WARNING: This is likely to be a rambling and disjointed post. Lots of stuff jumbling around in my head and I feel the need to get it out, but it might not be as cohesive as I’d like. [oh, and this has been in draft form for over a week... oops!]
I’ve been thinking a lot about body image lately. Much of my thinking was sparked by this post from Jane which links to another post where a “bigger” girl was bullied online for wearing leggings. As I’ve already established, I refuse to wear leggings. But that’s not the point. The point is that for the first time in, well, ever… I’m pretty comfortable in my own skin.
There are a variety of reasons for this (I’m at a comfortable weight, my boyfriend loves my curves, I’m secure enough to not want to be stick thin), but I think the biggest contributing factor is my participation in sports. Through running and roller derby, I’ve learned to appreciate my body more as a tool and less as an object. Not exactly a ground-breaking revelation, but still significant to me personally.
As much as sports have helped me feel comfortable with myself, it’s interesting to me how many *other* people assume that my running (and–to a lesser extent–derby) is about weight loss. As if there is no reason–other than “looking good” — to maintain an active lifestyle.
People are always shocked when I tell them that I’m not running to lose weight. Yes, I could stand to lose a couple of pounds… and it would certainly help my finishing times, but that’s really not why I run. I run for the accomplishment, for the feeling of pushing myself towards a goal. If it helps me look better in my jeans, great… but that’s not really the point. I lost a whopping 2 lbs during my half-marathon training. When I told someone this, they said: ‘well, it’s better than nothing.”
It’s also interesting to me how many people commented on how I *looked* after my half-marathon and not how I did. I’m not one to turn down a compliment, and I really did look better than I performed, but I worry about people’s perceptions of me. I finished that race feeling strong and confident and athletic… and I get “you look great.” There’s deeper meaning to unpack here, but I’m not sure I know where to start.
While thinking about all of this, I posted a question on facebook. I asked my fb friends to name the compliment (physical or otherwise) they get most often. Some of them happily played along while others made jokes. One girl even said: “my legs and my hair– why do I feel weird saying that?” We feel weird saying that because, as women (most of my respondents to my informal poll were women), we’re taught to be shameful of our bodies and to not “brag” about ourselves. Note that I didn’t ask what people liked most about themselves… just what other people tell them about themselves.
Which brings me to the “fashion” part of this post. The ladies over at academicchic are hosting Dress Your Best Week, which encourages people to dress to highlight a favorite body part. They contend that we often dress to “hide” parts of our bodies that we find less-than-desirable, but we need to do more to flaunt those that we like. To participate, I had to name 5 body parts I would like to highlight. I apparently can’t follow directions, so I chose: breasts, shoulders, and skin.
This week has completely gotten away from me, but look for a Foto Friday post highlighting at least one of my best features.
To add some spice to my workout routine I joined 
So, after writing the extremely lame last post, I plopped my fat ass on the couch to watch TV. I was flipping back and forth between VH1s Celebrity Fit Club Boot Camp (or whatever it’s called) and the National Body Challengeon the Discovery Channel. I’ve also watched The Biggest Loser sporadically over the last few years.
