Is body acceptance really that simple?

Body acceptance is something that’s become a ‘thing’ because for too many years it wasn’t a thing, even tho it is the most natural thing in the world to my 2 year old. It is so hard to know she too may have moments of self doubt, being exposed to the idea her body should look a certain way. I will always do all I can to support her in seeing how our bodies are so capable when we fuel them well & nourish them with movement. I have always said our bodies are a reflection of our environment; what & how we eat, move & communicate (both with ourselves & others).

There are a lot of amazing conversations happening nowadays about improving our relationship with our bodies, allowing skin to fold, move, stretch & be ‘imperfect’. I love it. I am hanging on to every innocent moment for our little one that things continue to change so she is never invited to feel anything other than perfect just the way she is.

But.

I think there are gaps in this conversation. We are telling people to accept who they are, love their bodies, buy better fitting jeans, wear concealer for blemishes, use creams to brighten skin, take potion for our gut… but what are we saying? Or rather, not saying. In doing this, are we creating a screen for people to avoid addressing their health, both physically & mentally? Being able to take care of ourselves has never been more accessible yet so complicated, but I worry that ‘taking care’ is sometimes commercialised as only skin deep, something we can take shortcuts with for a quick fix. Sometimes I feel like we are selling a lot of ‘self care’ that maybe masks us addressing things that mean actually simply accepting your body for what it is isn’t always a solution when maybe its a reflection of an unhealthy lifestyle, whether consciously or not

Just to caveat, when I say acceptance, I think it’s really important that we do accept where we are right now. Resign ourselves to it? No, but understand that we can jump on every fad going & possibly still end up in the same place if we don’t learn how to address our root behaviours/beliefs

When we feel down, self-conscious or not great about our bodies, for whatever reason, nowadays it is all too easy for us to log onto our phones & buy something to makes us feel/look better, a nail polish, some new clothes. If we feel bloated, we buy supplements, drinks, whatever the latest Instagram craze may be… We buy hyaluronic acid to help our skin look better, fake tan to make our skin look smoother, we blow dry our hair then don’t want to get sweaty to ruin it… So much is about how we look on the surface - which can definitely help us feel better, but for how long and how genuine is that feeling?

At what point are we going to be able to help support people in saying, hey, your gut health is off? What are you eating, how are you eating? Same goes for our skin (in some cases). Clothes that help us feel good are powerful, but do we feel good about our bodies? Yes, bring on the rolls, wobbles, cellulite, hair, dimples & everything in between… that’s normal & healthy. But eating processed food & wondering why you’re tired, your skin is bad, your gut is off, your moods are all over the place… We need to do better in allowing these feelings to be validated alongside the ‘quick fixes’, rather than keep chasing the solution via buying things

I feel like we are selling convenience & marketing has a sneaky way of hiding the gaps of what we need to actively do to be healthy - we simply cannot buy health online. We need to move. It is as simple as that - we are designed to do it, we don’t function well without it. Maybe the push back of knowing this is an issue, maybe its the fact we have been taught to be self-conscious, not want to get sweaty or we are so mentally stimulated with our sedentary lifestyles that we think we don’t have the energy to do the one thing that will give us energy - move. Finding ways to move, putting strategies in place to commit, trusting in the process, it might feel effortful, impossible even. But I PROMISE you, you are not going to feel better eating a take away pizza on the sofa in your yoga pants as you would after a yoga class. You can still have the pizza tho.

I think this post may have brought up more questions than answers, the answers will come another day, we need to talk more about movement, nutrition, our mental health… but I would love to know how this post feels, what your thoughts are & if you resonate

Love Katie