Self-acceptance: something most of us strive to achieve at one point in our lives. I spent most of my youth being embarrassed when my mom spoke her mind (sometimes whilst standing on a chair at Town Meeting Day). Now, as an opinionated adult, I find myself hiding much less behind the poise I developed as a teenager.
For better or for worse, I’m a more authentic version of myself, which is, embarrassingly, a lot like my mom. Today, we find ourselves living in the biggest developed country in the world, and I’m not talking about geography. During the period between 1999 to 2020, obesity rates in American adults rose from 30.
5 to 42 percent. Today, almost 20 percent of our children fall into that same category. Nearly 100 million Americans are pre-diabetic and two-thirds of us are on at least one prescription medication.
For years, medical professionals and those commenting on health have said we have to do something. But nothing has been done. We are bigger and sicker than ever.
In spite of our physical growth, we have made strides as a nation. Thanks to the HAES (Health at Every Size) movement, we have found a more accepting audience. We have bigger clothing sizes and encounter larger mannequins.
There’s no one happier to get away from the waif look than I am. As an average height, 148-pound high school freshman, attempting to emulate Kate Moss was impossible. Growing up in a time when thin was in led to me shaming myself for looking the way I did.
I attempted every diet.
