No Big Deal
Page 20
Another thing I’ve found really healing in my life is to not surround myself with people who think that diets and weight loss are interesting conversational topics. They simply aren’t. Removing these kinds of conversations from my life makes me feel more secure in social situations, and leaves more room for talking about more stimulating things with more interesting people. You’re allowed to choose what kind of conversations you want to participate in, and it’s okay to politely decline to talk about topics that make you uncomfortable. It can be as simple as saying ‘That’s not something I do’ or ‘That’s not really an important part of my life’.
The final thing that allowed me to have a good relationship with my body is having an honest relationship with it. I touch it, I engage with it, I look at it, I let it be seen and photographed from lots of different angles rather than trying to preserve an illusion of it that, ultimately, doesn’t help me to see myself realistically. Real, meaningful self-acceptance has to be based on truth rather than illusion, and you can’t truly accept a body you don’t accept you have.
You are allowed to be fat. You are allowed to have the body you’ve been blessed with right now. You don’t have to change if you don’t want to. You’re in good company.
I hope you found something useful in this book, that it made you feel a little bit more comfortable in the world, but either way, I’m really honoured you took the time to read it.
Thank you,
Bethany
About the Author
Bethany Rutter is a journalist and blogger who writes about fat bodies, plus size fashion and body politics including the benefits and limitations of body positivity. She works in marketing at a plus-size fashion brand and is an occasional DJ. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, Telegraph Magazine, Vogue, Dazed, RedOnline, The Debrief and others. She co-hosts the podcast What Page Are You On? and is the author of Plus+, a coffee table book offering style inspiration for everyone.
For Julie and Jonathan
First published 2019 by Macmillan Children’s Books
This electronic edition published 2019 by Macmillan Children’s Books
an imprint of Pan Macmillan
20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR
Associated companies throughout the world
www.panmacmillan.com
ISBN 978-1-5098-7659-4
Copyright © Bethany Rutter 2019
Cover Illustration © Kris Atomic
The right of Bethany Rutter to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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