The outpouring of support for my exposed post as well as for the other ladies who did them is overwhelming. I know I write a weight loss blog, but it was really nice to set aside the fact that I still want my body to be healthier and just look at how beautiful it is in this moment.
To think – showing our bodies without any retouching, without anything to “make them better” is considered brave. It’s no wonder our body image and our perception of beauty is distorted.
It reminds me of this popular video from Dove a while back:
See? Even models aren’t what they appear to be by the time we see them. And the “real women” in ads are just as photoshopped. Being real without any cover up, without any computerized help IS actually kind of brave. It’s going against the norm. It’s being honest and real about our bodies without feeling bad about it. I have to admit, being real is hard. Sometimes I would rather just tell you the mechanics… I ate this, this was my workout, I lost this amount of weight. But my journey to a healthier me is about so much more than that and I want to share all of it.
I’m excited that so many people have done the exposed posts and about the projects that will be spinning out of this tiny little movement. It’s a great thing to see people embraicng the body they are in NOW, at this very moment. (For tips on how to start doing this… read this post with some good tips.)
So, what I want to say is THANK YOU. For all the comments, tweets, emails, messages… it made my day. My week. My year. I really appreciate the amazing support and community here.
Also I wanted to mention I am also blogging at maryisawesome.com. Yep, that’s my domain name. I love this blog so, so much and will continue to write here, but I feel limited in the things I can write because it is specifically about my weight/weight loss/body image journey. A lot of my friends who don’t have the same issues just don’t care to read about those things and I understand that. So if you like me, feel free to also follow along on that blog where I will write about my travels and other things.
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{ 13 comments }
Yes it is BUT if more of us do it the easier it will get. :)
@Roni
EXACTLY.
You obviously helped a lot of people with your post & “show & tell”. You are much braver than I & I have lots to learn form you & that bravery! Can you keep us posted on the “projects” that others are doing based on reading your exposed post?
THX!
I LOVE THAT DOMAIN NAME!
I’ve seen that commercial so many times but every time it boggles me. Thanks for sharing it again. Brings the reality home.
I 100% agree!!
I love that you tooka picture as you are. I haven’t done that yet. I feel better about my body daily. It gets stronger daily. The better I treat it, the better it treats me. It hasn’t quit on me yet.
Have a great weekend Mary.
Fight the good fight and keep at it. Of course my goal is to be so handsome that they won’t need photoshop. Actually, I am mistaken for George Clooney on an almost daily basis. Well, not daily… Ok, never but I do think it is important to see where we are with our bodies and where we want to be. I know this is not a perfect world and we all can’t have the greatest bodies, smartest minds etc.. But I do visualize what I want and keep that focused in my mind as a goal that I want to reach. Fight the good fight. Be the ball…(Caddy shack quote).
Interesting. Just a moment ago, I uploaded a video onto the internet declaring the start of my own weightloss journey. In the video, I showed myself in a singlet, weighing 102k, and I felt both shame & liberation.
Like you say in your post, I felt it was a brave thing .. bravery isnt about having no fear, its about being afraid and moving forward anyway.
Anyone out there who is likewise trying to lose weight: you are not alone. Stand firm, be brave, pursue your goal with vigor.
Captain Australia
@Jodi
Thank you! Yes, I will definitely keep you informed about the projects. It’s not even my project but I’m super excited about it and being involved in a little way. :)
@Sagan
Thanks! And thanks for commenting!! :) Surprisingly, I’ve only seen the commercial once!
@Chris
I’m glad to hear you feel better about your body each day. That is great progress! :)
@Barry
I love your comment just for the fact that it included a Caddy Shack quote… not something I get on this blog very often, haha!
@Captain Australia
Good luck in your weightloss journey! It is a brave thing to do! Good job!
I love that you were able to expose yourself…and others as well. I am just not there yet, but hope to be someday. I don’t know what the secret is…I don’t love my body the way it is right now….that’s the whole reason I started my w/l journey. I like the name of your new blog because you ARE awesome. Strong women rock.
Dang, that is an awesome domain name.
Oh well, the more the Merryer ;)
p.s. Love that Dove video!
@Josie
It takes a while to get to the point where you can be exposed and raw and just not care what other people think about it. There isn’t a secret to it, btw, just the decision that you want to get there and then the conscious action to make that happen. You have to change the way YOU think. No one else can do it for you. And I promise that getting healthier will help how you feel about your body.
@The Merry
I LOVE your name. You are THE Merry! Hehe.
Congratulations on your accomplishment, friend! I know how hard the process can be–until now, I still believe that the hardest process we can ever encounter in life is the process of accepting who we are. And that includes being real with ourselves, acceptiong our strengths and weaknesses first before we can improve our personal loopholes. We are not perfect. We should accept that and instead improve other aspects of our life that are more worthy of our concern. We try to be perfect, though, and that’s the problem.
I’ve also watched that Dove commercial, and its last line has always left me with impact: no wonder our perception of beauty is distorted. We also try to live in a world of pretenses but what we never realize is that soon all these pretenses will be harping on us in more disastrous levels. I’m so glad that you’ve overcome your own problems with fighting power! You are worth emulating by us other women. :-)
-Faey
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