Branches Book

BRANCHES

http://anad.org/ - National association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders provides information about eating disorders and advocacy, sponsors support groups, and makes referrals by hotline and email. https://www.about-face.org/ About-Face equips women and girls with tools to understand and resist harmful media images that affect self-esteem and body image.

Author’s Statement: Elena Rey

I spent a large part of my youth ignoring my body completely, hoping that maybe it would just disappear. I would pretend that I was skinny, then I would be surprised that no pants ever fit me. I spent too much of my life trying to hide the fact: I am fat. There is no manual for big girls on how to practice self-love, but there is plenty of information out there on how to dress to make yourself look “slim,” plenty of books on dieting, and tips to shrink your body. This essay is by no means a manual, but rather a personal account of how I slowly but surely have gotten closer to accepting and loving my body. Body insecurity is something that I have in common with other women, especially teenage girls, my friends and peers. I have dealt with a lot of body image issues, I have received plenty of fat shame, and I have also loved my body for exactly what it is. The body positivity movement has been a passion for me since the 10th grade. I recognized a problem with the media and how that was a major source of my insecurity. I wanted to reject the media standard of beauty and challenge my peers to do the same. Helping other women feel good in their bodies is a self-fulfilling cycle. If women feel good in their bodies, they are less likely to fat shame other women and soon enough everyone is being lifted up. I hope you gain something from this. I hope that you get the help you need. I hope this opens you up to a problem that often goes unseen and unspoken. I hope it gives you hope. I’m dedicating this project to my sister, Analia. My sister has been a huge source of inspiration for my body acceptance and I want others to be able to receive what I did.

163