TW: Eating Disorders
So finally, and I mean finally since January seemed to last approximately 250 days, the end is in sight. On the 22nd of February Boris Johnson announced the UK’s roadmap out of lockdown, culminating in (all things being well) the ending of restrictions on June 21st. And I’m sure, much like everyone else, the feelings I had around this announcement were complex: apprehension about the notion that we could be coming to the end of such a difficult period; excitement at the idea of being reunited with friends and family; anxiety that this is just another bit of Christmas-style false hope. But what I really didn’t need added to the equation was to be made to feel bad about my body. As soon as I logged on to social media that’s exactly what I got, whether it was a meme with a plate of ice with the caption ‘My diet between now and June 21st’, or being told to follow this diet if you want to run giggling not jiggling down the beach, there was no getting away from it. Not only is this kind of rhetoric extremely triggering for anyone who has suffered with, or is recovering from, an eating disorder, it sends a message to everyone that having a body which is deemed attractive by societal norms equates to happiness and acceptance.
So why has this piece of news turned into another opportunity to get people to hate their bodies? Well really, there doesn’t ever need to be a reason. Every person’s relationship with their body is different and complicated, which makes it an easy thing to prey on when people are trying to sell you a detox tea, work out regime, or new bikini. The chances are you and your body have been through a lot together in the nearly twelve months since the first lockdown. If you have gained or lost weight, or if your weight has stayed the same, it is totally normal. Weight fluctuates throughout someone’s lifetime for a multitude of reasons, and frankly the last year has been hard enough without going to war with your body because someone on Instagram has told you to. If you do want to change your weight for whatever reason, that is between you and your body, and please consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet. But don’t let the end of lockdown be the reason.
Diet culture is so dangerous partially because it makes us feel unworthy. And I’m not sure this is even anyone’s fault; it is so ingrained in our way of thinking it is going to take a lot of time to change. But your body and weight are no one else’s business except yours, and you don’t need to change yourself in order to be worthy of celebrating when the restrictions are lifted. So I am doing my best to focus on what my body does for me, how amazing it is, and how little it matters what other people think. The end of lockdown will not be a signal for me to change by diet, and nor should it be for you. You are great just the way you are, and don’t let anyone tell you differently.