As most of you can infer from my previous posts and my about me, I am ALL about body positivity. Thus, when someone says something genuinely mean about a woman’s figure I get heated. #bitchfit
Let me preface this story by saying that I am a very docile, happy and calm person 99% of the time. But, when the boy I dated for a few months smugly said body-shaming related comments then this passionate, furious and outspoken version of myself emerged.
We’ll call him Boy X.
I told Boy X that I want to coach/consult girls and help them create healthier relationships with food. Ultimately, I’d like to help girls with binge eating disorder (BED), anorexia and bulemia. Boy X chuckled. He told me that I’m insane and should “tell that fat piece of shit with BED to get on a treadmill and stop shoving cake down her throat.”
I was stunned.
He insisted we role play and I pretend to coach him as if he were an anorexia patient. Horrid, ignorant misconceptions came out of his mouth that made him look less and less attractive with each utterance. Boy X said to “tell the fuckers to just eat. Hell, let them see how much I eat and I’ll force feed them. They’ll be fine.”
I was stunned.
The last straw? When I, still somehow maintaining composure and soaking in his idiocy, said that I believe all women are beautiful and should love themselves as they are during their journey. Boy X maniacally laughed. “So. You’re telling me that if you saw a 400 lb woman then you’d think she was beautiful?” Yes. Yes I would. I felt my face turning bright red and my jaw clench. Needless to say, I’ve lose all respect for Boy X; we’re not compatible anymore.
The saddest part is that the Boy X mentality exists everywhere. There is a stigma against heavy people, thin people, and people battling real disorders. Boy X-minded people are the reason why I want to make a difference; I want to change that mentality.
This fire and passion led me to create the #bodypositivegirl challenge on instagram:
I challenge all of YOU to do this with me. I know I still have a long way to go to achieve my ideal aesthetic but this challenge exemplifies the idea that we should love ourselves as we are in this moment.
I battled anorexia and after many years of healing I am learning to love myself and want to inspire other women to do the same. Want to participate in this challenge and promote confidence and body positivity? Post a photo on Instagram or Facebook with this caption:
Body Positivity (n): loving and accepting your body at any size. I nominate (nominate three people) to post photos that they feel beautiful in. Rock what ya got ladies! And remember to hashtag #bodypositivegirl.
To clarify, it can just be a moment that was captured that you felt fulfilled or beautiful. For instance, it could be you with your loved ones or children, or even during a volunteering event etc. Doesn’t have to be a selfie!
It’s small, but it’s a start!
Body Culture 
Reblogged this on StyleD2Z and commented:
Ladies this is a must read on how we should view ourselves as women of all shapes and sizes
This is an excellent post, I am glad that I stopped by. Keep pressing forward in your journey! I will definitely try to make sure I post with the #bodypositivegirl tag on instagram.
Thank you so much !! That really means a lot, I think little steps like raising awareness are an integral part to making a change ! 🙂
Absolutely love this post Samantha! And you are so right, the mentally of Boy X exists everywhere. Some people fail to understand that everyone’s journey is different and the body positive movement is about learning to love your body, as it is right now, regardless of where you are on that journey.
Thank you! And absolutely. There are critics out there who think body positivity means complacency with being “unhealthy or unfit”. No! It’s all about loving yourself through the process and while achieving your goals
I have nothing wrong with this post. Rude, abrasive, young men who readily objectify and victimize women based on physical size and size alone don’t realize the mental and emotional pain they. Your words are true…for the most part.
Personally, I feel like it should be more of a “love being healthy” movement and let me explain. Perhaps your conversation with Boy X regarding a 400 lbs woman was exaggerated, but if you saw someone who was 400 lbs and told her it was ok, would that be alright? Unless there’s a severe genetic disorder, that woman is unhealthy, and headed for seriously detrimental medical conditions and blinding yourself with a love your body campaign and ignoring the problems is a serious issue.
I speak from personal experience. In my youth, my efforts to look like the ripped guys, fit, popular guys didn’t work and eventually I clinged to the “love your body no matter what size”. A blessing in disguise came when a doctor told me about serious heart conditions and diabetes on the horizon. Luckily, I was able to turn it around but I still feel that the “love your body” campaign, as great of a movement with the purest of intentions as it is, can do harm. But again, that’s my opinion
You raise a very good point! Complacency when there are health issues present is detrimental. We all deserve to live long, healthy lives. And that’s why I mentioned that I think people should love themselves and forgive themselves during their journey. Personally, I want to lose weight at a slow pace. During that journey I need to be patient and I want to have a positive, self-love attitude.
So I agree, I don’t want to facilitate or encourage complacency and ignore health issues, I just want women to love themselves during their process of obtaining a certain goal. With a body positive mindset I think that can alleviate excessive pressure on themselves, and mitigate any extreme or unrealistic ideals.
Great comment, I’m glad you mentioned that!
I have nominated you for a Liebster Award: http://styled2z.wordpress.com/2014/08/23/i-have-been-nominated-for-the-liebster-award/