Body Image

I just read this article about children and body image.  It’s something I’ve thought about a lot with Em getting older.  I worry about her having a good body image.  Most of her friends have the skinny as a stick body type—she’s much more average sized.  She’s gorgeous—I hope she knows it.

I don’t know what my parents did while raising me, but for a long time I was comfortable in my skin.  Maybe it was that we didn’t own a scale so I never really knew how much I weighed.  Maybe it was that my Dad took every chance he could to tell me I was beautiful-- inside and out.  Maybe it was that we were always an active family with lots of things going on and I just didn’t have time to think about it.  I wouldn’t say that I obsess about my weight, but I do think about my diet and exercise more than I used to and I notice quickly when my jeans start getting tight.  The one time I can recall being REALLY unhappy with my body was after having the twins.  I think I expected my body to go back to the shape it was before—but it never did.  I remember finally after more than a year of continuing to wear maternity pants in the hopes that my old ones would fit I finally broke down and bought some new pants in a bigger size.  I really envied those mothers that showed up a couple weeks after having a baby—already able to wear a nice form fitting dress and look great it in to boot.  Years have gone by and I’ve gotten over the fact that still 13 years later I am not the size I used to be before I was pregnant.  I’m ok with that (although if the bra size of being pregnant could have stuck around and I would not have complained one bit).  I want my daughter to grow up happy with her body too.  I haven’t been a very good example though.  I say things like, “I’m to fat to wear skinny jeans” or “I can’t wear that dress because it makes me look fat”.  What I should say is something more like, “I don’t think that is the best style for my body type.” or “I don’t feel like wearing that dress today.”  I need to show her how to love herself no matter what she looks like—that will have to start with me loving myself more wrinkles, grey hair, cellulite and all!

Do you have body image issues? (who doesn't?) How have you overcome them?  How do you teach your children about body image and how to be happy with their body no matter what shape it is?  Is it realistic to be able to teach our kids how to be healthy without obsessing about weight and size?  Tell me what you think!