Dove’s new campaign is powerful. Watch this.
As I’ve mentioned throughout this blog, I’ve struggled with body image issues my whole life. My issues are not inherited from my mom, but I think they’re rooted in the sports I chose to pursue and having “the wrong body type” for those sports, and from having tiny, petite friends and feeling different. I flirted with eating disorders throughout high school, and I’ve been on some kind of diet (or thought I needed to be) since the 5th grade. I’ve been working through these issues for a long time, and have made significant improvements, but I am still a work in progress.
This video scares the shit out of me. Now that I’m raising two little girls, getting a grip on these issues takes on a whole new importance. They need to see that I love my body and all the amazing things that it can do (the most incredible of which was creating them). They need to understand that I workout and eat healthy because I love the way it makes me FEEL. As my favorite yoga teacher, Taylor Harkness, said in class this week “it’s not how it looks, it’s how it feels”. Hearing that while processing what this Dove video means to me as a mom has rocked my world. This is the most important mission I will ever have. This isn’t just about me anymore. I WILL be a positive influence on them when it comes to body image, and I WILL NOT project my issues on my sweet little girls. They deserve better, and the truth is, I deserve better too.
