words we wish for

In our series, words we wish for, we pose questions to the community in order to gain perspectives from individuals from all walks of life. In our second installment, we posed the question, “I wish someone told me _______ when I lost weight” and here are some of the responses. First, a note from Bethany: I wish someone told me that skinnier doesn’t equal more powerful. I wish someone told me food wasn’t the enemy. I wish someone told me that starvation and purging can lead to long term health issues. I wish someone would have hugged me. I wish someone would have listened. I wish someone would have sent help. I wish they didn’t say “wow you look great!” I wish they didn’t say “body goals.” I wish they didn’t ask, “what’s your diet?” In fact, I wish they didn’t comment at all. I wish they knew that the smaller I was, the more broken I became. That as my body dwindled so did my spirit. That I was chained to a size and felt imprisoned most of my life. I wish they knew my lies. I wish, I wish, I wish for a world where we are not judged by our body. Where thinness is not a prize. Where we understand that size is not directly related to health and that sometimes our skinniest is also our saddest. I wish for body-neutrality, meaning our body is nothing more than just that, a body…a vessel. A vessel which holds the good stuff, the stuff that makes us the incredible people that we are—personality, intelligence, humor, spirit, laughter, dreams and soul. I wish we knew we are more than a size. We are human beings, working to thrive. Not just survive. I wish someone told me…