Good morning, friends! I'm excited to share a post today from my fiancé, Chris. I asked him to tell me what he wishes girls knew when it came to body image. I'm so grateful for his words and honored to share them with you. Happy reading!
I can probably speak for all guys when I say I cannot imagine what it is like to be a woman trying to reconcile the seemingly never-ending input from the world regarding body image. So, I didn’t really know where to begin when Whit asked me “what do you wish girls knew or believed about body image?”. As I started writing ideas on the one and only word document on my hard drive that contains the words “body image” in the title, the same thing kept coming up: confidence.
I wish that all girls had the confidence make their own food choices based on their own bodily needs. Specifically, to have the confidence to believe:
- We're all uniquely designed and respond to various foods differently
- We all have different fitness goals
- The goal of healthy eating and exercise should not be about looking a certain way, but instead about feeling and functioning our best
I find it so attractive when a girl knows how and when to eat the food she enjoys, rather than living in constant restraint and reliance on will power.
Whitney and I share the same fundamental beliefs about nutrition. But, we do have some differences at a more granular level. While we aren’t always able to reconcile those, I love and respect that she has well-founded and researched reasons for her beliefs, and she feels the same about me (as far as I know…). I love that she isn't afraid to lift weights to get stronger and take rest days when she needs them. I love that she isn't cardio obsessed and doesn't worry about a number on the scale.
Mainly, I hope that all girls will believe we were all created differently for a reason, and that and that there is no singular definition of what is beautiful. I hope that all girls will have the confidence to keep this in mind, and rather than strive for beauty, strive for health!