Body Shaming

Body Shaming by Joy Sypher

When was the first time you experienced body shaming?

In the ketogenic diet community, the drive for greater health and weight loss is often extended to body positivity. Many of us started at an uncomfortable number on the scale or a lab report and turned to a centuries old way of eating for our health.

When was the first time you experienced body shaming?

I bet it was a lot earlier than you remember. Nursery rhymes have been used for millennium as cautionary tales to teach, train, and scare children into behaving in a manner expected of them for the time.

Baa Baa Black Sheep, written in 1245 is an almost 800-year-old story of the taxes paid by sheep farmers.

That brings us to several children’s nursery rhymes that I feel no longer fit the current narrative. Jack Sprat and his wife originally published in 1639.

385 years of body shaming one gender for their food choices. This defined my childhood. My mom was overweight and dieted all her life. My father was tall and slender. This nursery rhyme was an often-told joke at our house because of the resemblance to my parents' physical stature.

My mother had undiagnosed insulin resistance as early as her teen years. By the time she was officially diagnosed she'd had her first heart attack at 44, had retinol neuropathy and weighed over 200 pounds at 5'2".

Using the premise of the story, my father should have shown exemplary health. However, in reality my father had his first heart attack at 38 and passed away at 52. My parents' health reflected the results of decades of eating a Standard American Diet.

Reflecting on our individual paths and the societal influences that have shaped our perceptions of body image, it's clear that the roots of body shaming often extend further than we initially realize. From childhood nursery rhymes to the dynamics within our own families, the narrative of body judgment seeps into our lives in subtle yet impactful ways.

As part of the ketogenic diet community, our journey towards health and wellness goes beyond mere weight loss, encompassing a commitment to body positivity and self-acceptance.

Let's continue to navigate our journeys with compassion and resilience, fostering a world where everyone is celebrated for their uniqueness rather than judged for their appearance. After all, true well-being encompasses not only physical health but also emotional and mental fortitude, rooted in self-love and acceptance.