I don’t know how this idea struck my mind. I was on the bus journey to school and was reflecting on my reflection in the glass door. Those arms and legs, they don’t seem to look the way they did. Did I even remember how they looked like at all or was my mind distorted by how I want them to look like?
And then my mind wandered to the past, about 10 years ago..
When I was a lot thinner, some people would say I fit for a model (thanks to my towering height). I really wish I were one.
When I became rather “bulky”, they would guess I was an athlete. That sadly wasn’t true either. I did play some sports like badminton and basketball; and did a tiny bit of swimming but that only happened once every few weeks. Growing up, I did not pursue the interests further.
As I stepped past puberty, pampered myself a little too much, and began piling up some layers of unwanted nutrients; they would say something I would never want to hear again in my life. Yes, the taboo word, it is.
It is understood that nowadays we can’t help but notice the “ideal” body image we should have, considering the amount of exposure we get as young as five years old. I have a friend telling me that her 5-year-old niece wanted to go on a diet because her classmate told her she looked chubby (in my opinion, that adjective sounds better than its meaner counterpart i.e. f*t). My mind was blown. When I was that age, I was happily gorging myself with chocolates and sweets. Simply guilty before even proven innocent.
Source: tumblr.com
Source: fashion.zarzarmodels.com
Source: tumblr.com
Well, the era has changed. Thanks to the diligent work of media as well as advanced skills of magazine and photo editors for portraying the beauty of these enviable figures. Totally nothing wrong with that. I adore them. I’m now fortunately, or unfortunately, more conscious of how I look in the mirror. I strive to lead a healthy life by eating what my body wants me to feed it and moving as much as my body feels like moving.
Sometimes this weighty issue may bother us and make us so obsessed with our body image but is it really worth it if we are not at the verge of damaging our physical, emotional, and mental health? Or do we wait until then for us to start taking action? Will it be too late and too impossible to change by then?
For your information, I had white bread for breakfast this morning while sitting in front of my laptop. Hours afterwards, I was still there. Sigh.
Cheers,
Tania
About giving and receiving 