Since publicizing my story, I have learned an extraordinary amount about others who have or continue to struggle with similar thoughts and behaviors. One of my main goals in launching Kick the Scale was to raise awareness about body image and eating disorders. If I can help enlighten people about particular language or behaviors that influence poor body image and the susceptibility of eating disorders, I may be saving many lives.
My email account has been overflowing with articles, excerpts, news segments, quotes, and personal stories from my followers and fans regarding messages related to my mission. This story was forwarded on from a friend of mine, which, I believe Kick the Scale has fine tuned her ears to have heard it on television, and stop what she was doing to listen.
I continue to be in awe of these current events that support my cause, and celebrities who are beginning to come forward with their struggles regarding body image or eating disorders. Unfortunately, as a society, we are continuing to identify these individuals as unique, but, in fact, they are simply just like everyone else… Only they have decided to admit it, and address the issues.
I have never been an arts person. Not only am I tone deaf and have no sense of rhythm, no matter how hard I try, I am NEVER able to learn the lyrics of a song, let alone understand the message behind the words of songs. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy music, and am able to distinguish songs that are catchy and appealing to me. However, without doubt, the words I sing are completely different from the words that are actually being sung.
It is ironic that one of my favorite songs lately has been, “It’s all about the bass,” by Meghan Trainor. Firstly, I didn’t even know what artist the song belonged to, because I can’t identify a voice to a name, either. Nor, did I have any idea what the message of the words were in this particular song; I simply enjoyed the upbeat tune. But, when I received a message from a friend who shared with me a story that was aired about Meghan Trainor, and, “It’s all about the bass,” I quickly became her biggest fan, and overwhelmed by her courage and strength.
I’ve learned that vulnerability can be extremely risky when opening up to the public. Though, authenticity is real, and every single person has psychological challenges, people still choose to categorize those who come forward as different, or peculiar. For me, when a person, such as Meghan Trainor, a 22-year-old singer, songwriter, and record producer, who has almost 2 million followers on Twitter, just disclosed that, “her dream of pop stardom fizzled whenever she looked in the mirror: “I, every day, wore sweatshirts and sweatpants to cover up my body ’cause I was so insecure, and it would be summer. And I would go on vacation and I’d be in Trinidad and Tobago, 90 degree weather, and I’d be wearing sweatshirts that said ‘Nantucket,'” I couldn’t help, but have the utmost respect and admiration for her.
Unfortunately, Meghan Trainor is far from alone or different. Body image remains a constant issue in today’s society, and, my hope is that the more people who come forward and publicize the reality of it, there will be less loneliness, depression, suicides, and deaths. Everyday, I add another hero to my list, and today, it is Meghan Trainor. I know every single word to her song, and the meaning behind each one, and, that is no simple task for me.