(Photo by Dominic Arizona )
What is Smashing the Scale about?
Well, Smashing the Scale isn't necessarily about destroying metal, although any girl (and guy!) at this incredible shoot would tell you that is incredibly liberating. Instead it's about making a conscious decision to detach your worth from that number on your scale. Smashing the Scale isn't about being unhealthy. It's about deciding what your definition of beauty is and knowing that it is enough. Smashing the Scale isn't about exclusion either; you may not understand the concept or be interested. And that's totally okay. Leave us to our crowbars and keep on trucking. We'll always be rooting for you. Smashing the Scale isn't about anger, but instead the joy of calling society on the carpet and telling it how it is. And Smashing the Scale isn't about being perfect at loving yourself, but rather about making a personal commitment to starting your self love journey. Smashing the Scale is much bigger than it sounds, it's the most empowering thing you can do. Try doing it for you.
You can read the original post here.
Well, Smashing the Scale isn't necessarily about destroying metal, although any girl (and guy!) at this incredible shoot would tell you that is incredibly liberating. Instead it's about making a conscious decision to detach your worth from that number on your scale. Smashing the Scale isn't about being unhealthy. It's about deciding what your definition of beauty is and knowing that it is enough. Smashing the Scale isn't about exclusion either; you may not understand the concept or be interested. And that's totally okay. Leave us to our crowbars and keep on trucking. We'll always be rooting for you. Smashing the Scale isn't about anger, but instead the joy of calling society on the carpet and telling it how it is. And Smashing the Scale isn't about being perfect at loving yourself, but rather about making a personal commitment to starting your self love journey. Smashing the Scale is much bigger than it sounds, it's the most empowering thing you can do. Try doing it for you.
You can read the original post here.
(Photos by Dominic Arizona and Lisa Foote)
This entire week will be dedicated to sharing our stories about why we've decided to Smash the Scale this year. Why we've decided to separate our value as a human from the number on a scale. Why we've decided to define our OWN beauty and not buy into what others tell us we should be.
(Summer by Dominic Arizona )
Summer:
I'm Smashing my Scale this year because of a piece of graph paper my father taped to my bedroom door when I was twelve years old. Each week after our Weight Watchers meeting, he would carefully write down my new weigh-in data. I learned to measure my worth in the marks he would place above each number, my soul slowly shrinking in tandem with my body as he used a ruler to connect the dots.
After a year of eating microwaveable diet meals, thirteen mile bike rides and countless nights crying after a day of people telling me how beautiful I was(now that I was thin), I reached my goal weight.
And promptly gained it all back.
For fifteen years I've chased that sloping graph line, putting my body through hell for the right number display on a hunk of metal. I've starved myself, exercised to the point of injury and choked down buckets of pills. All to reach that "perfect" weight.
Paging through old journals, I found a New Year's resolution to "be skinny, for once in my life". Another favorite was to "lose 20/40/50 pounds".
This coming year I resolve to learn French. To take a Burlesque dance class. To drink two liters of water a day. To find new vegetables I love to eat. To take a hot yoga class. To write poetry. To cover everything with glitter. To be kinder.
And most importantly, to love my body for what is is now, what is was and everything it will be.
(Tashua by Lisa Foote)
Tashua:
Why am I Smashing the Scale this year? Because I'm tired of dictating my feeling based on the numbers.
My entire life I've been big and was bullied because of it. All the bullying led me to hate myself and my body. I try crazy diets and even starve myself to lose weight before I even hit high school. Most people assumed because I was fat I ate bad and was lazy (and still do to this day) when actually it was much the opposite. I was very active and eat healthier then most.
It wasn't until recently I finally learned to love myself and started to not give a fuck what anyone thought and my new saying became "if you don't like it, don't look". I decided to follow my childhood dream, and started modeling after at 12 years old being told by a local modeling agency I was too fat and short to model. I also feel in love with Burlesque and how body positive the environment is and started taking classes and then took the giant leap and started performance classes. I now perform and model regularly as Gypsy Danger.
Smashing those scales felt GREAT, I felt that the years and years or bullying and judging me on my weight just left my body and I've never felt better and will never be a slave to the numbers again.
(Kim -also my Mom! by Danni Valdez)
Kim:
Something magical happened to me when I hit age 40 (a few years ago)...I realized for the first time in my life that maybe I didn't have to follow all the rules. Maybe I could begin to experiment with trusting my inner sense of things, question society's mandates....and be ME. I'm still working on this, and actively seeking opportunities to put these new beliefs and confidence (in infancy) into real action- so I can really experience it. Somehow, expressing my power and independence OUTLOUD and OUTSIDE of myself strengthens my understanding of who I really am. This is why I'm Smashing the Scale this year.
To be a part of a group of women all on their own Body Love Journeys, expressing our defiance of illogical and harmful social norms, is a very empowering experience! I am so grateful to have a part in the Scale Shattering event, another giant leap for me on my way to liberation and contentedness with my world.
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We want you to join in!
There are multiple ways to do so:
1.) Blog about it, and share your link on The Body Love Conference Facebook. I will also share on The Militant Baker's Facebook and keep an updated roster at the end of this post
2.) Share your story on The Body Love Conference Facebook or in the comments here on this blog. Post it on our wall or post below! We want to read and share both on The Body Love Conference FB and The Militant Baker's. We want you to have a platform in which to announce your mission.
3.) Create your own image with our simple PNG overlay. Instructions on how to do so here. Post it to our wall so we can share this as well!
4.) Tweet and tag @BodyLoveConf. Hashtag the shit outta your posts with #SmashTheScale. Instagram us here.
This is a resolution revolution and we want you to be part of it.
There are multiple ways to do so:
1.) Blog about it, and share your link on The Body Love Conference Facebook. I will also share on The Militant Baker's Facebook and keep an updated roster at the end of this post
2.) Share your story on The Body Love Conference Facebook or in the comments here on this blog. Post it on our wall or post below! We want to read and share both on The Body Love Conference FB and The Militant Baker's. We want you to have a platform in which to announce your mission.
3.) Create your own image with our simple PNG overlay. Instructions on how to do so here. Post it to our wall so we can share this as well!
4.) Tweet and tag @BodyLoveConf. Hashtag the shit outta your posts with #SmashTheScale. Instagram us here.
This is a resolution revolution and we want you to be part of it.
(Photo Lisa Foote)
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We can't thank our incredible photographers enough: Liora K, Dominic Arizona, Danni Valdez, and Lisa Foote.
You can also purchase a 2014 Smash the Scale calendar here!
You can also purchase a 2014 Smash the Scale calendar here!
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