There are certain quotes that become part of a generation. Not because they’re true.
But because they’re repeated often enough that they start to sound true.
For my generation, one of those quotes was:
“Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.”
Kate Moss said it in 2009. She has since backed away from it, explaining that it was something her friends used to say jokingly, and expressing that she’s glad the fashion industry has become more inclusive.
But back then it didn’t matter. That sentence buried itself deeeeep in our beliefs and in our bodies.
Click here to see all of the things I believe are better than thinness.
This quote ended up on Tumblr. Diet blogs. Bedroom mirrors. Gym walls. And the pages of our favorite magazines, both verbally and non-verbally.
Quickly it became the standard we measured ourselves against, becoming so familiar we mistook it for our own thoughts. Plus, it didn’t come from just anyone – it came from one of the world’s most famous and celebrated models. If being that thin made her beautiful, desirable, and successful, we had to believe she had it right. Right?
But the tragedy wasn’t that she said it. It was that an entire culture nodded along.
Because when you hear something enough, it stops sounding like an opinion, and starts sounding like “yeah, obviously.”
That’s how diet culture works.
Click here to see all of the things I believe are better than thinness.
Today I’d like to offer you a different list.
Here are just a few of the hundreds of things I can think of that taste better than skinny feels:
Friendship.
Birthday cake.
Lying on a warm driveway with a cool breeze.
A family recipe.
A vacation where you forgot what day it was.
Laughing over tacos at 11 p.m.
Snuggles with your kid.
Legit smelling the roses.
A body that trusts you.
Serenity.
Peace.
Freedom.
Never counting calories before saying yes, I’d love to enjoy this meal with you.
Click here to see all of the things I believe are better than thinness.
The opposite of this quote isn’t: “Everything tastes good.”
The opposite is this: Nothing feels as good as the freedom from believing your worth depends on how you look.
Hunger isn’t just physical. Many of us spend years starving ourselves of joy, spontaneity, celebration, and connection in pursuit of a body that promised happiness.
But my promise is that freedom tastes so much effing better.
I PROMISEEEEEE.