When others write my words

WARNING – BAD WORDS AHEAD. I think there’s an acronym for that, right? Someone tell me what it is!

***

As an infrequent blogger, I fret about strange things. Like – can I write about feminism when I like Game of Thrones? How do I write a political post without setting off a conflict with my dad (Answer – don’t write it). Or, do I really think that no one in the whole world has felt/shared/written about this particular topic?

So, with that last worry in mind, I hereby give you a wonderful post by someone else, called “Everything I Fucked Up While Trying to Eat Like Gwyneth for a Week.”

The post is funny, and anyone who isn’t a chef has experienced some of the trials and failures detailed. It’s a long post, but if you have ever struggled with your weight, I beg you, keep reading. Get past the pictures, get to the section that begins with MAGIC, and you’ll find yourself nodding vigorously, and if you’re like me, thinking “Dammit. Those are my words. I wanted to write them. I feel them ALL the time.”

But alas, someone else wrote them first. So get over it and rejoice in knowing you’re not alone in feeling things like this:

“…taking joy in meals is for thin people. When fat people do it, it’s a vulgarity, an indecent exposure, a slow public suicide.”

I cannot tell you how many times I have counted calories all day, monitored my kale consumption, walked 13,000 steps and swum a few laps for good measure, then enjoyed a lovely dessert and felt horribly exposed, as if the whole world was looking at me, shaking their (skinny) finger at my double chin and admonishing me for making a choice that will cause their health premiums to rise. Rationally, I know that probably one jack-ass in the whole room is actually doing this, and the rest of it is all in my head. But boy, is it a powerful shaming mechanism.

I’m pretty sure I will not attempt to eat like Gwyneth anytime soon, but I have been enjoying cooking more lately, and this author is right; it’s because I’m slowly learning that it’s ok for me to do so. So, thanks, Lindy. I hope you enjoyed your falafel avocado smoothie.