Apr 2019
Remember
Once I asked my younger cousin what she wanted to be, would it be a doctor, or a lawyer or a veterinarian?
Instead, she said skinnier
She was 5 years old.
Her dream was not to be a pilot or a firefighter or a businesswoman, it was to lose weight
I was shocked but sadly not surprised
We don't think when we shame each other and ourselves
Every time you complain about your fat, Remember
Every time you say you hate something about your body Remember
Remember
Little siblings, friends, and children
They soak it in
They remember and they start to hate themselves
97 percent of women don't like themselves and are cruel to themselves
We live in a world where that not shocking
But it should be
There was a study that I read
That 40 percent of 7 to 10 year-olds do not like their body
That’s way too many
These young girls should be focused on fun and games and school
Not their weight or what they look like
So think before you say anything
Because I will remember what my cousin said
How she sometimes looks when she occasionally glances in a mirror
Remember this in a world where everywhere you look there could be a billboard saying "lose weight now" or magazines entirely focused on what to do to change yourself
Sometimes I think back to myself, my teenage self
An insecure girl in a world of hate
How all she wanted to do was cry sometimes but was too scared that putting her face in her hands would cause acne because of some whispers from a classmate
How she heard her older cousin complain about her thighs
And she realized how big hers were
And that's all she thought about when she went to sleep each night
How she would hurt herself because she thought she wasn't good enough
Thought she would never be good enough to be accepted
Never good enough to be liked, taught she could never deserve love
So remember this
Remember
In a world where the size of someone's heart is determined by the gap between their thighs
Where kids remember what you say and may take all the hate out on themselves one day
Remember
Be kind to yourself and others
Love all, but most importantly love yourself and know that you are worthy of love
Once I asked my younger cousin what she wanted to be, would it be a doctor, or a lawyer or a veterinarian?
Instead, she said skinnier
She was 5 years old.
Her dream was not to be a pilot or a firefighter or a businesswoman, it was to lose weight
I was shocked but sadly not surprised
We don't think when we shame each other and ourselves
Every time you complain about your fat, Remember
Every time you say you hate something about your body Remember
Remember
Little siblings, friends, and children
They soak it in
They remember and they start to hate themselves
97 percent of women don't like themselves and are cruel to themselves
We live in a world where that not shocking
But it should be
There was a study that I read
That 40 percent of 7 to 10 year-olds do not like their body
That’s way too many
These young girls should be focused on fun and games and school
Not their weight or what they look like
So think before you say anything
Because I will remember what my cousin said
How she sometimes looks when she occasionally glances in a mirror
Remember this in a world where everywhere you look there could be a billboard saying "lose weight now" or magazines entirely focused on what to do to change yourself
Sometimes I think back to myself, my teenage self
An insecure girl in a world of hate
How all she wanted to do was cry sometimes but was too scared that putting her face in her hands would cause acne because of some whispers from a classmate
How she heard her older cousin complain about her thighs
And she realized how big hers were
And that's all she thought about when she went to sleep each night
How she would hurt herself because she thought she wasn't good enough
Thought she would never be good enough to be accepted
Never good enough to be liked, taught she could never deserve love
So remember this
Remember
In a world where the size of someone's heart is determined by the gap between their thighs
Where kids remember what you say and may take all the hate out on themselves one day
Remember
Be kind to yourself and others
Love all, but most importantly love yourself and know that you are worthy of love
