I was a child in the 60’s, a teen in the 70’s, who became an adult (chronologically) near the end of the 70’s. My Mom was 20 when I was born.  She came of age in the era of fitted-waist poodle skirts, which gave way to fashion influenced by the First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy. Size and weight were dominant factors in conversations among my Mom and her friends.  Body type was not a consideration; you either looked like a model or you were failing as a female. They starved themselves to fit into certain size clothes; styles that were meant for no average human woman.

                                            (My Mom and me circa 1960)

My Mom was a beautiful woman. She never saw herself accurately. She bought the concept of thin to win hook, line, and sinker. My Mom tried every diet fad that the 60’s produced. Sego and a hard-boiled egg were the two items she lived on daily through my childhood. I do not remember her eating a plate of food; she ate like a bird pecking at something a bite here or there. I caught her practice bulimia before it was a known issue. My mother died when she was 70; her body had been caving in on itself since she developed rheumatoid arthritis at 46. She lived with chronic pain which kept her from being very active or able to build muscle to strengthen her bones. She had been taller than me throughout my adult years until osteoporosis caused her bones to deteriorate. She lost three inches of height by her 70^th birthday. 

This sounds so depressing. I share this with you for two reasons. 

1. Each one of us carries messages from childhood about our bodies. 
2. We may not realize each one of us has the ability to change the way we think, feel and act.

We are meant to be active outdoors, running, playing, bending down, climbing up. Of course as we age the level of activity may decrease as energy wanes but in general our bodies were designed to do a lot physically. Somewhere along the way messages relating to evaluation of how we are supposed to look became the messaging for advertisements that had nothing to do with the item being advertised. We’ve been sold a false bill of goods.

Strong, healthy, active need to be adjectives to describe anatomy not those of size, weight or height. 

(Me age 9; summer, 1966. I already felt “fat”.)

How do we shift our mindset from not okay to just right?

Growing our awareness is the first step to change.

I’ve been working on this for a long time. It’s only been in recent years that I have fully understood why I’ve told myself such harsh things about my body. I was given a terrible set of messages about my body’s shape; things that should never be spoken to another human. I’ve been working with a trauma specialist for over a year now. She has given me new vocabulary and helped me become aware of habits that haven’t helped me. It’s not about a diet, or a size. It’s about learning to love and accept how God has made me.

This may not be an issue for you but if it is, know that it doesn’t always have to be.

Action step: make a list of things you like about your body. No negatives on this list. Alongside what you like, write why you are thankful for the part you mentioned.