Don't Eat {Thinspo Blogs}

Be cautioned. This is one of those rant posts.

Today I came across a thinspo blog. Another blogger recently mentioned that she'd had bad dealings with the author of one and I had no idea what a thinspo blog was. After a quick online search, I landed on a seemingly normal one. The author was posting pictures of inspiration for fitness and diet. I do that. However, the further along I got, the more I noticed pictures of thigh gaps, severe back dimples, ribs, tiny arms. I have no right to judge another person for wanting to have those features. We all have an idea of ourselves in our head and there are some who work to look a different way. I battled that image in my head for a long time. The part that disturbed me was not these images, but several that were posted of stick-thin women with the text "Don't Eat" or "Your stomach isn't grumbling, it's applauding." I would be remiss not to mention that almost all of these images were of white women. I was horrified. And mesmerized. But mostly sad. Her blog was littered with this kind of imagery. And other people were reposting the content. Adding it to their blogs. To their tumblrs. Their pinterest boards. This imagery that embraces the idea that in order to be thin (not healthy, not fit, not toned) a person must deny themselves food. Not just bad food. Not just processed food. Not just junk. They must deny themselves sustenance. Nutrition. Fuel.

I have a love-hate relationship with food. I strive to always provide my body with the best nutrition. My body is the only one I have. It deserves proper attention and care. I fail miserably sometimes. I eat when I'm stressed, I fall victim to the office donuts, I binge when I get home and know dinner is several hours away. I resent myself sometimes for not always making the best decisions for my body with regards to food. However, I never allow myself to go without a meal. It is self-injury to deny yourself what you need to live. It is an illness and an addiction. My heart hurts for the author of that blog and so many others like her.

As always, it is my opinion that the key to ultimate happiness is learning to fully accept yourself for what you are. That is not to say that if you are unhealthy, you should use that mantra as a crutch to continue to live that way. It is also not to say that you should give up on your goals. It is simply to say that you are of value, no matter what you are, and you deserve love just as much as anyone else. You cannot love yourself if you are willing to hurt yourself. "Love is a choice so always choose love." - Jill Cook-Richards