What’s Your Vision of Truth?

What’s Your Vision of Truth?
Written by Michele Vieux

Fat people are everywhere. Being obese is not just a phenomenon of the US, as we’re frequently led to believe. Why do we hear so much about it then?

Perhaps because our obnoxiousness and ethnocentrical ways make us stand out amongst the others while we are in foreign lands.

But more likely it is because we are told that we have to be skinny to be healthy. That notion is fed to us our entire lives. It makes us more conscious and concerned with how we look more than people of any other nation and I’m sure Southern California is one of the biggest culprits of this twisted way of thinking. CrossFit isn’t far behind with the way beautiful people are used to promote the sport, how we restrict ourselves, and even weigh and measure all of the food that goes into our bodies. Unfortunately, in my experience, many people who are drawn to CrossFit are often already experiencing feelings of low self worth and it becomes their new outlet because they view it as a healthier option to eating disorders or drug and alcohol abuse.

“You may hold some vision of truth; if truth can be found in a lie.” – Bradley, lead singer of Sublime

One difference between us and the rest of the world is that they are not concerned with their bodies in the same way we are. They also are not obnoxious about what they eat; i.e. they don’t diet, don’t change menu items to their liking at restaurants, and don’t judge others for their choices in food or what they choose to wear that highlights their figures.

Let me tell you how liberating it is to see women of all shapes and sizes being praised for being themselves, expressing themselves through their clothes and styles, and eating what they want. The idea of being on a diet is ridiculous to them and it would be rude to turn down food someone offers because you ‘don’t eat grains’. During my recent travels abroad, I saw literally hundreds of plump women wearing outfits that would get double-takes, whispers and snickers in the US, but they were totally comfortable with who they are, as if it never crossed their minds and nobody else cared or judged. It’s a non-issue. I can tell you that I only saw a few ‘skinny’ folks and, I have to be honest, they looked sickly compared to those around them.

Now, I’m not advocating for muffin tops and love handles to make a worldwide statement, as we know that holding fat in those areas signifies something dangerous could be going inside the body. But it is okay and healthy not to walk around looking like a stick figure. Fat plays a very important role in many bodily functions and I worry that the emphasis on getting rid of as much of it as possible could be detrimental to our well being.

But we all have different body types. I will never have a six pack and I’m ok with that. I can honestly say that I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been and my body is far from supermodel perfect. How do I judge this then? By how I feel, my mental well being, my energy level, pain level in my arthritic joints, and the fact that I rarely get sick.

This is a call to action! Let’s come up with new standards – for ourselves and not others – to live by and determine what is healthy and not.