Horizontal Stripes: Learning to Love My Body

Think about all the rules we have for what you can and can't wear. Like, how some people shouldn't wear certain colors or some body types shouldn't wear certain dress styles, whatever. Pick up any fashion magazine and I guarantee you'll find at least one guide of how to dress better for your body... which inevitably comes with a list of Do & Don't. Over the years, I've embodied a lot of these "Rules."

Pinterest & Body Shame

As I announced a few months ago, I started using Pinterest as a way to share my content but also to find craft, decorating, and cooking inspiration. Really, I enjoy using the site for inspiration and also as a great bookmarking tool so I don't lose track of all the awesome things I see on the Internet.

Its no secret that I'd like to be a more active person. For about a year, I was running 3-4x per week and I felt great. I was confident in my body, I loved to push it to see what it could do, and my stress levels were really low. Then, I started getting shin splints, winter hit (which in MN is no joke!) and I got busy with school and......... I stopped making running a priority. So, I'd like to be active again. I want to feel good, build my confidence, and see what my body can do. However, while browsing Pinterest's Health & Fitness category I saw a lot of fat shaming.

Here I'm using fat shaming to refer to speech (in this case written) and images that hold thin body types as the ideal and speak negatively about bodies that don't fit into this mold.