1 of 3
Last week I engaged in an activity every woman dreads: swimsuit shopping. After flipping through several racks of tiny suits that would look wonderful on a 90-pound preteen, I selected a few more grown-up suits. As I tried them on, battling my longing for certain body parts to be bigger and others to be smaller, I overheard a group of adolescent girls.
"These pants are too tight," a frustrated voice said.
"I'm sure they look fine, Tasha. Come show us," one of her friends replied.
"My butt is huge!" Tasha replied without coming out of the dressing room.
"There's nothing wrong with a little back, girl! Come out and model for us."
"No way. I'm not coming out. I'm too fat to come out. I hate my body!"
When I heard those words, I felt the urge to burst into Tasha's dressing room and give her a hug. How many times did I stand in a dressing room as an adolescent and critique my body from every angle? How many times as an adult have I wished for the elusive "perfect body"?
Unfortunately, most of us can relate to Tasha. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, 80 percent of women are unhappy with their appearance. If you've tried to lose weight to improve your appearance, you're not alone. Approximately 45 percent of women are dieting on any given day.
That's because no matter what size we are, when we turn on the television, we're confronted with a world where more than 75 percent of female sitcom characters are underweight. The average American woman is 5'4" and weighs 140 pounds, yet the average American model is 5'11" and weighs 117 pounds. It's no surprise girls and women experience a drop in self-esteem and an increase in depression when they view these images.
My journey with body-image issues began in college. I'd never been tiny, but I'd gained the "freshman 15" and then some. My wake-up call was discovering I was no longer just overweight. I was considered obese, meaning 20 percent or more over the healthy weight for my height. With my body-hating mentality, unhealthy eating, and sedentary lifestyle, I was a poor steward of the gift God had entrusted to me. By learning to love and care for my body, I lost 50 pounds with healthier eating and exercise.
If you hate the skin you're in, these six strategies can help you develop a more positive body image:
1. Focus on what your body does instead of how it looks. List specific things your body can do. It really is remarkable! I began jogging in college, and when I focus on how my legs can carry my body a mile, I appreciate my body's function more than its appearance.
Overwhelmed with what her body could do after she gave birth to her son, author Anne Lamott wrote in Operating Instructions, "I'm going to have an awards banquet for my body when all of this is over." Our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made; they do deserve an awards banquet for what they accomplish every day!
 E-mail this page   Print this article  Post a comment |
