The other day I was at the park with one of my sons, and I saw two little girls playing together with dolls. Relational play. Dolls. It all felt pretty stereotypical, but as I listened in passing to their discussion, I noticed something interesting. In their imaginary play, the girls were giving the dolls super-powers. They were discussing which bad guys the dolls were about to conquer. Go girls!
I started a self-defense/therapy group at Atlanta Center for Eating Disorders this Saturday, and I saw some powerful kicks and elbow strikes from members of the group as they struck the targets. These brave young women spoke of feeling empowered, and feeling better connected with their internal experiences and emotions.
My hope is that girls and women will keep seeking out what empowers them, what allows them to see their superhero potential, and what allows them to defeat the “bad guys.” The “bad guys,” I believe are not guys at all, but rather any notion in our culture that you have to be something you are not, that you need to adapt to an external, visible standard to feel good enough.
So often, eating disorders are fueled by these kind of “bad guy” thoughts, cultural trends, and comments from others. We can all help zap these bad guys by looking at our family and friends as more than they are externally. Let’s help each other access the super-hero parts of ourselves and move forward in a more empowered way.
Hi, I’m Angela