The other day, I had to run to the store to grab a few supplies. As I got out of the car, I realized that the shorts I was wearing had ridden up in the middle, and I walked a few feet as I pulled the shorts back down.
As I’ve gained weight over the past year, I’ve noticed that my thighs have become much…chunkier. They have new ripples and folds that weren’t there before. And since my shorts were one the shorter side, you could see some of that chunkiness and those folds peeking under the fabric.
All of a sudden, I felt frozen as a panic attack came on.
I was absolutely mortified.
While these shorts were fine at home, how could I have left the house in them?
What was I thinking?
People were going to look at me and see my fat and think terrible things about me.
HOW COULD I LET THE FAT ON MY BODY BE SO…VISIBLE…IN PUBLIC?
It only took about 30 seconds to reel my thoughts back in and question and reframe everything I had been thinking.
It’s hot (where I live), and shorts are a totally normal thing to wear.
I’m a human being, and I can wear whatever I choose to put on my body.
There is nothing wrong with chunkier parts of my body being visible to others.
And the biggest one of all: who is really even looking that closely at your body, Karianne?
I really dug into that question. Because when I go out, I don’t look that closely at others’ bodies. I am there to get something done. I am honestly focused on myself and my needs, not what other people and their bodies look like. If I do really notice someone else, I notice them in a positive way: look at those cute shoes, I love her haircut, etc.
When we have issues around body image, we tend to think that people are looking at us all the time, looking at our perceived imperfections, and thinking terrible things about us. In reality, most people are focused on themselves, on getting their own stuff done, and really aren’t paying that much attention to us.
So when I asked myself “Who is really even looking that closely at your body, Karianne?” and I was able to logically answer, “Most likely, no one,” I was easily and quickly able to stop being so self conscious about my chunky thighs and to get on with my errands.
If you’re out running errands, or you’re giving a talk on stage, or you’re having your photos taken professionally, and you start having negative thoughts about what others are thinking about your body, I invite you to stop, to take a deep breath, and to know that most likely, no one is thinking anything negative about you at all. ❤️