"I would love to wear those tights but i can't, I'm too fat"
"Oh, I can't wear singlets, my arms are too wobbly"
Standing in my local sports' apparel store I overheard two women doting over a pair of bright pink running tights. One woman announced "These are so cute, No way I can wear them with my thighs". Her friend replied "Oh same, black hides my butt better". They then moved on to look at other clothing in the store.
At first I felt self-conscious as of course I was wearing black and pink running tights, but then I just felt sad that these women were missing out and felt so badly about their awesome bodies. I know that feeling too well. It's taken me a long time to realise that clothing is...well, clothing. It serves a purpose and hell, yep at times it even helps express how we are feeling or a certain sense of style, but I am also worthy of wearing any type of clothing that I want! Running tights are for exercising - they aren't just for a certain size person and I know from experience they are a hell of a lot more comfortable to run in than an over-sized pair of MC Hammer tracksuit pants.
I remember the first time I bought a pair of slightly 'out there' running tights rather than just my plain black ones - I stepped outside, waiting for sirens to go off, waiting for people to start dropping dead in front of me...basically waiting for my bright pink butt to replay on Channel 9 News, but...*crickets*...nothing.bloody.happened.
It may seem such an insignificant thing but I believe that these small things we don't 'let' ourselves do or believe we are worth, can and do also influence how we tackle the big things in our life. The negative self talk like "Oh my body doesn't deserve the nice things I want", then begin to seep into our lifestyle choices "Oh, I can't possibly join in on that activity because of X, Y or Z".
Your body has no limits.
Surround yourself with people who don't give a f**k about such superficial stuff; let others know they are worth the black, white, pink, green, leopard print (oh how I need leopard print pants) - whatever they want. We are all worth the same opportunities.
My mind is now starting to change for the better and it feels liberating to simply think - this is the hard-working body I have right now and I'm not waiting for anything. I'm going to wear the god damn bright pink tights and work my rather large butt off and get on with more important things.
Own those bright tights x
Article by Carin McCoy. You can find more inspiring stories on her blog - Edrunsfree