A WOMAN IS OFTEN MEASURED BY THE THINGS SHE CANNOT CONTROL. SHE IS MEASURED BY THE WAY HER BODY CURVES OR DOESN'T CURVE, BY WHERE SHE IS FLAT OR STRAIGHT OR ROUND. SHE IS MEASURED BY 36-24-36 AND INCHES AND AGES AND NUMBERS, BY ALL THE OUTSIDE THINGS THAT DON'T EVER ADD UP TO WHO SHE IS ON THE INSIDE. AND SO IF A WOMAN IS TO BE MEASURED LET HER BE MEASURED BY THE THINGS SHE CAN CONTROL, BY WHO SHE IS AND WHO SHE IS TRYING TO BECOME. BECAUSE AS EVERY WOMAN KNOWS, MEASUREMENTS ARE ONLY STATISTICS. AND STATISTICS LIE.
I have a beautiful daughter...and as I read this advertisement it dawned on me how many times I say, "I'm fat, my thighs are huge, I wish.....(fill in with whatever body part I am obsessing about at the time) was higher, smaller, tighter, etc." Every time I say that I am comparing myself to an unrealistic vision of what society says women should be. I am enabling my daughter to do the same. And you see, I look at her body and see perfection. I know that even in 1st grade she is starting to say her clothes don't look right, that her missing front tooth makes her look like a dork, that her legs are too long (can you imagine this problem) for these jeans.... I could name many more. But how can I convince her that our bodies are amazing. That the width of my hips are from the birth of two of the most spectacular people. That the lines around my eyes are from laughter and tears and memories. I will do it...she my future and I don't want her to feel that one cell of her body wasn't planned for greatness. Even if that cell isn't perfect, it is just right how it is. After I read that Nike ad, I ran across this one that used to be hung in my office....why isn't it anymore anyway???
I weighted in on Friday...and lost a pound. But after this post, it would have been okay if I hadn't. It was nice though to move my weight loss tracker :-)
Have a great week!
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