Media’s Slant

My Mother and Grandmother connected being thin to beauty. So, it is not shocking that I have been on a conscious diet since I was born. There are too many stories to tell, but I would never be tall with long legs and effortlessly thin unless I came from different parents. Regardless, who paid attention to the gene pool while I dieted away? As my Grandma used to say, “A minute on your lips, forever on your hips.” She would have loved Ozempic.

The only people we used to see in the media, be it TV or magazines, were thin white people. The good news is that it has changed. Fashion spreads now have a myriad of faces and bodies; TV shows probably cast the most significant net.

I spent the morning at the Olympic Spa in Los Angeles this past week. I got to soak in a hot jacuzzi, hit the cold plunge, took an herbal steam, sat in an oxygen room, did an ice-cold sauna, and the highlight was the scrub. A woman dressed in a black bra and black boy shorts underwear scrubs your body down, tosses warm water over you, oils you up, and stretches you out. It is quite the experience; your skin feels like a baby when you are done.

The spa is for women only, and everyone walks around naked. Seeing everyone waltz around, appearing to be comfortable, is not something I necessarily feel comfortable in. I grew up in a family of body shaming. Sitting there and being tossed around like meat in my scrub gave me a new appreciation for the human body and embracing ourselves, even if we are not thin and leggy. Even thin and leggy people have bumps and lumps. Nothing like a bit of reality, seeing naked women strolling about enjoying their spa day. I can hardly wait to go back.