Us women should love our bodies more

[5hrssleepaverage]

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!

Yes, I know what a BMI chart is. Where are the rules that say we 'have' to fit into a particular area of it, and who wrote them?

Are people of X, Y or Z BMI better human beings than those who are not, and what about those who aren't interested in the strange idea that concern for one's physical health is a sign of virtue?

If your bmi is in the healthy range then yes you are better - as in healthier and less likely to cost the state - than the equivalent person who isn't a healthy BMI

Yeah, me too.

@FlowersInTheSky 100 percent and actually I don’t care what adults do anymore to themselves (obviously it can cause issues with health services etc) but I hate seeing kids of overweight parents also overweight. One of my sons friends can’t run without being out of breath every few seconds , it’s horrible and must be so frustrating. His mum is a “real , curvy woman “ as she says.

I honestly think that's what most people did before social media came into the picture and everything became a massive production and back patting exercise.

I moderately like my average size 10-12 healthy body. 😊And I look after it moderately. I wear a swimsuit without thinking about it too much, though I will pick the most flattering but also comfy one.

I also read “love your body “ as in eat as healthy food as possible and regular cardio and exercise, keep it healthy.

Thank you OP for trying to inject some positivity in to our day - I appreciate that you came from a good place. Ignore the posters that are being miserable sods - they’re not worth the head space.

I have lived with disordered eating and the impact of this on my mental and physical health for 30 years. I have been very ill at times with it. And then a few years a go something ‘shifted’ in my head and I didn’t hate myself and the way I looked anymore.

For some people body positivity is simply not being disgusted by the way you think you look - not hours spent in a mirror telling myself how gorgeous I am.

Not being into the whole self love body positivity thing is not being a miserable sod😂

@MotherofGorgons Well, you kind of led a pile on, on someone who was only coming from a good place. I get you find the whole thing ‘tedious’ so if this thread isn’t for you that’s fair enough - so move on.

Woooow, a heap of miserable people out today. MN never fails to surprise.

Sorry I disagree it's a pile on. I think I was perfectly polite. We don't all have to subscribe to this. But yes, will move on as have made my point.

I have had two mastectomies due to breast cancer and am completely flat across my chest. I still am happy to go to the beach and wear a bikini. Some mastectomy women expose their bare chests and scars because they no longer have breasts to cover. Being sick like this makes you realise that your body is only the thing you live in. Yes, take care of it and look after it, but “you” is not that body, just like “you” is not your house.

Do and wear what you like, but all bodies are not beautiful, sorry. Including mine. That wouldn’t stop me wearing a swimsuit on the beach and not giving (much of) a fuck about how I look, though.

@MotherofGorgons to be fair you made your point! But then said the same thing twice! Don't mind healthy debate, but you just came across like you were out to provoke!! Nothing wrong with being happy in your skin or having insecurities. We're not all vacuous humans taking selfies and obsessing, but yes I do have insecurities sometimes and I'm trying to get better to have more confidence!

For some people body positivity is simply not being disgusted by the way you think you look - not hours spent in a mirror telling myself how gorgeous I am.

Great post.

Im not particularly into all the ‘love yourself’ stuff either, but I think it’s awful that so many women actively hate their bodies and by extension, themselves. It’s all well and good lecturing that being bigger is unhealthy (I don’t necessarily agree that big and unhealthy/unfit go hand in hand) but constantly telling someone that they are too big isn’t helpful. And if a person doesn’t think that they matter, why would they want to take care of themselves?

For that reason I think the body positivity movement is important. Everyone deserves to feel comfortable and confident about themselves and their body shouldn’t impact that.

Yes, I agree. All bodies are not beautiful- Donald Trump playing tennis certainly isn't- but all bodies deserve to wear whatever they want and do whatever they want on the beach or elsewhere.

Lovely idea for a thread OP thanks.

I had a similar revelation in Brazil about 15 years ago. All shapes and sizes (no they do not all look like Giselle) yet they all seemed so confident and comfortable in themselves. I vowed to adopt that attitude and I did.

Loving your body is a huge amount of pressure. I think fuck that. It kind of smacks of 'real women' shite.

Your body should be inconsequential aside from doing what you want it to do, ideally. 'Loving' your body is still very much looking at it from an outside gaze IMO.

I'm having the opposite experience. On holiday, red sunburn on shoulder (I know I know) overweight, covered in mosquito bites surrounded by Spanish and Italian women with fab figures and skin.

The thing that struck me most (and made me feel really confident) was that not one of these women had a 'perfect Instagram' body!

Come to coastal Norfolk. I can find you a million not perfect female bodies on beaches here. Guess we have all the body self-love there is, harhar.

@5hrssleepaverage sadly I was on hols by the sea where I grew up, I live in a landlocked county. I ended up swimming a lot even though it was cold one day. A woman remarked on how brave I was. I replied when I was 12 I decided to jump in the sea for a swim in my undies when it was snowing, rather an impulsive and dangerous child when I look back.

I think you'd probs see this more in Britain if not for the crappy weather.

A lot of foreign women really aren't loving their bodies by roasting their skin to the extent many do tbh. It's really unhealthy.