Have you experienced “radical” body acceptance?

blogrootIt is very difficult to overcome “feeling crazy around food” (and its associated behaviors, like binge-eating) without doing some serious body image work; that is, without radical body acceptance.

The word “radical” here is the operative word—

Radical comes from the latin word “radix” or “root” in English; and in it’s most literal translation means “from the root.”

I constantly hear women say,

“I intellectually understand why body acceptance is important,” or “I intellectually understand why my body is fundamentally okay — but I don’t believe it for myself.”

in other words, they have not yet felt body acceptance at their root; from their core being. They may intellectually understand body acceptance; but they have not yet experienced it.

Perhaps you’ve read the Beauty Myth;
perhaps you took a women’s studies course;
perhaps you got the memo on the evils of media brainwashing

…but have you had the experience of standing naked in front of someone with the lights on and not being broken by it?
Have you been afraid of getting into a bikini, done it anyway, and stood up for your body in front of God and everyone?
Have you been judged on the basis of body size, and chosen not to hide? Not to pander to body shaming?

Radical Body Acceptance is something we experience — generally through taking actions that foster those experiences.

Thinking about putting on a bikini in public, will never have the same effect on you as actually putting on a bikini in public at your current size.

Thinking about how you’re affected by the media, will never produce the same results for you as actively removing negative images from your social media feed.

Thinking about how to accept your body, will never produce the same results as making the decision to accept your body.

It’s time to stop thinking about body love, and actually go out there and experience it. The word “love” is a verb after all.

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