What Would Life Be Beyond the Scale

I started reading this book called Appetites by Caroline Knapp. She struggled with anorexia in the 80's and defeated it. It goes into such detail about her that it really made me think. I am not anorexic or bulimic but I definitely have my self-loathing moments about my weight. About half way into the book I looked at my own self destructive behavior, Smoker for 12 years, sexual desires that over came me at a younger age, had three children never really had time for me,got married at 19 because I was co dependent. Going through a divorce: depression, and broke what did I do the first moment I left? Dieting,binge eating dieting self loathing, dieting and the cycle went on. I am a little overweight which can not be healthy could cause diabetes, stroke, heart attack or even heart failure. I am at a comfortable weight but still not completely satisfied with it. 5'8 and 185 pounds, yes I could loose more fat but I would need to gain the muscle
I am not obsessed with the scale but I know many that are.
A friend of mine from Elementary school is literally 80 pounds and 5'11. She was hospitalized for being way to under weight, had a feeding tube placed in her. Had to have surgery on her back because she fell down and fractured it. The worst part she is pregnant, facing heart failure and extremely insecure with her own weight. SHE COULD DIE...
I have another friend that I met in my early 20's and she is a bit overweight her parents nagged her and her brother as a child saying she was to fat. She goes through periods of constant exercise to nothing at all when she is depressed. Overeating, smoking more, self sacrificing her own health because she feels fat and sometimes doesn't care.
Her brother goes to the gym constantly wanting to loose the weight, loose the oppression and satisfy his father and himself, by being built, good looking and young. He over exercises 4-5 hours at the gym after work only eats protein. Diets looses interest, injures himself and binge eats.
My point is what would life look like without a scale, and not having to worry about our weight calorie counting, and/or dieting.
Who defines character by Jimmy Choos or Ambercrombie and Fitch. Everyone of us judges.
We may have many rights beside man. Our great grandmothers chose that for us. But we also seem to loose ourselves in the underlying battle of weight and what a woman should look like and wear, who she should be. Who defines perfection?
Most of us including the models on magazines will never look like that without breast augmentation, tummy tucks, botox to make the wrinkles go away. Yet we all try to achieve that perfection. No visable veins perfect stomachs no cellulite.
Then we all including myself prejudge what we call fat people. How could they live like that? Don't they know that at 345 pounds and 5'2 we could die of heart attack or stroke or diabetes.Climbing up the stairs causes chest pain in some, or getting out of breathe in others. What is the risk to perfection? Why do we obsess over it and who makes the rules Big breasts tiny waists and a round butt. Thighs that don't rub against each other. These were just the questions that arised when I started reading this book.
AS woman we are already self-empowering, how much sacrifice do we have to make? How many people in death is it going to take that we as people keep throwing aside the fact that no one can or is perfect on the outside.
I learned that just accepting who we are, and knowing what we want from sexual Appetites, to food appetites to binge shopping we all have an underlying problem.
Media seeps into our daily lives about what perfection is how to get those perfect abs and who we ought to be buying a personality. That self empowerment and acceptance into who we are is what matters nothing more. Even if it means we have a muffin top or big thighs or a flabby butt. Were humans.
I hope that woman around the world realize this. It took me looking into many womans lives including my own that Perfection is not going to make us happy we are going to just have to have self acceptence and be who we are with control over what we eat but not to starve/ We are a consumer socioty so it will be hard but our goal should be to be healthy not sickly. Not overweight, not underweight but strong ample minded and bodied woman. Rounded individuals but grounded.
I want to know what life beyond the scale for men as well as woman, what do you think it would look like?
To me it represents freedom, (more money in my pocket) and self empowerment, accepting who I am with dignity not shame. )
Each woman needs to take the time to read this book in order to understand all I have just said here. Look at yourself or someone else you may know that lives by the scale or the measuring taper or the BMI scale.

Imagine your freedom what would life be beyond the scale..