Well, it's only been over a year since I've written a blog post, so I thought it's about time. This is always how my journal's look, "well it's been another year, not much has happened.... yada yada yada." I've been thinking about a lot of different things lately and can't seem to get some of this stuff off my mind, so hopefully if I get it all out in the open I can move forward. I have been thinking a lot about the body image stuff that has been going around social media, and I think a lot of it is a step in the right direction. I recently went to a presentation meant for young women ages 12-18 called "Beauty Redefined" and I thought it was really well done. I've also been following the #effyourbeautystandards movement for a while and I really love that as well. Both of these movements are teaching girls and women (more generally), to love themselves and their physical appearance, and I think the is an amazing sentiment, I have been personally impacted by both of the movements and have felt a more positive sense of self because of them.
Here's the problem, I think our society is WAY too caught up in physical appearances. Don't get me wrong, I think it's AMAZING that people in America are now fighting for the underdog, the girls that are picked on because of their body size, or their nose is too big, or their teeth are crooked or whatever else it may be (the list is endless). I have nothing but respect for those people! I just think it's unfortunate that we live in a society where that is even necessary. Who the hell has time to sit and care about what another person looks like? Also, who are these people that are caught up in others' appearances? What are they doing with their life?
So I have been doing online dating for a little while now and it is seriously the most ridiculous thing I've ever decided to do, but at this point I'm pretty sure I'm addicted to it, so what are ya gonna do? Haha, anyway every once in a while a guy will comment with something really dumb like "your fat," first of all yes, yes I am, thank you for taking the time out of your day to take notice, and then leaving a comment just to make sure that I know. Second of all, if you're going to TRY to insult me (which that doesn't, it's just another fact at this point, like if someone said, "you have brown eyes" Yes, I know I do) at least spell 'YOU'RE' correctly, I mean c'mon!
Why do we feel the need to put others' down all the time? Are we all really that insecure about our lives that we need to make desperate attempts to keep ourselves above everyone else? That is really sad, and kind of pathetic if you ask me. If there is one thing I have learned from being in school to become a therapist it is that no one's life is ANY of our business unless they want it to be. People have a right to think and feel and BE whoever they want to be as long as they are not hurting anyone else. That includes letting people dress how they want to dress, eat how they want to eat, say what they want to say.
To be honest, I sometimes get caught up in the negativity of how our society views of beauty and I start to feel sorry for myself and I think, "I'll never get married, "why can't I just be skinny" "I probably won't be a good therapist because I can't even get a handle of my own body issues" things like that. I was struggling a lot with that recently and felt like no one really understood how I was feeling, and then today in church (WARNING: Religious digression approaching) one of my friends was speaking and he read Mosiah 14:3-5 in The Book of Mormon that says: "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely HE HAS BOURNE OUR GRIEFS, AND CARRIED OUR SORROWS, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgression, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." That struck me because I realized that even though some people in this society may be repulsed by me because of my size, Christ knows what it's like to be despised by everyone, so he knows how I feel no matter what I go through, or what anyone else goes through.
The point of my post is this: let's stop caring about what other people look like. Let's not focus on physical appearances, and give people a chance regardless of their outward display. When the kids I work with try to tell me something about someone else (tattling, and things like that) I say, "you just have to worry about you, let's let them worry about them" I would say the same thing to this society! let's become more introspective and focus on the things we really want, rather than worrying about everyone else around us. If I ever have children I would want them to be raised in a society where education and becoming intelligent is valued over being "hot" because appearance can only go so far. Live and let live, give everyone the right to be who they are without your criticism and judgment, and I will follow my own advise! Anyway, that is what I've been thinking. I think this helped! :) See you next time!
