THROW AWAY YOUR SCALE

In accordance with various body positivity and self-love movements in the media, one subtle action has taken the lead as a symbolic action for the movement: throwing away the scale. Throwing away a scale is symbolic for those who have recently ended battles with body dysmorphia and eating disorders, because this means that they are no longer struggling with the number that appears on the scale, and they are more focused on physical health and well-being than being a specific number. Also, throwing away the scale can encourage people to workout without looking a number for a reward, but rather using how their body changes and feels better and healthier as their reward.

Recently, Victoria’s Secret model/angel Bridget Malcolm has decided to take herself away from the weight/size tracking and focus on being happy and healthy. A different article I had read about her shows her saying that she also threw away her scale in

The Huffington Post wrote an article on a woman who suffered through every diet fad imaginable, diet pills, and some unhealthy ways to lose weight in order to please her obsession with the number on the scale. Towards the end of the article, she discusses how she feels liberated and can focus on other things about her health instead of what is going to make that number go down the fastest. The title of the article is even, “I Threw Away My Scale and I’ve Never Felt Better About My Body.”

Pop artist P!NK posted a selfie (on Instagram, of course) back in April of last year of herself in the mirror while working out. She said “Would you believe I’m 160 pounds and 5’3″? By ‘regular standards’ that makes me obese. I know I’m not at my goal or anywhere near it after Baby 2 but dammit I don’t feel obese. The only thing I’m feeling is myself. Stay off that scale ladies!” She used the hashtag #GIJaneismyWCW, implying that her goal is to be strong, she was certainly not focusing on maintaining a certain weight at all.

A Cosmopolitan employee admits sharing the same experience. She explains that after weeks of working out, she would feel proud of herself, knowing she got a good workout in. Then, as soon as she stepped on the scale, her weight would go up or stay the same. Danielle Tullo says that this discouraged her from going to the gym and she would have the same battle: three weeks spent going to the gym, weigh herself, then the next three weeks not going at all, then weighing herself would encourage her to go workout.

From celebrities to average Jane Doe’s, throwing away the scale is a liberating experience for anyone, male or female. There is more to consider when you think about your body such as body-fat index, overall physical health and fitness, and your mental well-being than a number on a scale. Using a scale on a daily basis can lead to obsessive behaviors about our weight and letting that number on the scale define our self-worth. This behavior is dangerous and could lead to unhealthy dieting, eating disorders, and overexercising.

1 Comment on THROW AWAY YOUR SCALE

  1. klg5657
    March 16, 2018 at 4:41 pm (6 years ago)

    I really liked this article and the whole idea of “throwing away the scale”. I, sadly, think that a lot of people, especially young females, can relate to this. We often become so fixated on one little number that we often forget to look how our overall health is doing. I also really liked how you mentioned numerous famous people and bloggers and what their role was in the movement of “throwing away the scale”. I think this is an important issue to tackle because there is such a false perception and fixation on the number that pops up when we step on the scale.

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