From The Confessional: We're Hella Cute, And Size Has Nothing To Do With It
Hey, world. It’s fucking 2021. ICYMI, we’re all set with your toxic-diet-culture-beauty-standards-everyone-needs-to-be-a-size-6 bullshit. Like suuuuuper done. In 2021, there’s a new game in town and it’s called body acceptance. It’s called “healthy people come in all shapes and sizes”. It’s called “our worth isn’t determined by the number on a scale or the number on the tag in our jeans”. And it’s called “no one wants to hear about your juice cleanse, Gretchen”. We like to chew real food, so unless you’re offering a taco cleanse, move along.
We’re done with asshole men who comment on our bodies (especially when most of the time their frumpy man-bods aren’t exactly gracing the covers of magazines either). We’re done with archaic measures of “health” like BMI, and we’re done with doctors who are obsessed with our weight instead of talking to us about the 900 things we do every single damn day, proving that our bodies are strong AF.
So here are some Scary Mommy confessions from readers who are tired of it too. We are all in this fight against toxic diet culture together.
Had doctors telling me for years that my swollen stomach was just belly fat and I just needed to diet and exercise (I'm literally an athlete). One finally took the time to ultrasound - massive ovarian cyst. Why don't doctors take women seriously?
Confessional #25832177
My therapist was obsessed with diet and exercise. Kept calling sugar “poison.Kept referencing her anorexia and how she doesn’t like thick thighs. I fired her. I was not seeing her for diet and exercise commentary. What an incompetent asshole.”
Confessional #25825929
Got fat shamed at the doctor today. Bullshit for many reasons, including that it's just mean. I work out 6 days a week and eat a textbook healthy diet just to maintain my size 12 body. It ain't getting any better, doc so leave me the fuck alone.
Confessional #25801459
Diet culture permeates into every facet of society. Even the professionals who are supposed to help us spew negative, hurtful messages that affect the way we look at ourselves.
since ditching the diet culture, i am happier and calmer. my body seems to be settling into a good weight for my health. i actually have energy and the drive to work out for fun. who knew? fuck the diet industry and men for telling us to be always smaller
Confessional #25829046
mom just told me keto diet landed her in the ER. docs there told her that ketosis is a medical crisis. why the hell are we so desperate to please men that we'll make ourselves ill?
Confessional #25828717
it just hit me that the first i remember not eating on purpose was at 12 when i was trying to impress a boy. scary how early it starts. now i am dieting for dh and not just for my health. tired of it all.
Confessional #25810292
We’re definitely done worrying about making ourselves smaller or prettier or more pleasing to a man’s eye. Fuck that noise. We’re focused on loving ourselves, and we’re doing it for us, not them.
I don't want to be friends with anyone who exercises a lot. That seems to be all they want to talk about. That, and dieting.
Confessional #25823951
I can't take people who won't shut up about their diet and fitness routines. I'd rather look at 5,000 pictures of pets, babies, and vacations. There is something so self-indulgent about constant fitness talk.
Confessional #25806706
My sister thinks being thin, exercising for 20 hrs a week, and dieting means she's too fit to get COVID. What a stupid cunt.
Confessional #25814486
Sister posts on social media about "having to" exercise 20 hours a week, earning her calories, and doing cleanses. Sounds like an eating disorder to me.
Confessional #25843520
We’re tired of hearing about in our social media feeds, from our friends, relatives, neighbors, the moms at school drop-off… If you work out every day, that’s awesome! But stop trying to get us to try your detox tea or go running with you at 5 a.m. It’s not happening.
The New Years diet commercials and ads can go right on ahead and fuck off.
Confessional #25812721
I blame my mom for my food struggles. She was CONSTANTLY putting my family on diets & cleanses- Bowel, liver, kidney, juice only, raw food, etc. I remember feeling guilty for eating plain dried apples because I was supposed to be fasting. I was 9.
Confessional #21349268
I hate my body. Even when I'm thin I hate my shape and always feel big. Thanks "Dad" for making comments about my weight my whole life. You may be gone but my body shame never will be.
Confessional #25833264
Unfortunately, it comes from all angles. From the toxic way our parents raised us, to the ads shoved in our faces about what women should look like. It’s hard work to undo the damage when we’ve been inundated with it since we were kids.
I’m a PT and I am so fucking sick of male patients commenting on my appearance/body, either calling me pretty in the middle of me holding them up so they can stand, saying I could lose some weight, or I need to wear more makeups. Not fucking okay.
Confessional #25838558
People are offended when you're not ashamed of being fat in public. Like I'm supposed to hide under a rock in the forest until I lose the weight?
Confessional #25837428
I am so tired of being judged for my weight. People say I am the nicest person they have ever known. Doesn't that count even though I am fat? It saddens me how nasty and unhappy people are.
Confessional #25834189
Guess what, world? There are fat people and there are skinny people and all sorts of people in between. We are all valuable and worthy and tired of your dumbass judgment.
I just cleansed for 10 days, no carbs, no alcohol, nothing but meat fruit and veggies, I still weigh the exact same! Fuck dieting, I just need to be comfortable at 128!
Confessional #1718046
I'm so tired of disliking my body & thinking about my weight. I just don't know how to stop.
Confessional #25841423
I've been thin, I've been overweight. The older I get, the extra weight doesn't even bother me anymore. Just dropped a bunch of $$$ online on cute new big clothes. I'm ownin' it. Finally.
Confessional #25836097
I gained weight but I’m choosing to love myself and my body. Esp when its hard like when my cousin is staring and at my stomach and wrapped up in her own body negativity. Her view is not my problem and still love myself FAT AND ALL fat is NOT a bad word!
Confessional #25832902
So here’s what we’re gonna do. We’re going to keep working on self-love and body acceptance. We’re going to keep reminding ourselves that our bodies are fierce and beautiful—at any size. Even if the world is still struggling to catch up and seems to be stuck in 1952. We know it’s not easy, and many of us don’t always love what we see in the mirror. But we can’t quit now. This body positivity movement is changing everything. The winds are shifting and it’s up to us to keep that momentum going and say fuck off to diet culture forever.
