She whispered in my ear
All your dreams will come true if you’re thin
She promised
Love
Power
Wealth
Privilege
And Sexiness
If I could just stick to her rules
If I could simply
Stop eating
Tame my hunger
Squelch my desire
Turn away from pleasure
And follow the rules
She promised me
She would take care of me
Every time
I read a magazine
Watched a movie
Tried on clothing
I heard her controlling whispers
She infiltrated my life
And not only mine
My friends and I would confide in each other
About the latest promise we had made
to her – our diet
and to ourselves
when I planned a trip
the sinister diet voice
would swear to me
(and sometimes swear at me)
that more fun could be had
if only I started my diet now
But she lied
Dieting never took me
To the land that she promised
Her directions only took me
To my own hell
Of self-doubt
Of self-hate
Of deep shame
Of my own skin
But there’s only so long
I’m willing to be seduced by her
Now when I hear her whisper
Drop 7lbs in 7 days
I hear the real message
I hear our culture
Keeping women small
In all ways
To mute our power
I hear
You are not enough as you are
And I know
that isn’t true
The truth is
Our power
Strength
and authentic Beauty
Come from listening
To our own wisdom
The wisdom that lives
In the whispers of OUR body
That tell us
What we need
What we feel
Who we truly are
These are whispers we can trust.
Nina Manolson
~ NinaManolson.com
Nina Manolson, MA, is the founder of Body-Peace®.She helps women end the war with food and body and finally feel truly at home in their body—as it is.
She is known for her deeply feminist, anti-diet, body-peace® approach. She brings her 30 years of experience as a therapist, Body-Trust® Guide and Psychology of Eating Teacher to helping women create a respectful and trusting relationship with their food and body.
Nina’s Body-Peace® work is all in service of helping people get off the diet roller-coaster, and into a compassionate and powerful way of eating & living which creates a positive long-lasting change in and with their bodies. Her courses, coaching, poems and Body-Peace APP positively change the conversation that women are having with their body.
Start your Body-Peace® journey with this free masterclass that will help you understand and shift your relationship with your body.
