Perception

The biggest aspect of Fat Acceptance, and Body Acceptance (to me, at least) is this simple motto: All bodies are good bodies. No matter what you think is wrong with it, it. is. good.

This is one of the hardest things to accept I think, though it's incredibly easy to think that it's simple. Your body is included in this group. Strangers at WalMart are here, too. Supermodels and headless fatties alike. But more often than not, it feels like a Sisyphean task.

There's another old adage that we all know, one that says that people only put others down because they're insecure. While it might not be universal, it's entirely too true. I know this firsthand.

See, even as a fat girl, I'm guilty of judging bodies.

Too skinny, too fat, thank Kanye I have slender ankles.

In my straggling pursuit of self acceptance, I've gotten so much better about it, but I am still not immune. I might never be. And the cycle is as easy to identify as it is difficult to end.

I hate my body, I judge others' bodies.

On a good day, I think nothing but good things, about everyone. On a bad day, everyone is subject to my bad thoughts. My perception of others' bodies is directly related to my perception of my own body. It's a capricious system, and a poisonous one.

It's just hard to be content with what you have, I think. It's even harder to actually be happy with it. But it's a road worth traveling, no matter how many potholes get in the way. Sometimes, we just have to work harder at it.

Barely relevant, entirely perfect.