"Does these jeans make me look fat?"
"Do my arms look fat in this shirt?"
"Ugh, I look so fat today!"
"Guess I better lose some weight if I want to fit into this dress..."
"I just ate this cheeseburger, so I guess I'm going to have to run extra at the gym tomorrow."
"There's no way I'm going on the beach in a bikini this summer."
"I wish I had her legs! She's so skinny!"
"I need to go on a diet."
Chances are, you've heard these phrases multiple times over the course of your lifetime. In fact, you've probably even said these phrases multiple times over the course of your lifetime. You may have even said these phrases multiple times just today, and if you haven't said them out loud, I would be willing to bet that you at least thought them.
You may have said these things or thought these things when you were getting dressed this morning. Maybe it was when you were trying on some new clothes in the dressing room at your favorite store. Maybe it was when you walked by another girl who had a seemingly "perfect body." Maybe it was when you were looking at a picture that someone tagged you in on Facebook.
Regardless of which phrase you heard, said, thought...whatever...it is extremely sad that it is so common in our society to constantly degrade our bodies. All of the phrases above, along with a whole slew of other phrases, are referred to as "fat talk." What in the world is "fat talk" you may ask? Fat talk is a term that was coined in the mid 1990s by a group of researchers. Basically, any degrading talk about the body, weight, or eating is considered fat talk. It happens both consciously and unconsciously and can damage your self-esteem and body image more than you may realize.
This whole idea of fat talk and putting ourselves down has become an epidemic in our society. Sadly, it has become what is normal. It has become something that complete strangers can bond over. It is something that snowballs. When one girl in the group starts talking about her body in a negative way, it fuels the fire for all of the other girls to engage in the same behavior. The thing is though, fat talk does not really have much to do with fat itself. It has everything to do with how we perceive ourselves. And we are taught to perceive ourselves as "fat" from a young age. The percentage of girls as young as early elementary school who think they are fat is alarming. This percentage only increases as these girls start to hit middle school, then high school, then college.
Here's the thing. We may see ourselves as fat. You might see your legs as fat. But if anyone else looks at your legs, they just see legs. We are so critical of ourselves.
We should start celebrating our bodies for the things they can do, not for the way they look. Your legs are what help you to run. To jump. To dance. To walk. To skip. Your legs have literally carried you on every adventure that you've ever gone on. The purpose of having legs isn't to make them as skinny as we possibly can. The purpose of having legs is to use them. And hey, if they have some fat on them, that is perfectly fine. It is normal. Having fat on your body is a normal, necessary part of life.
Think of it this way. Your body has fat, but you aren't fat. In the same way, your body has fingernails, but you aren't a fingernail. I know that sounds cheesy, but let's stop using "fat" as a way to describe ourselves when there are so many other words we can use to describe who we are.
Radiant.
Joyful.
Caring.
Helpful.
Glowing.
Smart.
Strong.
The list goes on and on.
This may sound cliche, but it's true...You are beautiful just the way you are.
Check out this video above if you want to see more about how detrimental fat talk can be on our self image.
