Taylor Swift, 1989, & Body Comparison
Who here has ever compared their body to Taylor Swift’s?
I have.
Taylor released her 1989 album in 2014.
I was in grad school to become a registered dietitian, & I was very early into my journey to recover from Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) & disordered eating. I weighed more than I do now. I put on weight between 2012 to 2014, & this weight gain was a good thing. My period was regular again after being absent for 3+ years as an athlete, & I wasn't weighing myself or restricting food anymore. I'd say I was in the honeymoon phase of Intuitive Eating, not sure what I was doing, but I knew I couldn't ever go on any other kind of restrictive diet ever again due to what it does to me mentally.
Taylor & I are the same height.
We're the same age. In 2014, she was a size 0. I was a size 8-10.
I remember looking at her body, & experiencing what I'd describe as body grief toward my body. What I mean by this is that I grieved for the smaller version of me in undergrad & all of the damaging things I did to my body. I was coming to a place of acceptance for the body & frame I was born into.
I looked at her, and I just knew I couldn't be that size.
I had tried as an athlete! I underate, overexercised, & I had so many strict rules with food...
I hurt myself so badly by doing that.
So I guess when I looked her then, I was trying to accept that we were different!
When Miss Americana was released on Netflix, & I heard her speak so openly about the 1989 era & the things she was hiding from the public, I honestly felt seen! I understood the lengths she was pushing herself to because I had done them to myself! I understood what she was talking about when she said she'd look at pictures & do negative things based on what she saw. I did the same thing.
Now, we are both a size 6.
My boyfriend agreed to see the Taylor Swift: Eras Tour movie with me on Halloween at our local theater.
Dancing & singing along with her, watching that movie, seeing her on that stage in a much brighter, happier place than she was during the 1989 era, I guess I'd say I felt appreciation for her body & the things she's pushing it to do now while also eating more to get through those shows!! I appreciate her body for the era it is in, & I appreciate my own body for the era it is in!
Because omg, those past eras...
I'm just glad I survived, & I'm grateful to be here in this one body that I have.
Hi, my name is Eden! I was born in 1989, & I’m in my Body Acceptance / Nutrition Barbie Era 💕
Disclaimer: I want to say I recognize my thin, white privilege. Everyone has body image issues, but that is not the same thing as being stigmatized for existing in a larger body or being a different race or sexual orientation & experiencing stigma daily for merely existing in this world.
