You Will Never Look Like That
And why that’s okay!
When I was stuck in my eating disorder, I often longed to look like supermodels, bodybuilders, or professional athletes. I thought if I could just look like that, I would be happy. I put all my focus on trying to get their “body” or their “look.” An image of the perfect Renae began to form in my head. The more I struggled, the more unattainable that image became. I moved the goalposts, so I couldn’t ever possibly reach them. Until one day, I realized I would never make it.
It was discouraging because I had been striving for this “goal” for a long time. After three years of wanting, I didn’t surrender easily. Every skipped meal, every refusal of dessert was now a wasted sacrifice, but the more I learned about health and body size, the more I realized I would never look like that.
I will never look like that — the perfect image in my head. And neither will you. That perception is impossible to obtain and let me explain why.
First, there are certain traits that some people have because of genetics. Do you covet Chris Pine’s icy blue eyes? Every model’s long, toned legs? Sofia Vergara’s curves? Well, those are genetic; you couldn’t…
