Health is NOT a Look

I’ve decided that the best place to start this series would be to address the misperception that health is VISIBLE based on someone’s appearance, body size, shape, or weight. Do you know what you can’t tell by looking at someone? Their HEALTH. Weight is NOT a determinant of health (*there is a correlation….VERY DIFFERENT THAN A DETERMINANT!). Diet and wellness culture feeds us a much different, skewed message. Such messages oversimplify the whole concept of health! HEALTH IS MULTIFACETED. When you look at someone with your eyeballs you cannot determine:

• THEIR SLEEP BEHAVIORS (are the getting enough? Too much? What’s the quality of their sleep?)
• How are they doing EMOTIONALLY. Emotions live within us. While facial recognition and non verbals can convey emotions, you cannot know how someone is feeling without them disclosing it to you
• How are they doing MENTALLY? Another aspect of a person not visible to the human eye. In fact I’d go so far as to say most of us smile while experiencing internal pain as means of self protection/impression management. Eating disorders particularly are internal battles individuals contend with 24/7 BUT NO ONE CAN SEE THIS BATTLE
• What’s the QUALITY of their RELATIONSHIPS? Do they feel connected to others? Do they have support? Appearing to have large quantities of friends does not mean those friendships provide fulfillment and true intimacy
• What is their relationship like with MOVEMENT (aka exercise)? Is movement compulsive, excessive, a source of stress, punitive or is it life enhancing and invigorating? Perhaps this person doesn’t engage in movement due to feeling stigmatized, not making time, or not enjoying it? The human body is meant to move. The intentionally of the movement is what matters.
• What is their relationship with FOOD like? Yes, nourishment and nutrition is a component of health. A COMPONENT. Does this individual experience food scarcity? Do they engage in disordered behaviors? Is there anxiety/fear associated with eating? Are they rigid with their eating? Do they feel nourished? Is food pleasurable and satisfying? Do they deprive themselves of foods they like in order to eat foods that society deems “healthful”? Do they listen to their body? I COULD GO ON FOR DAYS. Food is complicated. Ones eating behaviors can be tied to their emotional and mental well-being which makes the “healthfulness” of eating a much more complex issue to unpack.
• STRESS MANAGEMENT: how does this person cope with stress? We live in a face paced society where lots of demands are placed on us and it can be difficult to balance ones academic, professional, and personal life. Having the tools to cope with stress and to ensure quality of life isn’t compromised greatly impacts overall health

So next time you notice yourself making assumptions about someone’s healthfulness based on their physical appearance, what you see them eating (or not eating), or how you see them moving...I challenge you to pause, and check yourself. You’re oversimplifying a highly complex matter. Furthermore this is a judgment that perpetuates weight bias/stigma (“being in a larger body is unhealthy”) and reinforcing the thin ideal (being in a smaller body is desirable and healthy). Don’t judge YOURSELF for these assumptions...just take notice and consider if you are willing to reject these beliefs and start viewing others as the holistic humans they they are. Maybe you’ll refrain from making comments about someone’s weight/appearance/eating behaviors/exercise.

And maybe, just maybe, you’ll take more time TO GET TO KNOW A PERSON.

FOR WHO THEY ARE. ❤️