NB: I'm going to go ahead and use "I" and "WE" interchangeably for this post. Also, any and all puns are intentional.
Have you noticed that bigger, body positive people have been a growing presence in A LOT of media outlets lately? HAVE YOU NOTICED???Have you seen the August issues of Runner's World and summer issue of Women's Running Magazines featuring larger athletic people both inside and outside?
Or, maybe you saw the beautiful spread in ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue, also published this summer.
Perhaps you are vaguely aware of more people without what some call aspirational bodies staring at your from billboards, advertising things that people with and without so-called aspirational bodies like and buy....like, um, soap and deodorant. Fat people use soap too. Tall and short people use soap. Skinny people use soap. Kids use soap....well, sometimes.
Maybe you've just looked at yourself in the mirror and appreciated your body for what it is, what INCREDIBLE things it can do (whatever body type and genes you have), and how INSANELY F-KING BEAUTIFUL IT IS.
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| My BigBeautifulBody on a recent trail run. |
Apparently to some, all of these FAT PEOPLE in their FAT CLOTHES doing their FAT PEOPLE THINGS are disturbing the NON-FAT peace. WE ARE DISTURBING THE PEACE, FOLKS. WE ARE ROCKING THE NORM. Because of this, some people are angry, like vehemently and irrationally angry/fake funny like that fake comedian that I'm not even going to link because what self-respecting person needs to watch that fat-shaming crap again, with her fake concern at the end of her rant against fat folks.
Like, so angry they say shit like, we are promoting obesity.
By running while fat, we are promoting obesity.
By playing tennis, swimming and walking out in the open, you know, in FRONT OF PEOPLE, we are promoting obesity.
By eating in front of people, we are promoting obesity
By saying "I am at peace with my body", we are promoting obesity.
And simply by existing, we are promoting obesity.
What does that mean, anyway? I don't know. I don't care. I promote body positivity, fitness, body love. Self-love, body awareness. Human love, human awareness. When I'm out there doing the damn thing, that is the height of my love. Love is not always easy, but love is love. Really, there is enough for everyone, even people who are
fat/obese/bigboned/fluffy/chubby/lovehandley/thick/round/pearshaped/appleshaped/heavy.
We know we don't have these so called aspirational bodies, but dammit--I LOVE MY BODY FOR EVERYTHING IT IS and COULD BE. I ASPIRE to whatever my body ASPIRES. My body/our bodies IS/ARE ASPIRATIONAL.
Serena, victim of misogynist hatred? Slam is all.
Erica Jean Schenk? SUCCESSFUL AND BEAUTIFUL PLUS SIZED MODEL featured on the cover of a FITNESS MAGAZINE. (We'll talk about eradicating the term "PLUS SIZED MODEL in a future post)
Whitney Thore has HER OWN SHOW, and some people are REAL CONFLICTED about that.
MELISSA MCCARTHY? TESS?
I can go on and on but I think you get the drift.
By being out there in front of YOU, whoever you might be and who thinks that my body and other fat bodies should BE something else, DO something else, and GO somewhere out of sight....I am making a pledge to myself of love, respect and honor for the sacred space that my body is. It is MY temple. Not yours.
Bye Felicia.
YESSSSSS.
ReplyDeleteIn every way, yes.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this.
ReplyDelete"It is MY temple. Not yours." Brilliant! In my opinion, shaming of any sort is the shifting of hatred in yourself to someone else. What a waste of energy.
ReplyDeleteExactly. Well said.
DeleteYes, Yes, Yes! Love this!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!
ReplyDeleteYes, you hit the nail right on the head! The more articles are published about body image and that you can be healthy and "fat", eventually the body shamers will start to realize that there is room in this world for all body types.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! But I would NEVER crawl under a tree - Hello spiders! You've got courage of all kinds.
ReplyDeleteWell said!
