Something that I will never forget is the day that I learned what a thigh gap was…. It also was the day that I realized that I didn’t have one. It took me 2 years of looking in the mirror and wanting one so so badly to realize that my body is not physically made to have a thigh gap. I will probably never have a thigh gap and it took me a long long time but I am basically okay with that, but the thing that I still am not okay with is having the world look at my legs and make me feel less beautiful.
My legs are strong. My legs hold up a 145-pound body. My legs, though they get shin splints, ran over 20 miles last month. My legs have walked the streets of Mexico, Italy, and Canada. My legs are smooth at times and then in the times that I am most stressed out, they aren’t that smooth. My legs get tired and sometimes they need rest. My legs have walked more shops and boutiques that one human probably should. My legs have bruises and are imperfect. My legs have pushed 100 pounds of weight at the gym and become noodles after 100 more lunges. My legs are strong. They are muscular, and my legs touch.
The thing that bothers me is that we as women find our worth in our appearance. Do not get me wrong I support the love of clothes and everyone being healthy, but whether I have the body of a Victoria Secret model or not is unimportant when it comes to how I use my brain. My brain is what is important. It is what keeps me driving down the interstate and making smart decisions at 70 MPH. My brain is what I used when I took the ACT 6 times to get into college. My brain is what I use every day at work. My legs are what I use to support me through my day.
The problem with our society is that we take everything and everyone at face value. We are awful at getting to know people and what they are truly capable of. We need to do less of the face value thing and more of letting people use their brain to make an impression.
So the next time that you meet someone. Don’t let yourself do the up down look. Don’t let yourself make a judgment before they open their mouth to speak. Listen and then make a judgment. Also, the next time you look in the mirror and notice that you do or don’t have a thigh gap, ignore it and remind yourself that you are able to walk and that is what your legs are meant for.
xoxo,
lex
