To The Ladies

For whatever reason, the last few months I have become acutely aware of "woman talk" - the things women say to and about themselves. I guess it's so normal and common that I've never really noticed before, but now that I'm paying attention, it's kind of shocking. Over the course of one day, I can easily hear a dozen comments that are just downright mean. It's stuff women are saying about themselves.

I have decided to declare a moratorium on this. Ladies aren't allowed to bash themselves in my presence. (And I'm doing my best not to bash myself in my presence either.) Of course, we never think of it as "bashing". We say that we are just "telling the truth" or "saying how we feel", but I think it's time to call bull shit on that. We are hating.

Let me recap a few comments I've heard over the last month or so during normal every day conversation. Only, instead of using the word "I", let me sub the word "you".

Your bottom is so much bigger than your top.

You're an amazon woman.

You have problem skin.

You really are pear shaped.

You would look better if you could take some fat from your butt and put it on your boobs.

You can't ever lose weight.

You should try to hide your stomach this season at the pool.

You could never pull off a bikini.

You need all the help you can get from a push up bra.

You would look better if you had hair more like that girl over there.

You should wish for longer, thinner legs.

If I ever said any of those sentences to another woman, I think I would rightly be labeled a mean girl. Those are really, really crummy things to say. So, why do we pretend like it's totally fine to be a mean girl as long as it's to ourself?

Ladies...let's please stop.

We may never be able to change advertising campaigns that airbrush and photoshop; we may never be able to control creepy men who talk to our chests instead of our faces; we may never be able to rid the world of 36-24-36 dreams; BUT we can show our bodies some respect by refusing to tolerate negative self-talk.

So, this is me asking you to pay attention to what you're saying about yourself. And if it's negative, challenge it. And let's help each other out here too...if you hear another woman hating on herself, call her out. Refuse to tolerate it. It does nothing good - not even a teeny, teeny, teeny, tiny ounce of good.