“There is a free gym at your school Bina, you should use it twice a week.” This is the first thing my father told me after seeing him for one month. I was not shocked about how he would comment about my weight however, I did not think that would be the first thing said to me as I entered into the doorway. All I could think of was, Wow, what a warm welcoming father, how kind of you.
Because my father is East Indian, weight is something that is spoken about openly. For example, when I was growing up, my aunts and uncles would tell me to lose weight or to stay out of the sun because I was becoming a dark fat little Indian girl. Hearing about fatness and the shade of my skin conditioned me to be able to be so open about appearance. I expect to hear about weight and skin color however, I do not expect it to be the first thing I hear.
Why does my father think I need to lose weight? What is his definition of beauty? Why does he think thinness means beauty? Why does society get to tell my father that thinness is the ultimate goal in a woman’s life? After reading the Full Body Project, written by Leonard Nimoy, it made me think about how beauty is defined. In the blog post, Nimoy photographs women to express fat liberation. The women in these pictures were together, naked, fat, happy and liberated.
This made me think of how bound I was in my perception of weight. Who tells me I am beautiful? Being happy should not be associated with how thin someone is. I went from being a size 2 to being a size 10. Learning to love yourself first really helps with the concept of beauty, especially in my situation. Being a size 10 of course does not make someone fat or obese. Someone who is a size 2 who does not have a positive outlook on life and is not happy with themselves is not beautiful to me. Beauty glows on faces, beauty is visible within, and as it is often said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
With my new definition of beauty, life is easier. Beauty is everywhere.
-bina walker
Because my father is East Indian, weight is something that is spoken about openly. For example, when I was growing up, my aunts and uncles would tell me to lose weight or to stay out of the sun because I was becoming a dark fat little Indian girl. Hearing about fatness and the shade of my skin conditioned me to be able to be so open about appearance. I expect to hear about weight and skin color however, I do not expect it to be the first thing I hear.
Why does my father think I need to lose weight? What is his definition of beauty? Why does he think thinness means beauty? Why does society get to tell my father that thinness is the ultimate goal in a woman’s life? After reading the Full Body Project, written by Leonard Nimoy, it made me think about how beauty is defined. In the blog post, Nimoy photographs women to express fat liberation. The women in these pictures were together, naked, fat, happy and liberated.
This made me think of how bound I was in my perception of weight. Who tells me I am beautiful? Being happy should not be associated with how thin someone is. I went from being a size 2 to being a size 10. Learning to love yourself first really helps with the concept of beauty, especially in my situation. Being a size 10 of course does not make someone fat or obese. Someone who is a size 2 who does not have a positive outlook on life and is not happy with themselves is not beautiful to me. Beauty glows on faces, beauty is visible within, and as it is often said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
With my new definition of beauty, life is easier. Beauty is everywhere.
-bina walker
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