"But in the end, we are all fruit..."

After I saw Catching Fire I decided to look up Jennifer Lawrence interviews... man she is so funny. Love her! In some of the interviews she talked about body image and how the media negatively affects our views on thinness. I'm grateful for people like her in the media that stand up for something that should have been addressed ages ago. Girls are dying- starving themselves because of negative images they see in the media. I have never been thin in my life and I too have felt the pressure to be ultra thin. Back in the day woman who were fat were very rich and wealthy because they could afford to eat. Today we can afford food but choose not to eat it.

 I have very young sisters (we have a 9 and 11 year gap between us) and they already have felt the pressure to be thin. Everyday they have a negative comment about their body. I hate that! It doesn't matter if you are a pear shape, apple or a carrot stick- everyone has an insecurity about their body. We need to be more accepting of one another. If you have ever been guilty of commenting on someones weight... stop this! When we talk negatively about one another you don't know who is listening and who it can affect.

The pressure to be thin isn't the only thing. Girls today are told to look sexy and to dress immodestly. Unfortunately I see it even among my church friends. When we do those things, even for a moment, we are showing disrespect to our bodies and to others.

I like to learn about a lot of different religions and cultures. So once in a while I like to look up different churches and listen to their sermons. Currently I've been following, Canyon Ridge Christian church located out of Las Vegas. The pastor talked about women and the level of respect they have for themselves. He also spoke about a good, Christian man's viewpoint on the matter. I'll summarize what he said:

Woman who dress inappropriately are letting men use them. They flaunt what they have but get angry when their bodies are being abused. It's not just women though. He also went on to say that men who go for women like that are saying they are OK with women who dress that way. What kind of message does that send to other women? Men say they like women who respect themselves but they let them dress inappropriately? It's a double standard.

I see this a lot in my religion. We are asked to dress modestly. For me I feel like I shouldn't wear tank or tube tops around, short shorts, tight dresses, skirts, and shirts, bikini's (whether or not I am married), inappropiate clothing for exercise, etc. I just don't think it's necesscary. A lot of clothing worn or I guess not worn in this case, is rationalized.

There are too many women out there who disrespect themselves. If you really want to stand out, be the minority and wear your clothes and love your body the way it is.