I’m Not Sexy, I’m Sick by Punchdrunk Rambler

Another rant about body image? You bet! But this is about what can happen when you find yourself stumbling into a media and advertising beauty trap that really is sick – when a person becomes skinny through chronic illness.

I was like so many of you, thinking I was far too intelligent, self aware, and happy in my own skin to ever be bothered with tedious body image messages. Then one day, when I was at my most ill, I looked in the mirror and smiled. Why? Because instead of seeing a very sick girl battling to nourish herself and have enough energy to get through the day, I saw a very skinny girl with the weight and proportions of a model. A skinny girl with a flat stomach.

How is it that body image has gotten this sick? In a society where media and advertising messages about beauty, body and happiness sneak into our subconscious daily, is there any chance we can learn to embrace our bodies and truly love ourselves as we are?

ABOUT FIONA: I’m a wife, the mother of an incredible (and autistic/disabled) boy, a tai chi instructor and a jeweler. As an ex (more of that later) Environmental Engineer, I’m particularly drawn to exploring and developing the relationships we build within our communities and the ecosystems in which we live. I believe that understanding and celebrating our interactions within, and upon, our environment in the context of community will lead us to a more sustainable future.

Oh, and another thing (this is where the “ex-Engineer” comes in): I happen to be a member of that subspecies called the Chronically Ill and spend a bit of time in a punchdrunk state – from the drugs, fatigue, pain and from just being Human like all of us. I’m not complaining, it is what it is. And when I’m in said state, I tend to ramble….

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