My Weight Does Not Define My Worth
I can remember being a little girl and people making comments about my weight. Like my mother, I am naturally thin and only came to appreciate my body type in adulthood. The frequent comments about my body and my weight when I was a child made me feel that there was something wrong with my body and the way I was naturally created. I convinced my young self that if my body were "ok" no one would ask questions or make comments. Later as a teenager, I would learn that as a black woman, I was expected to have a curvier figure. There was an ideal already defined for me. Yet, simultaneously, mainstream society sent a message that my body type was ideal. It was all very confusing to my young mind. One of the things I am thankful for is that I knew early on that I was more than just a body so I focused on developing my mind and going after the goals I had set for my life. Despite my ambition and drive, every once in awhile someone or something would remind me that I was "too" skinny and needed to gain weight.
A few years ago, I made a decision that I was going to accept myself fully. We are all created with so much value, but we don't always see it. In making that decision, I started really paying attention to taking care of myself both internally and externally. One of the things that came out of that decision was going to the gym and weight lifting, which resulted in me building muscle. Seeing myself getting stronger felt self-affirming and powerful. Today I am still a slim woman, but I love my body. All of it. I have come to accept my natural body frame and place emphasis on my general health. My journey gave me a sensitivity to issues regarding body acceptance. I think it's highly inappropriate to make negative comments about people's weight. You have no idea how deeply your words could hurt. I encourage anyone who may feel that they aren't enough because of their weight to realize they are already enough. Your weight does not and will never define your worth as a human being.
Nika Campbell blogs about fashion, fitness and personal development at facesofblackfashion.com. Her work, "Trials of a Skinny Black Girl" can be found in For Harriet. Connect with NIka on Twitter: @iriechic1
