Shame on body shaming

As a woman I have dealt with my fair share of body image insecurities. It’s almost

unavoidable with mainstream media everywhere, brainwashing us from a young age

with unrealistic superficial fantasies of what the ideal female should look like. We

then start aspiring to be that ideal, because they say being different is uncool, and

who wants to be uncool? Not you certainly! We’re doomed from the get go, and people wonder why cases of eating disorders have been on a steady increase year in, year out.

We are all different, and that is not a bad thing. Yoga helped me fall in love with myself, flaws and all. It’s such an amazing gift that I decided to become a teacher so that I try do the same for others.

This message first made its rounds on the internet in 2011 as facebook post that went viral. 4 years later it still has the same relevance it had when it first was published. This message was shared by friend from Adryenn Ashley facebook page and it’s a message so powerful I could not live with myself if I did not share it. I might have a flare for the dramatics, but I’m being very serious right now. And also being a rebel by nature I can appreciate anyone who has the balls to stand up for what they believe in, fight for a just cause and stick-it-to-the-man.

Image courtesy of: http://www.adesignerinfashion.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Tara-Lynn-PLUS1.jpg

A while back, at the entrance of a gym, there was a picture of a very thin and beautiful woman. The caption was "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?" The story goes, a woman (of clothing size unknown) answered the following way: "Dear people, whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, seals, curious humans), they are sexually active and raise their children with great tenderness. They entertain like crazy with dolphins and eat lots of prawns. They swim all day and travel to fantastic places like Patagonia, the Barents Sea or the coral reefs of Polynesia. They sing incredibly well and sometimes even are on cds. They are impressive and dearly loved animals, which everyone defend and admires. Mermaids do not exist. But if they existed, they would line up to see a psychologist because of a problem of split personality: woman or fish? They would have no sex life and could not bear children. Yes, they would be lovely, but lonely and sad. And, who wants a girl that smells like fish by his side? Without a doubt, I'd rather be a whale. At a time when the media tells us that only thin is beautiful, I prefer to eat ice cream with my kids, to have dinner with my husband, to eat and drink and have fun with my friends. We women, we gain weight because we accumulate so much wisdom and knowledge that there isn't enough space in our heads, and it spreads all over our bodies. We are not fat, we are greatly cultivated. Every time I see my curves in the mirror, I tell myself: "How amazing am I ?! "