Girls Night #147: If You Look in the Mirror and See Nothing but Flaws, This is for You!

HERE ARE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS HILLARY ANSWERS:

How did we get to this place where 90% of men and women hate their bodies?
How did this become a thing that’s both accepted and expected?
How does this hatred of our bodies impact other areas of our lives, specifically our relationships?
If we accept our bodies as they are, does that mean we’re giving up any hope of ever being healthier or stronger?
And most importantly — how do we get to a place where we truly love our bodies, as they are today?

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ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Hey friends! Welcome to Girls’ Night!

So, recently, I heard a statistic that says that 90% of men and women in western cultures hate their bodies. Isn’t that crazy? 90%.

But the thing is, it’s not that crazy, because for most of my life, I’ve totally been part of that 90%.

I don’t always hate my body. Sometimes I just dislike my body, and thankfully more and more in the last 10 years or so, I’ve started to actually sometimes like my body. But overall, I truly have lost count of the numbers of hours and days and months and years I’ve spent wishing my body was different.

And I know I’m not alone in this.

You know, there have been some great body positivity conversations happening lately. And I’m so grateful for them.

But I also know that sometimes, when people talk about learning to love our bodies, the solutions they suggest don’t sit well with me. Things like, “Just think about your body differently” are so much easier said than done. It feels like putting a band-aid on a bullet wound.

I am glad people are suggesting something, because we can’t keep going on like this.

This is the one body we have. We only get one. And we also get only one life. And I just don’t want to spend my one and only life hating my one and only body. There are so many other lovely and important things I’d rather be thinking about.

But again, getting to that place is a lot easier said than done.

So that’s why I’m just thrilled about today’s podcast episode.

Today I’m talking with Dr. Hillary McBride. Hillary is a therapist, an author, a researcher, and a speaker and she recently came out with a book called The Wisdom of Your Body that is truly exceptional. I’m reading it alongside several of my girlfriends and it’s reshaping our minds and our hearts towards our bodies in just incredible ways.

And today I’m asking Hillary my hardest questions about body image. Things like:

How did we get to this place where 90% of men and women hate their bodies?
How did this become a thing that’s both accepted and expected?
How does this hatred of our bodies impact other areas of our lives, specifically our relationships?
If we accept our bodies as they are, does that mean we’re giving up any hope of ever being healthier or stronger?
And most importantly — how do we get to a place where we truly love our bodies, as they are today?

Friends, if you’ve ever struggled with body image in any way, I am so happy to get to share this episode with you.

I truly believe there’s freedom for all of us in this area of our lives, and I’m so grateful to Hillary for showing us the way.

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LINKS FROM THE SHOW

Steph’s book, The Lipstick Gospel (here’s a paperback copy and here’s a free digital download!)

Steph’s prayer journals, Every Single Moment and The Between Places

Hillary’s book, The Wisdom of Your Body

Thin preference: the awareness of body size and the preference for a body that is smaller

Documentary mentioned: Killing me Softly by Jean Kilbourne

Quotes Mentioned:

"We think about our bodies primarily though other peoples gaze" - Hillary

"When we start talking about bodies, comparison is really deeply woven into our metric of how we know that our body is good or not. And then that evaluation of our body is deeply connected to if we believe that we are good or not." - Hillary

"The hating of our bodies takes energy away from the things that actually make us feel whole" - Hillary

"Our bodies break down when we don't care for them" - Hillary

"It's never to late to build a new relationship with our bodies" - Hillary

"Belonging is central to our ability to thrive as people" - Hillary