Embrace

So this past weekend I got a chance to check out Embrace (also available on Netflix), and it struck some feels with me. Because not only is this story one that I am personally familiar with, but I know that almost every single woman in my life is familiar with this story. I still struggle with body image, with being ok with my weight, and not scrutinizing everything I see in the mirror, with being ok with NOT working out every single day.  This is a very personal documentary for everyone involved, and you get that feeling from the very beginning. We follow Taryn Brumfitt through a shortened version of her own journey (which is also a book! Which I can't wait to read and you can also find here), and then she goes out into the world to meet with other women who have reached out to her about their own struggles.

A struggle we are all familiar with.

We meet a fashion magazine editor, Ricki Lake, a photographer, and a German actress. They all have a similar thread to their stories, that they hated their bodies growing up. They hated that what they saw in the mirror did not reflect what they saw in the magazines. What they saw as ideal beauty, hyper sexualization, and what the "perfect" woman was supposed to be. On one hand I really like this concept, because I know every single one of us can relate to that. I struggled with it immensely in college, and I still struggle with it today. Even though I know it's photoshopped, and that it isn't realistic, I still hear a small voice in the back of my head go why can't I look like her? I do think it is important to admit the shortcomings of this story as well though. Because, body image, eating disorders, and self-loathing are all extremely complicated, and convoluted. While the magazines, and the media do hold a certain amount of responsibility for these issues, I still ultimately believe that society holds the larger portion. The patriarchal society that so many of us live in have shaped this. Years of women being objective to nothing more than decorations, and objects has contributed in a large part to what we see in the media, and in magazines. It is done for nothing more than the partraiarchal gaze, and contributes to the idea that women are only there as entertainment for others, and that they only worth while thing about them is their appearance. While this is goes much deeper, the documentary does make a good effort at exposing the deeper aspects of why there is this pressure on women to physically be a certain way, which is not something I have seen before in documentaries trying to cover the same concept. The film also tackles in small ways, the lack of diversity available in media, and marketing campaigns for body size, ability, color, and age; something that usually never gets addressed in similar films.


Final Thoughts

So how can we start to move forward with embracing ourselves? Well, I think a good first step is to stop weighing yourself entirely. Unless you have a medical need that requires you to weigh yourself at home, I would stop doing it all together. Throw away your scale if you want, or you can use it as a wall decor item as well. Why? Well, because your weight doesn't reflect anything about who you are, what you are capable of, or your health status. Like Taryn says her film "The purpose of your life is not to be an ornament to be looked at, but to do and feel and contribute...." The Sydney Skinny organizer also points out that the point of life is not to be as skinny as you can be.
But it is extremely difficult to really move past this if we have a constant reminder in our bathroom. If we feel that we have to get on that scale week, after week, to measure our "sins". That is putting way to much of us into a number.  Take the first step and let that number go. See how that changes you day. Do you feel more anxious if you don't know your weight? Why? Sit with that uncomfortableness for a bit and explore it. Do you feel like you can only make "safe" food choices when you don't know your weight? Do you feel like you have to know how much you weigh to decide if you have "earned" certain foods?

Your worth is not related to your food selection on any level.

Get rid of negative self talk. Every time you start talking (or even thinking!) "I'm so disgusting", "|'m being bad", etc. cut it off. Interrupt yourself and tell yourself that this isn't a healthy thought process, and then tell yourself that its ok to take up space, it's perfectly fine to eat a piece of cake (not bad), etc. If you have any mantras that you use to help combat negative self talk, let me know in the comments!

If you feel like you cannot break up with the scale on your own, or if you are experiencing severe distress with this exercise please contact the National Eating Disorder Helpline.

Next Week: 
I lay down how to prep tofu for a delicious meat alternative! Make sure to follow me on social media to keep up with my day-to-day posts, and sign up for my newsletter and receive my free guide to five foods that can help balance your diet today!