Please Stop Commenting on and Objectifying My Body
There I was mid-run when a neighbor stopped me and said, “Wow! Looks like you lost weight.”I was flabbergasted. Not knowing what to say, I said, “Thanks,” before racing off again.What I wanted to say was, “What the hell, lady?”To be clear, I don’t run to lose weight. I don’t run to stay healthy or get fit.I run because I love it and the way it makes me feel.But at that moment, I paused.Did I have some ulterior motive to lose weight? I shook my head, rattled.I know she meant well, but these kinds of remarks can be triggering for so many reasons.When people make blasé comments about losing weight, or their bodies (or MY body), you immediately start thinking about your body size.I’ll look in the mirror and poke at my pudgy stomach. I’ll stretch back my double chins to make them disappear. I’ll look on in disdain.I wanted to make myself smaller.This is the ultimate problem.All of these comments stem from one core reason: society’s thin ideal.I’m not fat and never have been. But we’ve all been uncomfortable in our bodies.We praise people for losing weight and shame them for gaining it.Weight has nothing to do with health, and yet they are treated one in the same.What people don’t realize is that comments like these are harmful. They add to a toxic message and you never know when it can be triggering for a person.Say that to someone with an eating disorder and they might not eat again for a week.Often, thinness can be a result of sickness. Whether it be cancer or eating disorder, or something else, hearing that can be a blow.Our society focuses on our bodies way too much. They’re sexualized and objectified. But never are they celebrated — unless you are the thin ideal.Even then, it’s never perfect. You’re always being sold diets and exercise plans in an attempt to make you as small as you can be.I say take up space. Take up all your space. Embrace your body and when people make comments, tell them to eff off.Your body is beautiful no matter what size and nobody can tell you otherwise.
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