"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." - Marilyn Monroe
So I heard two interesting conversations last week. The first went something like this...
I was at an ice cream party, and the girl who was in line next to me said, "I'm such a fatty. I had dessert for lunch and now I'm having ice cream. But I don't care, I want ice cream. I know I'm already a fatty."
The second exchange was like this...
Two girls came into the snack shop and one said she didn't want to get anything. The other said, "Oh, I need to eat. I'm fat." "Well did you eat dinner yet?" "No." "See? Then you're not fat."
I thought it was the weirdest thing. Of course, none of the girls were really trying to be serious. But that's kinda the point. It's like that's what you're supposed to say. If you are with girls and you're eating, it's supposed to be bad, and you apologize. And then your friends are supposed to compliment you and tell you it's not true. Does that really make anybody feel better?
I'm not trying to criticize those girls. It's a pretty common habit, and I'm sure I've done it before without even realizing it. But sometimes our attitudes about food, especially when we're with other girls, are so messed up. It's like we bond over being "fat" and comforting each other. Really though, we should be able to eat, even ice cream, without feeling bad and apologizing about it. And we should be able to have friendships without hating our bodies.
I encourage you to be more aware of how you talk with your friends about food and your body. Recognize where and when you hear yourself saying these things. And maybe try to stop. Because you and your friends can enjoy food and feel good about yourself when you're together, without all of the "fat" talk.
