Krizpy's Blog

randomlancila:

lacigreen:

Talking about my fitness, exercise, nutrition, and my own body journey doesn’t magically imply in any way shape or form that there is anything wrong with fat, with eating what you want, and living however you damn well please.  There is not a single should in that entire post and talking about diet/weight loss/whatever does not instantly equate to fat shame. 

Seriously, sit the fuck down.  

Oh. This was her response? Wow, even more disappointing. 

I wonder, if Laci had changed all her habits, and yet she was still 162lbs, or if she gained weight (since muscle weighs more than fat!) if she would still consider her efforts to make herself healthier successful. I’m not saying she personally wouldn’t, but lots of people would see that as failure.

No one’s saying that it’s bad to lose weight. But if you change your habits and don’t lose weight, it doesn’t mean you’re not healthier, stronger, etc. It doesn’t mean you’re not a success. It doesn’t mean you’ve failed.

It’s all well and good to say ‘this is my body, I’m not saying you should do what I did’, but simply by being as high profile as she is, and by telling her readers how she got to where it is, she’s implying that anyone can do it. And not everyone’s body works the way hers does. So what if her readers took her advice, did the same thing she did, and didn’t lose weight? What if their body didn’t change? They’re going to hate themselves more. 

And I’m sorry, but posting progress pictures? How much weight you’ve lost? Before and after? That crosses a line.

As an advocate for body positivity, you have to understand how what you say might be taken by people who read it. Many people look up to Laci. They want to be like her. I read the notes in her post and there were so many ‘how do you keep the weight off?’ ‘Can you talk about what you have for meals?’ questions. It’s dangerous territory. People want to do what she did and expect the same results. She doesn’t have to say you ‘should’ do anything, people simply believe it’s implied. That’s what happens when you look up to someone.

Remember your audience when you write things like this. Remember that so many of them are victims of hearing that the only way to be healthier, or better, is to be skinnier. Even if you yourself battle that misconception, the weight loss post negates the point to a lot of people, even if it wasn’t your intention.