Us women should love our bodies more

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I recently went to Spain, before I went I was trying to diet (failed), drink loads of water to try and reduce cellulite and just wanted to hide my body away when I go there. I am 40, size 10-12 and have fallen off the exercise wagon since having my daughter two years ago.

We went to a beach frequented by locals and there were lots of beautiful women on the beach of all different ages. The thing that struck me most (and made me feel really confident) was that not one of these women had a 'perfect Instagram' body!

There were skinny girls with cellulite, larger ladies with none, big boobs/small boobs/saggy boobs! Flat stomachs with saggy skin, big stomachs with stretch marks and a lot of men kissing, cuddling and showing adoration to their partners! It was so amazing to see and so refreshing!

There is a vanity of such mega proportion on social media, that we are well and truly conditioned to not accept what s normal body is. I'm not saying you should eat unhealthy and don't exercise, but also don't obsess about the small things! Normal bodies are beautiful and not airbrushed! That is my sermon for today - love yourself ladies!

I agree in theory but I also find all this over the top expression of self love tedious. Wear whatever you want, be whatever size you want but do we need to talk about it quite so much?
Or get off Insta.

You are of course right.... but where would that leave the beauty industry?

I have never felt like you, I’m a size 10 to 12 like you which is completely fine and in my fifties. Yesterday after swimming in the sea I realised I had forgotten my undies so walked the few miles back in my swimsuit and hiking boots as I didn’t want damp jeans much to the amusement of DH. DS and his GF are also with us. I think she was a little taken aback at me striding across cow shit wearing just a cossie. I have spent my entire life not giving a shiny shite what anyone thinks of me.

@Thatswhatitis love this! Will try and spend the rest of myself not giving as shiny shit either! How lovely living near the sea to swim

I find all this body positivity as tedious as body shaming, personally.

…..one of these women had a 'perfect Instagram' body! …

Most instagrammera don’t either. It’s 90% photoshopped/filtered.

I was just reading some articles about disordered eating (not to be confused with eating disorder) and it struck me how many people I know are probably caught up in this. It's a cycle of behaviour that includes dissatisfaction with body image and poor relationship with food (fad diets etc...).

Maybe people on the body positive road are really trying to tackle disordered eating.

I read the title and thought you meant live your body as in look after it properly with good food and exercise

It drives me bonkers seeing women talk about cellulite. It’s not a thing .. it was just invented to market products to us.

Its fat. It’s and connective tissue and it’s entirely normal. The vast majority of women have it because we need fat for optimal hormone production.

I hate the way women are marketed to.

@midgetastic I do think that's important for everyone to do both, if you read my post! More for physical strength and mental health than aesthetics!

@Jewel1968 yep so much disordered eating! I probably suffer from this too. We starve and binge and dismiss whole food groups because it will put on weight!

@Worldgonecrazy that's what I mean! As your name suggests, the world has gone crazy!

So do I. I can't imagine what it must be like to spend so much time thinking about myself when there's so many more interesting things to do, but then I don't use instagram (or similar).

This.

Social media is just selling stuff to people. They make people feel bad about themselves to sell their products.

The majority of people on SM use filters, edit their images or have had surgery.

Exactly this. All this navel gazing is yawn. I do use Insta but I follow art accounts. And cats. No vain people taking incessant selfies and going on about how they have finally learn to love themselves # blessed.

@SocksAndTheCity this post wasn't meant to offend anyone. Only on Mumsnet could you annoy someone by trying to be positive!

Ridiculous isn't it!?

I was cringing reading that op..

Being positive is something I suspect most of us do on a pretty much consistant basis, including me.

We just have other things to do than grandstand about it, partly because we realise that already positive people don't need the bleeding obvious pointed out to them by randoms, and not-positive people will just think we're an insufferable bellend.

a lot of men kissing, cuddling and showing adoration to their partners!

Yet, you had to point out that they have male approval.
This is actually what I think the root of the problem is.
That women have to find themselves to be beautiful, love their bodies.
When it’s just a meat sack, it shouldnt habe to mean anything.
And who cares if man kisses or cuddles you?
Women are worthy without males wanting/willing to stick their dicks in you.

That’s what I was hoping for too.

I have learned to love my body, therefore I exercise and care about what I eat and drink, how much sleep I get, and try my best to take care of it.

<irony mode> The really amazing thing is that truly loving your body and taking care of it, helps your body look like the more socially acceptable version of female beauty, so it’s a win win!

We should not be encouraging “body positivity” when people’s bodies are not a healthy size, weight or look.

“Love your body” is basically an excuse to not have to do anything about it.

And what do people 'have' to do about their bodies, @FlowersInTheSky ? I didn't know we were obliged to fit a particular physical criteria, healthy or otherwise - is there a set of specifications I can look at?

is there a set of specifications I can look at?

A BMI chart?

Wish I hadn't bothered with this post! Enjoy your bodies/don't enjoy you bodies/be fat and unhealthy/don't be fat and unhealthy/go on Instagram to look at cats/ don't go on Instagram to look at anything else/ exercise/don't exercise.... you do you!!!!

Do whatever you want ladies! Enjoy your day!

I'm 39 and a very fit and healthy, but slightly wobbly, size 10.
I recently went on holiday to Spain with DH. It occurred to me on the plane on the way there that I'd not given a single thought in the lead up to the holiday to my body shape or how I'd look in my swimwear. I just...went on holiday.
I actually remembered "Oh yeah, the whole 'beach body' thing - THAT'S what people do when they're going away!"
So we aren't all afflicted with this issue, but good for you OP if you've decided to throw off the shackles.