Blog #3
Growing up in a single mother household as an only child I learned a lot about women's beauty and body. My mother has always taught me to embrace my body and beauty because no one else looks like me but me. I was taught to have confidence in every step I take and everything I do. Being around other family members, I received a lot of backlash about my weight. I have always been a "thicker" girl. When you start to gain weight in a black family, your family members are quick to point it out. With the negative backlash about my weight growing up, my mom has always told me to remain positive and ignore the people who talk down on me. When it comes to food, nutrition, and exercise my mom always provided me healthy food choices and taught me how to eat properly. African American families often have a stigma of having unhealthy eating habits and consuming a lot of fried foods. My mom always made sure there were at least two vegetables on my plate for dinner. I've always loved vegetables as a child, so I will devour vegetables before fruit. My mom always knew I wasn't a big fan of fruit, so what she did was introduced me to fruit smoothies. When it came to fried foods, my mom rarely cooked fried things, maybe once a week. We often baked or grilled things. This played a huge role in my eating habits now because whenever I cook, I do not like to have anything fried unless I'm craving it. Having exercise in my life came from my dad. My dad always pushed me to go outside and play. I always loved to ride bikes and go to the park. I think what pushed me to play sports was knowing that my mom use to play softball and of course I wanted to follow in her footsteps. I played softball for a couple of years but quit my junior year in high school because I transferred schools and wanted to enjoy my last years.
One of the weaknesses of the family messages I received was the backlash of my weight. I knew my weight wasn't a problem for me but constantly hearing the negativity every time I went around my family was a lot. What made me ignore the negativity was to just constantly tell myself that I love my body and no one's opinions can demise that. Within these past semesters I gained weight due to stress and lack of exercise, but making a goal for myself to reach by September made me feel more motivated to incorporate exercise in my busy life.
The media plays a HUGE role in how we feel about our bodies. I think we get into our heads when we see these supermodels or social media influencers and think we have to look like them. Most of the time their photos are enhanced to make them look good. The main difference between what the media tells us about our bodies and what I'm learning now is that every body is different! There are different body types for everyone and we shouldn't have to force ourselves to fit within the societal norms. Chapter 9 explains how bodies are different due to genetics, nutrition, and diet. It shares how BMI plays a role in weight and what nutrition helps our body thrive and what doesn't help our body.
One message I would share with any woman is do not let anyone degrade you and your body based on their negative opinions. Someone can point out your "flaws" but that's just simply what they do not like about you! There is ALWAYS someone who likes something about you that another may not like, and that's okay. Always stand tall, and feel comfortable in your skin. God created you not to please anyone else, but him and yourself! Be proud of who you are.
References
Zasiadko, A. (2020). The group of happy attractive confident women. [Vector]. 123RF. https://www.123rf.com/photo_133339417_stock-vector-the-group-of-happy-attractive-confident-women.html
Khorimarko, O. (2020). Happy plus size girl with smartphone in bikini. [Vector]. 123RF. https://www.123rf.com/photo_93386686_stock-vector-happy-plus-size-girl-with-smartphone-in-bikini-happy-body-positive-concept-all-bodies-are-good-text-.html
Hi Kennedi,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your blog post and your graphics really enhanced the content. I applaud you for not internalizing what others said in regard to your weight. Confidence is a beautiful thing. I did not always have the level of confidence I have today, it took a conscious effort for me to get there. Your mom sounds like an amazing lady that her efforts in raising you have made you the woman you are today. It takes a lot of dedication to come up with a balanced meal plan and a creative avenue of teaching you how to introduce fruits.
Gwen
Kennedi,
ReplyDeleteReally great post! I'm also a thicker girl, so I can relate to your struggles some. I'm so glad your parents were great with you and taught you to love your body no matter what! Social media does give a girl the wrong idea about what the "right" body type should be, but what I have noticed is a lot more average and even plus size models becoming role models. I 100% agree, as long as you love yourself, who cares what anyone else thinks. Hopefully one day this won't be such an issue for women. Stay strong and I know you will reach your goal!
Kortnie Paine
Hi Kennedi!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your personal story with body image growing up and your perspective on the media and it's affect on how we feel about our bodies. It was really insightful and I enjoyed reading. You are very blessed to grow up with the value of eating healthy meals! It builds the foundation of your eating habits for your life like mentioned in the book. I am guilty of wanting to look or be like a social media influencer because of the positive feedback they get and how flawless they look. But I am reminded that that isn't always real and it takes hours to get all done up like most do.
From reading your blog, I can tell you are a strong women and you are such an encouragement to others! Keep up spreading positivity through the outlet of body image.
Have a great day!
Kennedi,
ReplyDeleteI pray that I can raise my daughter the way your mother raised you, because she sounds like an amazing woman! I am sorry you had to go through those comments with your family, they are supposed to love you for you. Sometimes, adults don't realize how much comments can affect someone (children included). It seems like you are pretty headstrong and resilient, so that is a plus! I really enjoyed your advice to women in the last paragraph! Some people may not like something about you, and other may. Thats just life. But it should not determine the way you look at yourself. We are all beautiful in our own way and I think it is amazing.
Brittany
Kennedi,
ReplyDeleteI think that it is great that your mother taught you to love yourself the way you are. I think this is something that all mothers should teach their daughters. It is important to know that there is no one else like you and to embrace the body you are in. You are so lucky to have revived this. You mentioned that with your other family members it was not always the same. There are so many people out there who are being told that they need to change at least one thing about themselves. Which is so damaging to someones mental health. I don't think that the way others see you should make you feel negatively about yourself or make you want to change anything about yourself. Great job!