Radical Body Love

A few weeks ago I posted a fitness motivation video filled with women of various ages, sizes, skin colors and abilities. It was beautiful. These women were swimming, dancing, spinning, playing team sports, running...

I went to a wedding last night and danced my butt off. Drenched in sweat, I had a blast. More than likely, there were people there who probably didn't know I could move my body like that. I'm almost certain that there were people there that didn't think I should move my body like that. Somehow, my size means that I am not entitled to fun. My body is supposed to be this huge source of shame for me. Something I am supposed to hide.

I refuse to hide. I hid before and my depression spiraled. I hid before and I was a binge eater. I don't hide. I wasn't made for the shadows.

My body is not disgusting. No, the skin isn't firm and smooth. Yes, I have rolls in places. Yet my body is amazing. My body allows me to dance and walk and run and play and swim. If you think that my squishy, dimpled skin is disgusting, DON'T LOOK AT ME. What's more than that, you don't get to tell me what I call myself. If I want to call myself fat, curvy, lard ass, thick, chubby, or sexy as fuck, you don't get to tell me I'm wrong.

Now, for everyone else that isn't a hateful troll, I want you to imagine how different this world could look if we stopped hiding. If we stopped telling people of size that they are gross and shame them into hiding, how many more people would feel confident enough to be more active and take more initiative in their lives to be healthy. What has shaming people into weight loss ever done? All it has done is create a multi-billion dollar industry that we've all bought into. An industry that is not designed for people to succeed and shames us for not succeeding, then sells us more stuff that won't work in the long term.

Instead, let's fuel a movement of radical love. Not the trite support that comes with condescending "encouragement." Instead, a movement of radical love that does not focus on what our bodies look like, but what our bodies do. Where someone's size is not the litmus test for how you feel about them. This radical body love does not just allow large people to feel like they have a place in society. It allows small people to feel like they're not the source of envy and hate. It acknowledges that we all have more to us than what size is on our pants tag, or the number on the scale.

This type of self love gives us the freedom to be in society and take part in the activities we've always wanted to do, but were told we don't belong in. I'm starting with dance. Where will you start?