Am I enough? November 25th starts the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. Women have been honouring this part of November and December since it’s inception in 1991. November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the movement lasts until December 10th, which is Human Rights Day.
Am I Enough to Address The Violence
Violence against women is very real and it is global. It does happen here in Canada and the United States just as it happens in other places in the world. The violence we see against women simply because of their gender is sickening and we need to address it.
A quieter, yet more common violence against women that happens in our society is the objectifying of women’s bodies. You would expect women to model women’s clothing (although seeing more variety in body shapes would be nice) but we don’t stop there. We sexualize women’s bodies and use them to sell everything from alcohol to make up – and even men’s clothing. In fact, advertisers often just use parts of women’s bodies to promote a product so you don’t even see the woman as an entire person.
Killing Us Softly
Jean Kilbourne did a video called “Killing Me Softly” which showed some of the advertisements used to promote products and how they objectify women and create a standard none of us can reach. You can see her videos on YouTube and they are delivered with some humour while bringing home how serious the effects of this can be. She states in her Ted Talk that when women are objectified, it can lead to the very real threat of sexual violence. It becomes easier to attack a body part even when there is a real, live woman attached.
The body image that women try to reach to is not realistic and not attainable. Today we have extensive make up skills as well as Photoshop to ensure the women we see in the media reflect the ideals of beauty. Want a thigh gap? No problem, just erase a little skin, fat, and muscle from the screen. Want larger breasts? Here you go! And we judge ourselves against these imaginary pictures. Women judge themselves and men judge the real women in their lives. This leads to low self-esteem, a lack of confidence and women destroying their bodies through surgeries, injections and, well, diets.
Am I Enough To Be Motivated With Keto
And here comes my tie in with my journey with keto. Am I a hypocrite because I strive to be smaller, prettier, younger, healthier? I thought long and hard about this. I have tried many diets because of society’s expectations on women. When I turned 40, I tried to just say I loved myself for who I was: a 240-pound woman. I was lying.
I was never happy with myself and if you see pictures of me out with friends up until the last year or so, you will notice I am always hiding in the back so all you can see is my face. My partner tells me every day that I am beautiful but I have a society telling me I am not enough.
Am I Enough To Accept Who I Am
Keto has helped me lose weight, which is great for my health and my self-esteem. I enjoy wearing size medium clothing. Where it can become a problem is when I start eyeing the size small, see the wrinkles in my face from the weight loss, and note the saggy flaps under my arms. I’m not the ideal for a woman who is 48 years old. The ideal is a woman who is smaller than me, prettier than me, and looks 28.
Unless I have unlimited money, enjoy being in pain and learn to use Photoshop, I’m not going to get there and I’m truly okay with that. So, I don’t think I’m a hypocrite to criticize society’s body images for women while promoting the keto lifestyle. I think keto has given me increased confidence, which is so important when all of society is telling me I am not enough. We need every woman to know that they ARE enough! I am enough.
Wendy
