Dear Jennifer Lawrence,
Thank you.
For eating.
For being Hollywood’s Mockingjay. For being a symbol of the rebellion against anorexia and eating disorders. For putting an end to Hollywood’s “Hunger Games”.
You’re not the stereotypical 21st Century actress. You’ve got curves. You’ve got muscle. You’ve got light in your eyes and the reason your character in The Hunger Games movies is so real?
Is because you’re that girl. You’re Katniss. You believe in a revolution, a REAL revolution, of the body, mind and spirit. You’re sick of being told how to live and what to eat and hiding behind a skinny facade. You’re weary of seeing daughters and sisters and mothers fall apart because of some pretend ideal.
In a land that feeds off rice crackers and stair climbers you’re daring to eat dinner. To fight the enemy of hunger and to stand up for your sisters everywhere, sisters who are too weak and timid to fight for themselves, and you’re declaring food a gift.
Women and men flock to you, friend, because there is purpose in your step. You’re different. You’re not a sell-out. You have fire in your wings and you care more than you should. Facing evil head-on and saying: I’m not going to cave. I’m not going to be your stereotypical dieter who has anorexia rumors. I’m going to feed my body because I am more than a pretty face. I’m a fighter.
I was that girl who was too timid to fight, who was born with curves and who starved herself for four years trying to lose them. My friends were scared of the girl whose braces could be seen through the thin outline of her cheeks. My knees knocked together and I couldn’t run for the sixty pounds that I was and yet it wasn’t low enough, because people could still see me. I wanted to be invisible. I wanted to die.
But you want to live. You step up to the plate and you don’t have much to say–which comforts me because I’ve never been good at small talk–but you act. You act fiercely and fully for those you love, and you refuse to let a corrupt system corrupt you.
So I’m claiming my curves. The ones that bore me two babies, and I’m refusing to skip another dinner because The “Hunger Game” needs to end. Anorexia, bulimia, it all needs to end. We need to protect our sisters, and be voices for the voiceless. To say, It’s good to eat. And it’s great to live. (tweet this)
Thank you, Jennifer. For reminding us that we are more than our bodies. We are warriors, and we will not let Hollywood dictate how we live–or how we die.
Your sister,
e.
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ANNOUNCING: The winner for the Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza is Holly Jensen, a single mother of two little girls, whose comment on Facebook stated: It has been awhile since I’ve experienced a physical display of extravagance. While the gorgeous necklace, frosty bracelet and scarf delight me, most of the items I would share with beautiful kin sisters who’ve shone light and love into my life during a deep season of grief. Regardless, I know my Father, the Giver of all good gifts, will fill my cup to overwhelming goodness! It is humbling to post this among such sincere posts. Abundant blessings to all! I have shared this on fb, the other tech mediums I’m not familiar with:)