Why the Fixation?
Recently I got to see a friend for the first time in couple of months. As we hugged on a street corner, the first thing she said to me, even before a hello or another similar salutation, was "You've lost weight!" I was slightly taken aback; my instinctive response was "I haven't, but thanks? And hello to you, too!" as she hugged me tighter and told me how good it was to see me again. She later apologized for opening with a comment about my weight, saying that it's not usually something she would've commented on but she genuinely thought I'd dropped a few pounds and that I looked good, not that I hadn't before, and not that she thought I needed to lose weight or anything, et cetera, and I smiled and told her it was fine before she inserted her foot even farther into her mouth. The comment truly hadn't bothered me and I hadn't even considered any negative connotation until she suggested it, but it's something I've been thinking about ever since.
What is with our fixation on weight? Why are the two or three numbers that stare back at us from the scale so important, and why do we let them rule our lives and define who we are? I'd be lying if I didn't admit to thinking, at times, that things would be better/easier/whatever if I just lost five, ten, fifteen pounds, if I could just get back to what I weighed when I started high school. I'm not saying that if you're 5'5" and you weigh 400lbs that there isn't a problem, or that if you're 5'5" and you weigh 75lbs that there isn't a problem, but if your weight teeters on either end of the spectrum of what's healthy for your height (with all other factors taken into consideration) or if it's somewhere in between, why are we always so concerned about it?
Before people start getting up in arms and spouting off their heights and their weights and defending themselves (because god knows I'm going to offend people with this), I want to say that as long as you are happy and healthy, fuck everyone else. If you are 100% comfortable with what you weigh, etc, then more power to you.
In today's society we're taught that unless you're rail thin and perfectly proportioned, you're not attractive, etc. "Plus sized" models wear sizes eight through twelve. That's not plus-sized, that's a healthy weight/size for these women who are 5'9, 10, 11" and on. That's not to say that women who are tall can't also wear a size two and be perfectly healthy, but wearing a double-digit size doesn't mean they're fat, either.
I feel hypocritical posting this, because I would be lying if I didn't say that my weight/clothing size is a constant concern of mine. Hell, I've even promised myself professional headshots as a reward for reaching my "goal weight" within the next few months. Even so, I hate that this fixation is the norm for American girls and women today. I wish it weren't something that was constantly on my mind, but it is, and that's something that I have to accept for now.
It is my sincere wish that everyone who reads this someday becomes completely comfortable with who they are if they aren't already. It's something I'm working on, and maybe something you should, too.
What is with our fixation on weight? Why are the two or three numbers that stare back at us from the scale so important, and why do we let them rule our lives and define who we are? I'd be lying if I didn't admit to thinking, at times, that things would be better/easier/whatever if I just lost five, ten, fifteen pounds, if I could just get back to what I weighed when I started high school. I'm not saying that if you're 5'5" and you weigh 400lbs that there isn't a problem, or that if you're 5'5" and you weigh 75lbs that there isn't a problem, but if your weight teeters on either end of the spectrum of what's healthy for your height (with all other factors taken into consideration) or if it's somewhere in between, why are we always so concerned about it?
Before people start getting up in arms and spouting off their heights and their weights and defending themselves (because god knows I'm going to offend people with this), I want to say that as long as you are happy and healthy, fuck everyone else. If you are 100% comfortable with what you weigh, etc, then more power to you.
In today's society we're taught that unless you're rail thin and perfectly proportioned, you're not attractive, etc. "Plus sized" models wear sizes eight through twelve. That's not plus-sized, that's a healthy weight/size for these women who are 5'9, 10, 11" and on. That's not to say that women who are tall can't also wear a size two and be perfectly healthy, but wearing a double-digit size doesn't mean they're fat, either.
I feel hypocritical posting this, because I would be lying if I didn't say that my weight/clothing size is a constant concern of mine. Hell, I've even promised myself professional headshots as a reward for reaching my "goal weight" within the next few months. Even so, I hate that this fixation is the norm for American girls and women today. I wish it weren't something that was constantly on my mind, but it is, and that's something that I have to accept for now.
It is my sincere wish that everyone who reads this someday becomes completely comfortable with who they are if they aren't already. It's something I'm working on, and maybe something you should, too.