A Lesson on Body-Checking
What is body-checking, and how can it affect us and the people we compare ourselves to? Today we will discuss body checking and how it is rooted in diet culture to make us feel shame about our bodies. Body-checking can lead to more underlying issues if left unchecked. If you ever feel shameful or guilty about how your body feels, please practice kindness to yourself and your mind.
Body-checking is when we use scales, mirrors, or other methods to monitor our body shape and size. This behavior puts us at risk for eating disorders. Body-checking is when we stare at ourselves in the mirror, picking ourselves apart. It might be checking in on our appearance as we pass our reflection in building windows. Specifically, body-checking involves denthe parts of our bodies that we/society/diet culture deem unfit for public view. My first obvious example of this in a media form is the mirror scene in Mean Girls, where Gretchen, Karen, and Regina are overanalyzing and sharing their disgust with certain parts of their bodies. This leads the character of Regina to fall into starvation during the film, where she wants to lose that specific amount of weight before the dance.
I caught myself doing this yesterday when I went jeans shopping for the first time in a year. I found myself unconsciously comparing myself to the other women in the store simultaneously, and I thought back to when I was a smaller size. This was back when I was deeply in a disordered place and was eight years younger. I took a moment to pause and remembered something Robin had told me earlier during our meeting; it’s not about how I look in the jeans or the number on the tag, but about how I FEEL IN THEM. And guess what? When I let go of the number I used to let define me, I found some great jeans that I felt good in! It was such a healing experience that I texted Robin and told her about my victory and my newfound love of flare jeans.
How can we combat body-checking, you may ask? If you follow Robin on Instagram, you may recall several posts about “Ditching the Scale.” Scales can be very triggering for people, myself included when I was deep in my eating disorder. Because our scales show us a definitive number, it can overwhelm us with feelings of shame. That we aren’t [blank] enough, or are too [blank], whatever it may be. Take a break from your scale, and hide it in your closet or storage bin to give yourself and your space some peace. There is a light at the end of the tunnel if you notice you’re still holding onto some dieting mentalities; this is where Robin comes in! Starting or continuing your journey of Intuitive Eating will help you learn how to move away from these ways of thinking and improve your relationship with food! If you have questions about Intuitive Eating, please message Robin Harris through email at robin@bodypositiveacupuncture.com to schedule a workshop.