Body Liberation
Via BuzzFeed
This idea of body liberation, what is it? What does it mean?
My take on body liberation is the ability to step away from the idea that your body defines who you are or is something that needs to change to better “fit in”. Body liberation is about beginning to create a gap between your subconscious body shaming thoughts and your daily reality. Through the practice of liberation, you are able to discern where those harmful thoughts are rooted from, and start to make a conscious decision not to buy into those self-shaming beliefs.
Body Love, Body Liberation, Body Trust, aren’t about waking up every day with so much love for your body you poop unicorns (although that sounds great too). It’s a knowledge that you no longer have to put so much emotional weight into your worth being connected to your size.
Some days may hold confidence, others may hold discomfort. It’s the ability to notice your mental patterns and widen the lens to see what’s actually going on. What might be stressing you out? What is causing excess anxious feelings? What might be causing an overly obsessed mental state or a need to control the physical body/intake instead of looking at the bigger picture?
Our society makes it easy to quickly shame ourselves into feeling a certain way. Body liberation starts to break down that shame/guilt cycle so that we have the ability to make space for true self-evolution instead of being bogged down by unnecessary stigmas or fears.
Let’s take an easy example that I think we can all relate to. It’s the holidays, pictures are often taken with other family members, sometimes put on the front of cards, saved for years to come. Now I am not pulling myself out of being at fault for falling victim to this mentality and reaction, but once you start becoming aware of it, you are really able to stop yourself in your tracks (most of the time) and decide to mentally not fall victim to this type of shaming. But I digress, pictures are being taken during the holidays. If you have a good camera person, they’ll lift the camera up higher because we all know in this selfie era, that is the best angle to make us look skinny (issue #1 right there). So a picture is taken, possibly followed by a couple more, and then everyone rushes over to either approve of or spend 1-2 minutes berating themselves over how terrible they look hoping the picture will be thrown away to never be seen again. And it’s normal. It’s totally completely normal. Females often bond over those moments. Even though it may be a celebration and people are dressed up feeling good, they let a picture of themselves depict their view and then use it as continual ammo for self-hate. Think about much energy is used in those moments, think how much negativity is put out into the world during those times? Think how detrimental that can be when multiple generations are in the same room reacting the same way? It’s a learned behavior and reaction, one that can only be stopped by a decision not to play into the same socially accepted pattern.
I use this example not just because it’s relevant, but to have us all take a second to reflect on this public scenario. If we openly berate ourselves in front of other people, what do you think we say to ourselves when we are alone??
Taking the mental break from self-deprecation at best, body shaming at worst leaves space for MORE. I love the word liberation so much, it feels free and hearts forward. Maybe body neutrality sounds better, maybe take a break from thinking about your body at all. Either way, I personally find comfort in the constant reminder that I am not my body and the yogic concept of “do no harm” has to start with my internal dialogue. This is an act of self-care, something that can be implemented without spending money, and definitely before arriving at a space where self-love or even neutrality feels comfortable. This is about beginning to embrace the idea that “wellness” is “holistic” meaning it often starts with what we can not see. Wellness does not require buying into anything other than your own freedom from stigma and oppression. Within that freedom we are able to make decisions for ourselves that move us towards a space of nourishment while accepting the imperfect process.
When there are days of discomfort, those emotions are noted, but no longer define who I am as an individual or how I will interact with my day. THAT’S what liberation looks like for me.
-A Life Nourished