as I write this post, I immediately think of that and why it’s so important to not judge a book by it’s cover. Everyone is going through something. You are not superior to me and know more than me because of your weight. In essence, this blogger was promoting body positivity when she essentially was a hypocrite.

The message I am hoping to convey with this post is that learning how to love your body is imperative to your overall mental and physical health. It’s also equally important to lift those up around you and stick together when it comes to this body positive movement. Everyone is unique in their own way and has their own story to tell. Everyone looks different, talks different and that’s a beautiful thing. It doesn’t matter whether you’re skinny, overweight, have scars, have crooked teeth, a crooked spine! etc. We should be empowering women and not bringing them down. Now that I have children of my own, it’s important for Neil and I to raise them not only to be kind human beings, but to embrace their own beautiful selves even when others may tell you otherwise. Just do you and be proud of that. Celebrate yourself, your body and the peers around you who support that goal as well!

Have a fab week!

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Dress   |  Kate Spade and ON SALE

Bag   |   Mansur Gavriel

Shoes   |   Chanel

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promote body positivity