I read today on The Rotund that Seventeen Magazine, the proprietor of much that causes young women to pick their bodies apart and strive for an unrealistic ideal, actually included a story called “The Body Peace Treaty” in a recent issue. Er…. WHAT?! Here it is:
The Body Peace Treaty
Remember that the sun will still rise tomorrow even if I had one too many slices of pizza or an extra scoop of ice cream tonight.
Never blame my body for the bad day I’m having.
Stop joining in when my friends compare and trash their own bodies.
Never allow a dirty look from someone else to influence how I feel about my appearance.
Quit judging a person solely by how his or her body looks — even if it seems harmless — because I’d never want anyone to do that to me.
Notice all the amazing things my body is doing for me every moment I walk, talk, think, breathe…
Quiet that negative little voice in my head when it starts to say mean things about my body that I’d never tolerate anyone else saying about me.
Remind myself that what you see isn’t always what you get on TV and in ads — it takes a lot of airbrushing, dieting, money, and work to look like that.
Remember that even the girl who I’d swap bodies with in a minute has something about her looks that she hates.
Respect my body by feeding it well, working up a sweat when it needs it, and knowing when to give it a break.
Realize that the mirror can reflect only what’s on the surface of me, not who I am inside
Know that I’m already beautiful just the way I am.
I mean, am I a total cheese-ball that I am really happy about this being published in Seventeen?! I know that there are things wrong with it— for instance, I’m not crazy about saying “the girl who I’d swap bodies with in a minute has something about her looks that she hates”— I might have gone a little deeper. Come on, teens can handle it.
But I do love the advice, “stop joining in when my friends compare and trash their own bodies”. I face that shit as a grown ass woman, especially at work where everyone likes to air their crazy shit, and I know how hard it is not to chime in, or to ask people to stop hating on themselves (and others, inadvertently). It is hard.
Calling attention to the idea of giving yourself a break, realizing that you are beautiful, and nobody meets the crazy standards that we are inundated with (often by Seventeen)— all of those things are awesome. I’m hopeful about this piece… maybe we’re getting somewhere? Just a little bit? :)
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