ReplyDeleteWell said! People will always try to put you in a box but like you, I prove them wrong. You speak for all women who do not fit in media definition of what women should look like. I understand very well as a dark skinned 49 yr old women, with an afro, thick muscular thighs, short in height, vegetarian, runner, cyclist, knitter, Buddhist, and science fiction/comic book aficionado, yogist for 30+ years, Japanese/Chinese Tea aficionado...I do not fit what people think I should like. I learned a long time ago that life is beautiful and better when you don't listen to the negative crowd and you let your beautiful you shine through because the sun will always shine when you be who and whom you are :-) You are awesome Mirnia!!!! You go girl because I love your spirit and love your inspiring messages😄
ReplyDeleteLove your message.
ReplyDeleteYes!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteYES!
YES!
ReplyDeleteHi, Mirna! I also went to Oberlin and love running, especially in the woods. I wanted to thank you for your awesome blog. I'm going to tell my boyfriend about it. I have to give a little background here- I got some advice from a trusted wise person in my life who nailed me for always dating a 'certain type of guy'- meaning, athletic and slim. He suggested I re-prioritize my dating preferences, and just go for 'nice guy'. Well, I met him, and he's a big guy, and he's awesome. To add to his coolness, he's a long distance swimmer; he can get in the water and go full out for over an hour- he's got the stamina of a bear! He loves swimming like you and I love running in the woods! So, all it took was someone clueing me in to MY own prejudices...and me admitting, yeah, I was only dating slim people, and wtf is that all about? This same wise person explained it this way: dating people and using them as stand-ins for what we'd LIKE to be is not a healthy approach at all. I was doing that. But now Im not. And I'm so much happier. So thanks for your blog and hit me up if you are ever in Brooklyn and want to run in Prospect Park. I know all the trails!
ReplyDeleteOne of the scariest things I have had to do is to learn to exercise in front of people without shame. I started walking in the spring of last year. I was really embarrassed because I was 29, and at 5'3", I had reached the 200+ lb mark. Walking is for old people, I thought. Exercise is for skinny people, I thought. So, I would suit up at 8 or later and walk in the dark because I was ashamed to be seen. I had to wear running tights (because chafing is a serious issue in the Mississippi heat), and all I could think of was how everyone would laugh at the fat girl in the tight pants.
ReplyDeleteAs I kept at it, It didn't bother me as much anymore, but I stuck to the dark for the below 90 temps. Then one day I thought, "I wonder how far I would make it if I tried to run." So, I did. For 30 seconds. It was a let down, but it was the first time in 10 years that I had even considered my ability to run. I laughed it off, and kept walking. Once the weather started to cool off I started to think about those 30 seconds. I dreamed of running...seriously dreamed about it. Every night. In my dreams, I would run for miles and enjoy it I was not happy with how my life was going, and those dreams were the biggest relief from the realities of what I was going through. So, I started trying in real life, but only if there was no one outside. I was still worried about what people would think. I remember the first time that I ever ran 1/4 mile (possibly in my life) and I was hooked. That feeling was worth whatever anyone would say about the fat girl hobbling down the street. Slowly (very slowly), I kept working at it.
I've changed my personal record from 1/4 mile to 4, and I hope to keep going. I no longer worry about what those people think. My neighbors recognize me. They say hello (which they never did before), and I am proud to be the big girl running down the street. I hope that someone else will see me who feels the same way I did when I started. I hope that it encourages them to change the things that make them unhappy like I did. I'm so happy to see that people like you are out there and happy to be challenging what society thinks of people who dare to exercise while wearing a size that isn't a S. Thank you for putting yourself out there and being proud to do it.
I couldn't love this reply any more. My thoughts, exactly. I tried a couch to 5k program a couple of years ago, 'hiding' myself on a little used trail, and would cringe every time I encountered someone, worried about what they would be thinking. Once I got that silly idea out of my head, I just reveled in the feeling of freedom, not caring what anyone else thought and enjoying the high that I felt building my stamina and enjoying the challenge. I need to get back to that, thank you for reminding me that I can do this.
DeleteSo happy to have found this blog and all the fantastic, empowering people here. Be Encouraged!
ReplyDeleteWell said, get out there at any weight, shape, whatever. We don't have to run in the dark or at home to make thin people feel better.
ReplyDelete