One of the things I love most about CAS 138T is the people in the class. Everyone is different from each other and so there is a lot of diversity. Even though we’re all different, our qualities and personalities complement each other. That’s why reading the passion blogs posts is always entertaining. It’s impossible to name someone who doesn’t write well or have an interesting topic. Picking my favorite passion blog post ended up being a challenge. I had many favorites. After a while of sifting through numerous posts I believe I finally found “the one”.

Tesia’s passion post entitled “Myth Busting…Or Not.”

http://sites.psu.edu/noboundariesonhealth/2013/12/09/myth-busting-or-not/

Tesia’s passion blog is all about health and body image. This passion interested me initially because I’m a tad obsessed about working out and eating right. I DO worry about my own body image. Tesia’s posts inspired me, especially her last passion post. In this post she talks about loving YOURSELF. You can be overweight or skinny and still be unhealthy. The trick is to accept yourself for who you are. She says at the end “love yourself, and stay healthy in whatever means best suit you”. I think this is a very powerful statement that often gets overlooked. In the hustle and bustle of life I believe we forget about pleasing ourselves. We get so absorbed in pleasing the world. If we all loved and accepted ourselves we would find ways to stay healthy for us and not for others.

Tesia’s blog post got me thinking about how society views people. Who cares if someone is heavier or thinner? Does looking like society’s ideals make one better than the other? In order for society to accept me I need to be a size 0 (which I’m not). Well, if that’s the  case, then I don’t want society to accept me. I know I’m healthy and I don’t need to go to the gym everyday to lose 20 pounds.

It’s hard talking about body image. I know for me, personally, I wish I could look like a Victoria’s Secret Angel. I know it’ll will never happen and, as a result, I feel down at times. This is why I always love to read Tesia’s blogs. It’s like she gets me. She says in her last blog post to “love yourself” and now I’m motivated to keep true to that. I think it’s also interesting to note, that loving yourself should be so simple and yet it’s one of the hardest things to do.

Another reason why this blog post is my favorite is that she  opens up and reveals her own feelings. In this particular post, “Myth Busting…Or Not.”, she relates some of her own experiences with weight issues. She talks about her ex-boyfriend and her mother and how they had a hard time dealing with body image. I really respect Tesia for sharing these painful experiences. I know I wouldn’t be able to open up like that, even to friends; let alone in a blog post. These issues are real. I don’t think I would believe anyone if they said they never had problems with their self-image. Everyone, read Tesia’s blog posts!!!