Body Image

I don't mean to be critical (we've all been trained to), but today, I noticed something about Shakira. Most people hold Shakira up to a certain level of fitness and attraction. As I watched the Hips Don't Lie MV today, I noticed several things.

1.) The clips of her back have rolls when she moves her hips. They are not pronounced (like mine ><), but still there.

2.) Her stomach is not flat - it has a strip of muscle running down the center that causes it to bulge a bit, especially when she does abdominal ripples.

3.) When she leans forward while sitting, her tummy gets that roll like the rest of us.

That said...Why do magazine companies photoshop models to the extent that they do? I don't blame my self-image issues entirely on the media, but when SOCIETY believes that those women look like that in real life...I had to explain to my dad that it wasn't real and he was shocked. Now he points to every attractive woman on the cover of a magazine and asks me, "is she real?" And I'm forced to say no. When MODELS, our society's "standard" for women, say that they don't look that way in real life...something is wrong. What's wrong with a bit of body fat?

All this said, I have (personally) found that how I look in the mirror depends on how I am standing. My posture and the tilt of my hips are big factors in how a tight shirt look on me.

It's been nearly 5 years since my body felt this good. I feel powerful and I can walk briskly for over a mile and hardly get winded. I discovered if I start walking slow, then brisk and then start jogging over the course of a mile, I hardly get winded. I am 5'4" (162 cm) and 165 pounds (75 kg). By every standard, I am overweight/borderline obese.

And yet I am slimmer. In four months, I've been able to take my belt in 2 holes. My size 11 pants have become baggy when I could hardly fit in them - I bought two pairs of size 13 pants before I left the States. Stupid mistake. My tight shirts are all a bit baggy on me because I stretched them out.

Yet when I look in the mirror, I still see the rolls of fat. I see the cellulite on my posterior and my thighs. I have whale arms. I see how disgustingly fat I am and it makes me want to change.

And yet, aside from getting physically healthy, I don't want to change. You shouldn't either. If you are happy with who you are, eat whatever the fuck you want. I do. I've never dieted in my life (unless you count financially restrained dieting?) Hell, I'm eating potato chips, M&Ms and ramen for dinner.

My advice is simple. Walk. If you live in Japan, walk to the next station over instead of taking the train. Walk  home from school on nice days. On average, I walk 3-5 miles a day.