Episode 78: [Interview] Having a Positive Body Image is More than Skin Deep- Emily Lauren Dick Interview

Hello and welcome to in the rising podcast. Do you feel that your hopes and your

Dreams are kind of shifted and you're not transforming them into achievements and into real goals that move you forward? Or do you feel like you're circling in a shame, blame game pattern that really does nothing for any forward momentum, but just moves you in a downward spiral? Well, if, so, this is the podcast for you. My name is Bettina and I am a physical therapist and certified life coach. And so I really like to figure out what makes us tick and recognize that some of our pain is not physical in origin. I also like to preface, I'm not a psychologist, psychiatrist, or counselor, and all of these ideas, if they're in my voice are from my own opinion and from my own research and really spending valuable time with many people who shared their thoughts and their opinions as they were facing terminal diagnoses. And so with that, I love to start anywhere in someone's life and open our own eyes and my own included and look at how can we change anything that we may regret one day when we no longer have the power, the ability, or even the desire to go backwards and change anything. So I also like to focus on what we can do to increase our self-esteem and recognize our self-worth as it is, because that's the foundation of who we are. And though it does take people some time to get to know our personality. They tend to look at us and immediately make some sort of , um, judgment, Hey , look at our pink hair, whether or not we're balding, do we have crows eyes? Do we, or do we not have this hourglass figure and on and on. And so having core value in ourselves as important, but also having body image positivity. It's also crucial. So it's time to get some deeper insights into my guest expert for body image. In the next two podcast episodes, I had the wonderful opportunity to interview an energetic woman and the author of body positive, a guide to loving your body published by familiarness LLC. So this is a woman who is a body image expert, and who's very, very committed to making girls and women feel comfortable in their own skin. She has an honors bachelor degree of arts in women's study and sociology from Wilfrid Laurier university in Waterloo, Ontario, besides her educational background, her passion for increasing acceptance in girls is palpable. And Emily Lauren Dick is the incredible person I speak of, and this will be part one of our show. So let's get started. So welcome Emily to end the rising podcast with Bettina brown. Thank you so much for your time.

Oh , thank you. Thanks for having me.

And so how are you doing today? It looks like you are out promoting this wonderful work of art that you've produced. Um , your book called body positive, a guide to loving your body.

Yes. Yeah. I'm , I'm having a great day. It's always fun to be able to spread awareness on this very important subject.

Yes, yes. So I received a copy and my first impression honestly, was that I was blown away by the courage of the women and yourself to take photographs of themselves in everyday posture wearing what they're comfortable in. That could be a workout where I'm a swimsuit and it allows you to see their body. And this is such a vulnerable position, but there's a lot of power in vulnerability as well. What made you come up with this idea?

You know, so often we are faced with stereotypical images of what ideal beauty is in the media and on social media. And I really wanted to provide an unedited sort of version of, of like a magazine that you would open, but with women that you could relate to. Um, so the goal really was to find women who could represent a little bit of everyone who hopefully reads the book.

I think you did. I really liked the diversity that you presented with your book. Um, there's just so you could see any woman, any friend, any parent in those pictures. And I , I really thought that was phenomenal. So you talk about fin inspiration and fitspiration, and I'll be honest. I had never heard of those terms. Um, would you take a little time and explain the difference and how this , um, can be affected by media and just in our everyday life?

Absolutely. So inspiration is sort of taking things a little step further, and it's basically an image of a thin woman or a thin body part. And it's usually accompanied with a slogan promoting thinness. Um, so these images are often used , um, by people who are , um, working within an eating disorder. Um, but you'll see them online. Um, you know, there's the famous quote, nothing tastes as tastes as good as skinny feels. And that's an example of , uh , a thin inspiration statement. And then it's put to two different images of thin bodies.

Absolutely. And do you feel that this is something that's becoming more prevalent or do you feel like that might have always been around?

I think it's been around as long as it was accessible for people to create these images. Um, you know, in the beginning you might have taken out a picture from a magazine and put it on your wall. Um, you might've put some words to it or it might've just been the image and that was sort of your inspiration for looking that way or losing weight. Um, and now with social media and the , the ways that we use it now, we're , we're taking things a step further and , uh , the images are very prevalent , um, especially for people, those who are actually seeking that type of encouragement out. Yes.

