By Benazir Radmanesh, Silver Linings volunteer
“My body is not an ornament; it is the vehicle to my dreams.”
Taryn Brumfitt, Director of Embrace
For the past four years, I have been what I consider “fully recovered.” After a decade of struggling with an eating disorder, I’ve experienced and learned a lot. One thing that continues to concern me is the comments that are made about our own and others’ bodies.
I recently went to my doctor for a referral for a new mental health provider. At the appointment, she placed me on the scale for no apparent reason and went on to make comments and judgments about my weight. Now, as someone who has recovered, having medical professional pass comments on my weight (which is exactly where it should be for a healthy, recovered individual), was nothing short of devastating. Sadly, this is not the first time I have experienced these types of remarks from medical professionals* and others.
I recently watched a brilliant documentary called Embrace, by Taryn Brumfitt, a mother of 3 who became an unexpected leader of the body positivity movement, after publicly sharing a before and after picture that showed her “perfect body” (in the eyes of society) as the before picture and her real, healthy body as the after. The public response to this picture went viral and sparked her journey to produce this beautiful documentary.
During the film, Taryn travels around the world talking with women from multiple countries about external, socially constructed ideas about bodies versus the reality of what it really means to have a glorious, healthy body.
My biggest takeaway from both my own experiences and Taryn’s wise words is this: your body is not an ornament to be judged and rated; it is a vehicle to your dreams, an amazing gift that allows you to move through this world--experiencing it, pursuing your dreams, loving, learning and moving.
And while the journey towards embracing and changing the narrative around bodies is not something that will happen overnight, it is up to all of us to take a stand and refuse to make comments about someone else’s appearance or weight. Also, it is up to all of us to give our amazing vessels the respect and care that they deserve.
Benazir
*Silver Linings footnote. Your family physician can be a valuable resource and ally in your recovery journey. However, surrounding yourself with the medical/health professionals that are the right fit for you can take time and effort. Please persevere through this process. You deserve it. We offer a lot of helpful tools on our Resource pages. Check them out in the main menu.
