And why we must be open to listening

There’s a backlash,

Against dieting,

Against those women who once made money from being lean,

Who now stand up to say,

Stop chasing it above all else.

In my opinion,

It’s another way we try to squash women,

As they come back to themselves,

And create success for doing just that.

We can’t blame people,⁣

For being subject to diet culture,⁣

For spending years trying to be smaller,⁣

Suppressing feelings,⁣

Focusing solely on achievement,⁣

Showing the world that they have wilful perseverance,⁣

By being in bodies that are culturally celebrated,⁣

As a symbol of success.⁣

In a society where emphasis is placed on accomplishments,⁣

Productivity,⁣

Doing more,⁣

Rather than being,⁣

On suppression of intuition,⁣

Emotions,⁣

That creates shame around feeling,⁣

We can’t blame people,⁣

For shrinking their bodies,⁣

When we are told,⁣

That success looks like that.⁣

We cant blame people,⁣

For trusting culture,⁣

Facts, numbers, external sources of information,⁣

When we have been told,⁣

That when we trust ourselves,⁣

Our instincts,⁣

We are being too much,⁣

Not analytical enough,⁣

Not quantitative enough.⁣

In a world where smaller bodies are sold as willpower,⁣

And willpower is sold as the means to success,⁣

We can’t blame people for thinking a smaller body portrays just that.⁣

When we see people change,⁣

Move away from the need to stay small for approval,⁣

Remove their own disordered eating habits,⁣

Rather than blame,⁣

We have to make space to support that growth,⁣

Support someone coming back to themselves,⁣

And the journey it took to get there.⁣

We’re all on this journey of coming back to ourselves,⁣

Whatever that looks like,⁣

And wherever you are in this journey,⁣

I support you,⁣

And your past.⁣