Your worth is not dependent on your health.
That meme about how “your weight is not your worth” goes around a lot, and it’s true! But your health is also not your worth.
You don’t gain worthiness points for being closer to the pop culture vision of “health.” and you don’t lose worthiness points for being less “healthy.”
Your worth is based on your fundamental humanity, and you cannot lose or discard it.
“Health” looks different for everyone, and many many people will never be able to reach that culture-wide vision of “health” because not all bodies work that way.
In fact, you don’t even owe anyone your health. Not your spouse, not your kids, not your parents. Not even your doctor. You get to decide what health looks like for you and whether and how you want to pursue it. Because again, health is not a universal moral good or obligation. Mind blowing, right?
This is one of the reasons I’m a fan of the Health at Every Size® philosophy. You get to pursue health, if you want to, for what that means to you, in the body you have today. It’s about behaviors, not weight. It’s pretty amazing and I encourage you to look into it.
I talk about bodies because I want us all to achieve body liberation:
Every Monday, I send out my Body Liberation Guide, a thoughtful email jam-packed with resources on body liberation, weight stigma, body image and more. And it’s free. Let’s change the world together.
Hi there! I'm Lindley. I create artwork that celebrates the unique beauty of bodies that fall outside conventional "beauty" standards at Body Liberation Photography. I'm also the creator of Body Liberation Stock and the Body Love Shop, a curated central resource for body-friendly artwork and products. Find all my work here at bodyliberationphotos.com.