But I can shake it shake it, like I'm supposed to do.....

I've been seeing a lot of posts going around social media regarding Meghan Trainor's song, "All About That Base".  Let me just say that I am so happy I'm not the only one offended by this song!  Don't get me wrong - I sing it....it has a catchy tune.  But listening to the words has gotten me angry since the first time I heard it.  I get that she's trying to say that you don't have to be stick thin to be considered beautiful - but she's saying it all wrong.  Guess what Meghan Trainor - I am a size 2, and I can still shake it shake it like I'm supposed to do.  Just like I could when I was a size 4, a size 6, a size 8, and a size 12.  Every time I hear that line in her song, I get offended.

Why do we women have to worry so much about what size we are?  Or what size other people are for that matter?  I get just as irritated seeing things go around, or hearing women say that "Big is beautiful", "Real women have curves", "Real women have muscle", etc.  Who is anyone to decide that a women is not "Real" just because of their size?  The last I checked, I was just as real 60 pounds heavier as I am now.  I was real before I started lifting and gained muscle, I was real when I was pregnant, I was real when I was a skinny little thing in high school.  If women could stop worrying about their looks (and other women's looks) so much, this world would be a much happier place.

I would be lying if I said that I'm not guilty of worrying about how I look.  It's one quality I dislike about myself, and if I could turn it off, I would.  But I would never tell someone else that they need to look a certain way.  Women come in all shapes and sizes.  And those women are important and loved no matter what size they are.  I really hope my daughter will be able to grow up and not obsess over how she looks.  It breaks my heart that at 9 years old, she is worried about gaining weight.  When I was 9, my weight was the last thing on my mind.  I told her that she's growing, and it's a good thing for her to gain weight right now. It really caught me off guard when she said, "But you work out all the time so that you can be skinny."  I was shocked!  I had to explain that I DON'T work out to be skinny.  I work out to be fit.  I work out so that I can stick around and harass her for many years to come :-).  And I work out, because I love how being strong feels.

When it comes down to it, the number on the scale and the size of your pants don't matter.  What matters is that you are happy and healthy.  That is what I want for my children - to grow up to be healthy and happy, and to always feel loved, no matter their size.  If we could all stop with the body shaming, this world would be a much happier place.