Camila Mendes Opens Up About Why She's Quitting Dieting & Her Message Is So Important
It's no surprise that societal standards put an extreme amount of pressure on women to look a certain way. In Hollywood, that pressure is amplified times 10. If you take a quick glance around, you'll see "beauty standards" for women are often terribly skewed. The media is constantly shoving a message and expectation of being "thin," "young," and "sexy" down the public's throat. It's exhausting, and Camila Mendes' Instagram post about quitting dieting is not only a breath of freaking fresh air, it's also so, so important.
To everyone everywhere, just a reminder: You are perfect exactly as you are. Even if you don't see representation of you and your body on television, in music, in magazines, or even on your Instagram feed, that doesn't mean you have to change a damn thing. 23-year-old Mendes took to her social media account to reaffirm this message, and also got extremely personal with her fans about her own dieting habits and struggles.
She shared a graphic of the message, "Being #donewithdieting is about naming the ways that dieting has harmed our mental and physical health."
WOO, I am getting worked up already. This is my kind of convo. Mendes began by talking about her own relationship with food and asking a super important question:
When did being thin become more important than being healthy? I recently went to a naturopath for the first time in my life. I told her about my anxiety around food and my obsession with dieting. She phrased a pivotal question in such a way that struck a chord with me: what other things could you be thinking about if you didn't spend all your time thinking about your diet? I suddenly remembered all the activities I love that used to occupy my time.
She continued by reflecting on all of the things she used to enjoy thinking about before dieting consumed so much of her headspace. She wrote,
At some point in my life, I allowed my obsession with being thin to consume me, and I refused to make room in my mind for any other concerns. Somehow I had stripped myself of all the pastimes that brought me joy, and all that was left of me was my anxiety around food. My passion for education, cinema, music, etc. — all the interests that used to occupy my mind — had been eaten away by my desire to be thin, and it made me miserable.
From there, Mendes vocalized a thought I've personally had a million times over: There isn't a "thinner, happier version" of myself out there, but there is a HEALTHIER, happier version.
Ugh. Bless.
She continued,
I'm done believing in the idea that there's a thinner, happier version of me on the other side of all the tireless effort. Your body type is subject to genetics, and while eating nutrient-dense foods and exercising regularly will make you healthier, it will not necessarily make you thinner, and the current system fails to make that distinction. I’m sick of the toxic narrative that the media consistently feeds us: that being thin is the ideal body type.
She concluded by saying, "A healthy body is the ideal body type, and that will look different for every person. I’m #donewithdieting - join me in this movement and share your story!"
I am so excited to have found my new Church in Mendes' Instagram! THANK YOU FOR THIS MOTIVATION AND INSPIRATION, QUEEN!
Go in Goddess everyone, and love yourselves out there.
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