Mirror, mirror

The truth is

I spent the bulk of my 20s trying to make sure there was less of me to grab onto

And I can't help but wonder if I should feel good that I accomplished my goal,

or if I should mourn the fact that there's so much less of me to love.

I know we're all made up of skin and bones,

but which of those would you prefer to see more of?

——————

Hi all <3 just wanted to share some thoughts!

Lately, I’ve really found myself feeling at odds with the power of social media. I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with it as many people naturally do, but this week, I loathed it entirely. Why? Well, while the incoming Pilates trend is healthy and inspiring, I’ve also noticed how mean people can be to each other and to themselves on the journey to self improvement. The other day, while scrolling, I came across the account of a young girl who was taking part in her first ever Pilates class. She was trying so hard and she looked great! I went to the comments to applaud her effort and was floored to see how nasty people were being to her… “Your form is as atrocious as you.” “You’re not meant for that life.” “Girl… no.”

I couldn’t believe it. It was so highschool-esque. It was so cruel. It was so Regina George. It was so unnecessary. Here was this young girl, doing something that is objectively positive and in pursuit of a healthier lifestyle, and these strangers online are bullying her out of it. And for what? She already shared how her weight was something she was insecure about, and instead of people encouraging and congratulating her for making a lifestyle change by taking a rigorous Pilates class, they’re tearing her down. Their poorly veiled fat-phobia was so counterintuitive, as the very thing they were discouraging her from doing was what would have made them less critical of her body.

That being said, social media provides a plethora of opportunity for people and more specifically, for women, to compare themselves to other people. More often than not, these comparisons unfortunately lead to a negative self image and the timeless, “I’m not good enough,” takeaway.

This week, I found myself reflecting extra hard on this pattern and it’s effect on me personally when I went to go see (pause for reaction), the live action Snow White of all things. Btw, it’s good, but the live action Beauty and the Beast still reigns supreme. Anyways, back to my rant:

The famous “mirror mirror” question the evil queen asks echoed the frustrations I felt earlier with social media. I won’t speak for everyone but I will say that the majority of women I knew growing up, including myself, were usually scared to look in the mirror, see our bodies and feel like we definitely weren’t the fairest of them all.

As I move into the latter half of my 20s, I find my priorities changing. Maybe it’s because I have more bills to pay and more important things to worry about, but concerning myself with what other people think of me has dropped considerably on that list. Is that to say I’m never phased by what someone says about me or by what people think of me? Absolutely not. Is that to say I don’t find time to invest in my body and my health? Absolutely not. In fact, for the first time in my life, I’m actually making healthy decisions not because I need to be a size 2 or because I need them to approve of me, but because I genuinely want to be healthy and live longer.

Body image is already a monstrous feat to overcome without the ugly opinions of people who really don’t care about you. So I guess I’m ranting in the hope that maybe the young girl who’s page I came across will read this and see MY comment:

“This is amazing!!! You look fantastic and I never would’ve guessed that you’re a first timer because your form is actually great! You’re so inspiring, strong and beautiful! Ignore the noise and keep setting an example. All the best! <3 P.s, where did you get your set? I LOVE it!”

Well, rant over…

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for caring enough to do so. Have a wonderful week everyone!