Every time my sister comes to New York City from where we grew up in Southern California, she says she suddenly starts feeling so…pretty! Being around such a huge diversity of shapes, sizes, colors and types of women makes her feel incredibly comfortable in her body, and with her brown hair. (See, a very typical look in SoCal, especially the Orange County area is very thin and very blond.) NYC is her body-image happy place. (Maybe I can convince her to move here!)
My body-image happy place. Yes, a gym locker room!
My body-image happy place is the gym locker room. Seriously! In one five-minute changing session in there you see so many different types of bellies, boobs, and bare asses that you can’t possibly keep believing in a “perfect ideal.” Some women are smooth and superslim, like dancers, but most aren’t. If even women who work out regularly at the gym have some bubblage on their thighs and a little belly roll or two, why on earth would I expect myself to look any different? That’s just…mean. And in a strange way, a little egotistical.
Your homework: Think about where you feel best about your body-and why. Then go spend some time there!
xo…Sunny
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Hi Sunny. I just found your Web site through Sarah Jio’s Vitamin G blog on Glamour.com. Thank you for starting this space. I think it’s great that you’re talking about compulsive overeating, binge-eating disorder, and EDNOS.
To contribute to your post, I’d say the place I feel best about my body is at the gym. Despite the internal conversations I have to convince myself not to go, I am usually really happy I did decide to go. I like the feeling of taut muscles after a good workout.
On another note, would you consider adding somethingfishy.org to your links of healthy sites? I’m not sure what you’d qualify as a “healthy site,” but there’s a great forum at somethingfishy that deals with multiple eating disorders, including CO, BED, and EDNOS. The moderators are very sophisticated and knowledgeable, and the posters range from men and women who are coming to an early realization of their disorder to seasoned survivors who have been successful in understanding and dealing with the cause of their disorder.
Thank you again!
Hi there! I will definitely add somethingfishy to my links. That’s a fabulous idea. Thanks for recommending! And I hope you’ll keep coming back to HealthyGirl.org and help me keep the conversation going. Sunny
As the health care battle rages on in this country, your blog is an inspiration. It provides another avenue of wellness, to the body and the spirit. I would like to invite you to a wellness of the mind….Go to “The Straight Gospel, No Chaser” and free your mind. Whether you love it or hate it, please leave me a comment, GOD BLESS……
Wow. I really like your take on this… and honestly really needed to read that. I just had my first - and only - child 15 months ago and feel terrible about my body off and on. It’s just changed so much! Got back in the gym and it too is my feel good place. Thanks for the post.
Thank YOU! I don’t have kids yet, but I’ve seen my close friends go through what you’re describing. Like you’ve losing control over your body-and suddenly everything’s…different. Well, I’m so happy this post helped, truly. And I hope you’ll keep coming back to the site. Body image is a recurring topic in these parts.
Sunny