I’ll never forget the very first time I felt shamed by the scale. I was in 7th grade. That’s right, I was 12 years old. I was at the doctor’s office with my grandma for a check-up, and the doctor recorded my weight. I looked at my grandma with tears in my eyes and begged her not to tell anybody.
I want so badly for my children to grow up in a world where little girls don’t cry over their weight and body image. If I could write a letter to the preteen version of myself, that shamed, insecure, and embarrassed little girl, it would say something like this…
Sweet Girl,
Dry your tears and hold your head up high, because this body that you wish wasn’t yours right now, is going to make you proud. These legs, that you think fit you all wrong, are going to give you the ability to jump high, and that vertical jump is going to come in handy when you want to make the volleyball team in a few years. These gangly arms, that you wish weren’t yours, are going to swim you through your first triathlon. Your feet, that you think look too big, are going to journey through the hills of Lake Mead for your first half marathon. These little hands that you find completely ordinary will make you beam with pride when you show your friends the calluses you earned the day you did 100 pull-ups in the gym. And this cute little chubby belly, that you can’t stand to look at in the mirror right now, will one day carry your greatest blessings.
Hold your head high because one day that number on the scale isn’t going to matter. You’re going to be proud of what you see in the mirror: a girl that traded in fretting over the scale, for pushing herself to the limits in the gym. Your body is nothing short of miraculous and don’t ever let yourself forget that.
With a big hug and lots of Love,
How do we change a generation of women paralyzed by the scale? How do we make sure we don’t pass this shame on to our daughters? It starts with us.
If body image or the scale is something you {or your child} struggle with now, I encourage you to find something {a sport, an activity, a hobby, a fitness program} that grows your love and appreciation for your body. Find something that makes you beam with pride. Find something that brings a smile to your face. Celebrate every accomplishment, and REFUSE to compare yourself to anybody else.
CHALLENGE ALERT: Right now, in the comments below, we want to hear from you. Tell us one thing you LOVE about YOUR body.
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15 Comments
The title of this post made me cry. I remember my (rather heavy) dance teacher telling me I was getting chubby. I was 14. I have struggled with the number ever since. Now I lift weights and can make a little peace with the numbers because I keep my body fit and strong.
I’m SO sorry you had to experience that, Heather, but I’m happy to hear you’ve started making peace with you body! Keep up the confidence!!
Wow! That was beautiful!!! I never struggled as a child but I sure have struggled in my adulthood and I remember my mom struggling over her weight when I was a child! But now I love taking my kids to the gym or to my races and seeing thier Mama doing strong beautiful things with her body!! Thank you Tracy and Krista for your honesty and encouragement!!
Thank you, Lee Ann! You are a wonderful example to your children!!
Ever since I hit puberty, I’ve struggled with my weight. I’ve always been busty and very self conscious. I started taking a step aerobics class and eventually started teaching it. It helped me become more comfortable and in-tune with my body. I’m still very self conscious and struggle with my weight, but my body is amazing! It has strengths I never knew it had and it grew, nurtured and delivered two beautiful, healthy babies and is continuing to sustain our 9 mos old. I try to keep that in perspective on down days! Love your Instagram posts!
Amy, thank you for yor sweet words of encouragement! I think it’s great that you found a step aerobics class that you enjoyed so much that you started teaching!! What a wonderful example to women around you!! Your body certainly is amazing, mama! Keep it up!
This was beautiful Tracy. My sister was a gymnast and the pressure got the better part of her. She had severe eating disorders and was in and out of rehab for it. It practically destroyed my mom watching my sister treat herself that way. My sister still battles it today just like a recovering alcoholic battles their addiction even when theyve been sober for years. Because of my sister we never really had scales in the house and I still practice that especially since I have a daughter. I don’t want my kids to see me weighing myself bc that number that stares back at us doesn’t really matter if we are eating healthy, exercising and feel good. I won’t even have a food scale bc I really think its a slippery slope when you think it’s just a healthy choice. I know this is more of an issue w girls but we also need to remember boys are affected too!
My favorite body part are my arms.:)
Thanks for sharing your personal story about your sister with us! You are such a wonderful example to your kiddos and you’re absolutely right, boys are not exempt from body issues! You do have great arms!
This is sweet, I really hope that us, as women, can look past the scale and love the skin we’re in!
Thank you, Deanna! I’m with ya, girl!
Since becoming a mother I have hated my body. I read all the articles about how we should love our new skin because we carried a beautiful miracle but I cannot look in the mirror and feel that way. I shame myself about my weight everyday and the fact that I did not lose all of my baby weight. Now I am pregnant again, starting heavier than I was with my first and I am terrified at how big I might get at the end. But I want to start now! I love y’alls motivation. I am meal planning for the first time ever and taking baby steps at working out during pregnancy. You girls motivate me so much and I love all of the helpful videos and recipes! Once this baby comes out in September there will be no stopping me! Can you guys possibly share pregnancy advice/workouts? Thank you for all of the motivation! I am lucky to know you girls!
You are too sweet, Rachel! Congrats on baby number two! I am thrilled that you are taking steps with meal planning and working out during pregnancy! Give yourself LOTS of grace! Krista and I both gained a good amount of weight during pregnancy, but looking back now my advice is to feed that baby healthy foods, starting now. When I was pregnant both times I saw it as an excuse to eat ice cream every other day and the reality is my baby could have benefited SO much from a healthy diet! Keep tuning in for our workouts and modify accordingly. No need to over do it! Looking forward to hearing from you soon!
I still remeber the first time I was “body shamed” I was in elementary school and wore a pair of pedal pushers to a family gathering. Its when tight jeans were just starting to come in and my Uncle asked me if I painted them on. I was so upset, he was a big guy, still is…. he will never know the damage he did to me.
This chubby child at the sge of 47 just ran her first full marathon, i was always the girl who was bigger framed than everyone else but im now the strong fit friend. I love your story as i still clearly remember the day my obese aunty commented on how fat i was when i look back at photos all i see was a strong sporty girl who developed early
Lisa, that is amazing!!! Congrats on your first marathon!!! What an inspiration you are to women everywhere!