Body Shame
It's no wonder that women feel body shame when they have extra weight. There is so much stigma associated with being heavy or being a larger size. It seems that all over the world fat people are denigrated and disparaged for their extra pounds. Even though you know you haven't been overeating and watching your weight you believe the Diet Industry and media that blames you for getting fat and being unable to maintain weight loss. You probably feel ashamed of your body and blame yourself!
The American media does its part to support the diet and medical industry claims and make the population believe that fat people are lazy and take too much food. But what if it's all made up- untrue?
The information from the Human Genome Project has proven that people who are heavier have a genetic component that affects weight.
Obesity is highly heritable and arises from the interplay of multiple genes and environmental factors. Recent advancements in Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have shown important steps towards identifying genetic risks and identification of genetic markers for lifestyle diseases, especially for a metabolic disorder like obesity. According to the 12th Update of Human Obesity Gene Map there are 253 quantity trait loci (QTL) for obesity related phenotypes from 61 genome wide scan studies.
MYTH-information about Body Weight
Although there is a correlation between a higher body weight and certain diseases or illnesses there is no clear, definitive answer as to whether weight causes the problem or if it is a the illness that causes higher body weight. That's the difference between causation and correlation. This is incredibly important to understand. It's like saying that yellow teeth causes lung cancer- because both appear together- smoking causes yellow teeth and cancer. But yellow teeth don't cause cancer!
At one time in history having extra weight was considered healthy and attractive. But the pendulum definitely has swung in the opposite direction. Foreign films, anthropology books about indigenous people in the Amazon all body shame heavier people.
Fear of Fat
Understanding the difference between causation and correlation should lessen your fear of being fat or heavier than you want to be. You can also use this information to TEACH YOUR DOCTOR not to fat shame you and tell you to go on a diet!
When did you start feeling ashamed of your body? Where you a child? Was it because of a teasing remark in your teen years? Or was it when you were an adult and you started comparing yourself to the images of other females in the media and decide that your body was not like theirs – and yours was not good enough? Is your embarrassment and shame of your body related to a past or present abuse?
Women’s Self Esteem Is Tied to their Appearance
Woman, more than men are preoccupied with their body image. Glamour magazine did a study that found that 97 percent of women are “cruel” to their body everyday. Negative self-talk and name-calling is prevalent among women. Women use of derogatory terms to describe body parts is common. I HATE the term “Boobs” , which actually means “a foolish or stupid person”.
Men don’t wear make-up (the vast majority of straight men), while many women won’t take the garbage out without “putting their face on”. Have you looked at the ingredients in make-up lately? Unregulated by the FDA, they read like a description of unhealthy chemicals in a toxic waste dump! All this to look attractive?
Only 11 percent of men dye their hair in comparison to 80 percent of women over the age of 25! In an investigation of the ingredients in more than 23,000 products, Environmental Working Group found that nearly one of every 30 products sold in the U.S. fails to meet one or more industry or governmental cosmetics safety standards. But women “NEED” to be beautiful – even at the cost of health?!
Plastic surgery is also much more common among women. While society describes older men as “distinguished” older women are described as “hags”. Older woman are stereotyped as inactive, unhealthy, asexual and ineffective.
I think of how many women “Spanx” themselves, squishing themselves into a tight garment that is really uncomfortable. Sure, you might say it doesn’t bother you, but think about how much relief you feel when you peel it off at the end of the day.
What about those high heels? How many injuries do women suffer from tripping; back aches from the misalignment of your spine?
Women Torture Themselves To Look Good
And then there’s the torture that many women put themselves through, every day, by getting on a scale, and then determining whether they’ve been good or bad because of that number. Punishment begins with deprivation of food, and continues with self-loathing, sadness, and even depression necessitating medication.
It stops being minor when women are so obsessed with their body that they develop a full-blown eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. These mental illnesses are KILLING young women!
Why do women do this to themselves? Why do WE fall for this harmful manner of judging ourselves as unworthy because of an appearance that doesn’t fit “society’s standards”? WHO makes the decisions that “thin is in”? It wasn’t always this way. There was a time when “plump” was in fashion.
Miserable Women Unhappy with their Body Weight
Women’s negative focus and shame about their body not only makes them put unhealthy products on their body, but continues with over-exercise that is physically punishing, starving themselves and depriving themselves of food they enjoy, and being able to eat with the people they care about. The end result, low self-esteem can cause physical and mental illness.
Isn’t it time to jettison the negative words about yourself and your body, and start appreciating your body? A lifetime of negative self-judgment can take a while to jettison. And, you are inviting negative results with the Law Of Attraction when you focus negatively on your body!
Make Peace With Your Body
There is an effective way to make peace with your body and start eating ALL foods joyfully without fear of gaining weight. It’s a long road, and you will find many detractors along the way. One of the most powerful methods is starting a yoga practice.
Accepting and Appreciating Your Body
Your body is the vehicle through which you experience life. It’s time to love it. It’s YOURS – and you might as well be happy with it. It’s time to realize that the entire world doesn’t focus on what you look like. There’s more in this world than your YOUniverse! And if you are lucky enough to live a long life, your body will show the changes gravity brings: gray hair, wrinkles, slowing down and the rest. You are so much more than what your body looks like right now. FIND your purpose on this planet and give to others. They will love you in spite of what your body looks like when you give from your heart. That is the most important thing in life!