Fat on the Inside, Body Image, and Walt Whitman

Stephanie's clips assignment article, "Fat on the Inside" was really enlightening. I had no idea that skinny people could be so unhealthy. It's true that we normally assume that a good weight or good BMI means good health. The article says, "Without a clear warning signal -- like a rounder middle -- doctors worry that thin people may be lulled into falsely assuming that because they're not overweight, they're healthy." The problem is greater than this though. It isn't just thin people being lulled into believing that they are healthy, but others being lulled into believing that thin people are healthy. This concept is an issue as well when it comes to eating disorders. Someone at a normal weight or even overweight can have a severe case of bulimia. But because no one can see a difference in the person's size, others assume that they're alright. Meanwhile, their digestive systems are falling apart in addition to their mental and emotional well being. Outer images are much more deceiving than we realize in so very many ways. 

Body Acceptance Week at Emory is a great way to improve our acceptance of our bodies and others' bodies. Acceptance leads to understanding and respect. Through this reconciliation we can approach improved health in a healthier way. One of the ways that I become more accepting of myself, body and all is through poetry. 

I am an English major with a focus in poetry. One of the themes that we discuss is the authority of the poet in his message. I see enough authority in any poet to talk about body image because I feel like it is something that all of us deal with at one time or another. It takes a good poet though to convey his thoughts and views on something like body image in a way powerful enough to change how you approach life. Certain works of Walt Whitman do a great job at celebrating and accepting all bodies and people. The book "Whitman's Poetry of the Body: Sexuality, Politics and the Text" explores what Whitman has to say about the body and body image in his poetry. M. Jimmie quotes Whitman's line from "Enfans d'Adam 15", "Be not afraid of my body." He continues to say, "the poet urged women and men to accept their own bodies and to find in that acceptance an avenue by which to admit others into communion with them." Through poetry and open discourse we can urge each other to accept ourselves, thus improving the relationships we have.