I grew much faster than those around me. By the time I was 10, I was 5 feet - 3 inches and 220 pounds. I was fat. Plain and simple, I was unhealthy. I never managed to feel comfortable in my skin while in school, and as a result, I isolated myself and ate food for something to do when I was bored and lonely. By the time I graduated from high school, I had arrived at 280 pounds of unhealthy, unhappy 18 year old girl.
Then, I went to college and was forced to walk a couple miles per day to get to and from my classes and somehow I managed to begin to focus less on my appearance and how it was perceived. I was a girl doing something healthy - exercise every day! I could walk miles more than my peers without getting exhausted. I began to appreciate the things my body could do, and began to love it. My legs were amazing for being able to carry me. With that mentality, I started to try to see how much it could do. I started exercising much more often - taking up new sports. I began to love every inch of myself. My big thighs are muscles that can take me miles on my bicycle. My round butt is screaming with a megaphone how many hundreds of stairs I climbed in Europe, and my large arms testify to the fact that I swim for miles every week. Every inch of me tells my story. While numbers aren't important, I want to share for those of you out there who are still large - I am saying these things while still weighing in at 220 pounds. 220 pounds of strong woman who loves the look on people's faces when they see this beautiful body climbing out of the pool after 100 laps!
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The Question
Want To Share?
The Body Image Project is an online project searching for women and girls of all ages to share their individual experiences and feelings about their own body image perceptions. The goal of the project is to have women and girls take the brave step of sharing their story, break the hold these perceptions have and ultimately reveal to those who share and those who read the thoughts of others – you are not alone. It is a rare opportunity to share without fear of judgment - share in a healthy manner. We ask that individuals include their age so the reader witnesses the wide-range of ages and the wide-range of issues women and girls are facing (often silently).
Share your story. Keep it short and simple - the impact will be huge.
To share your story, simply email your words to bodyprojectsubmission@gmail.com.
Share your story. Keep it short and simple - the impact will be huge.
To share your story, simply email your words to bodyprojectsubmission@gmail.com.
Background
Body image dissatisfaction is a growing epidemic in our society. Women, teenagers – and now young girls – have become obsessed with obtaining the “perfect body” which can lead to an unimaginable sense of self-loathing. Society targets women with constant attacks on their bodies creating a false belief that our value – our worth – is based on appearance alone. We have become enslaved to the beauty myth and to our unwavering attempt to fit in, skewing the mental picture we have of ourselves.
The Body Image Project simply asks “when you look in the mirror, what do you see?” Do you embrace your physical appearance, or yearn for change? Do you accept your physical differences or take extreme measures in an attempt to change your body? How far are you willing to go to feel better about yourself? Are you happy?
Be honest. Be open. Express yourself without fear of judgment.
Through your words and shared thoughts, The Body Image Project will take an unflinching look at how women and girls perceive their bodies, allow individuals an opportunity to reveal their perceptions of their own self-image and explain how far some are willing to go to fit in.
The Body Image Project simply asks “when you look in the mirror, what do you see?” Do you embrace your physical appearance, or yearn for change? Do you accept your physical differences or take extreme measures in an attempt to change your body? How far are you willing to go to feel better about yourself? Are you happy?
Be honest. Be open. Express yourself without fear of judgment.
Through your words and shared thoughts, The Body Image Project will take an unflinching look at how women and girls perceive their bodies, allow individuals an opportunity to reveal their perceptions of their own self-image and explain how far some are willing to go to fit in.
Privacy Policy
The Body Image Project (http://www.thebodyimageproject.blogspot.com/) does not collect names and/or addresses. All posts to this site are anonymous and include age only. If you share your story via email, your email address will not be shared or posted. All text/image posts are considered public, equivalent to "Letters To the Editor," and will be considered publishable.