Yes. And that makes sense. That makes sense. So what I also found , um , just interesting. I like the way you formatted the book, it was not just by chapter one, chapter two, chapter three, although that is there. Yeah. I have a lot of notes in your book and there is one particular quote. Um, and it , this is it. The problem is that society has come to view this lack of diversity in size as normal.

Yes. Yeah. We were so used to the way things are that we don't often stop and question why things are the way they are and who is profiting from the way things are and our situation, the way we feel about our bodies.

I think you hit on a really strong point there who is profiting from this because there's always a gain for someone. And is it really the woman herself or is it

Definitely not the woman? Um, you know, it's really the beauty and diet industries that are profiting. They are multi-billion dollar industries that are profiting from, from our insecurities. And they're actually research relating the, these ideals , um, because it creates insecurity. So it's, it's this really the cycle that they're profiting off of. So they continue to put that type of media out there and reminding society that you need to change your body to be happy to be successful and all of those things.

And I think you hit on a point right there that you need to change something in order to achieve happiness.

Right? Yeah. That's the problem because, you know, we're so fixated on what's on the outside that we haven't been taught to remember what is on the inside and all the non-physical things that make us great people that were kind that were smart, that, you know, we have aspirations to do good in this world. Um, but so often what we see first is, is the outer appearance.

Exactly, exactly. And I, I really love the quotes in your book, and I'm going to say one more because your quotes are not just like from a media standpoint, but from regular women. And there was one that I, you know, I really took my time with these and there was one that just made me actually stop myself and I wanted to get your opinion on it as well. One of the women , um, quoted, I appreciate my body for what it can do, not just what it looks like.

Yeah. Like that, that is the best attitude to have. Um, and , and it takes a lot of work to get into that type of Headspace . Um, so it's, it's really important to , to focus on, on comments like that because that's, what's going to inspire young girls. And so many of us to realize that there's more to life than the way we look. Yes.

And to recognize the blessing in what we can do. And my first thought went to being a mother, whether we choose to be one or not , um, or have the opportunity, but to just be able to carry a child is unique to women. And there, there are some changes that happen when you have that. And , um, you know, that there's also that beauty and know that my body has been able to create another life. Um, and I think that's phenomenal to think about that and not just, I got to get back in pre-baby shape for exams

Abs . Absolutely. And I mean, whether you're a mother or not, your body is going to go through several changes, it's going to ebb and flow , um, depending on where you're at in your life. And we need to embrace those changes and accept them as they come, because we are so lucky to have these beautiful vessels, to take us through our lives and make memories and experience things. You know, we only have one shot at this, so

You're right. You're absolutely right. And sometimes at the end, when we recognize we've not used that shot correctly, that's when we can get , um, kind of , uh , sad about certain things and have more regrets, right. It's better to learn it earlier. And I loved how you focus on getting to women and girls. And so how do you feel that you can reach besides when you publish a beautiful book, how do you feel that regular women can teach other women? And, you know, the girls were raising or , or girls were able to influence to appreciate their, their bodies.

I think we really need to lead by example and stop speaking negatively about our bodies, whether we think those things or not. The example we put out into this world is extremely important and it plays a role in recycling these body image issues. So it's really important to fake it till you make it or do what you need to do to really stop saying those things out loud. Um, the other thing is we need to, you know , take down the filters and not feel so pressured to appear a certain way when we're presenting ourselves online. Because especially in this day and age, we're all more online. And , um, we're, we're sharing things about our life, but we're , we're not necessarily sharing things that are real. And what that only does is it makes people compare instead of relate to each other. And we feel when we consume this type of social media, we can feel really ashamed of, of what we look like. And so really sharing some of the real sides of real life is, is important in normalizing normal bodies.

So this is just the first half of this powerful interview from Emily regarding body image and how important it is to have some positive body image reflected in yourself and that you actually believe this. So in line with what I say, every every podcast show is that if this is something that interests you, or you can tell, this will be beneficial, go ahead and share, leave a review. It does so much to help promote the podcast and put this in the ears of those that can really make a difference for. And until next time let's keep building one another.