Why we should never comment on others bodies…

Please please please do NOT comment on other people's bodies you never know what you are encouraging or triggering....

I am in recovery from an eating disorder and body dysmorphia and exercise compulsion... I believe I will always be in "recovery" as long as diet culture exists because of the constant pressure it puts on people to change their bodies or shrink them...

Recently I ran into a woman I used to know, we were never close but ran in similar circles back in the day... Well the first thing out of her mouth.. and in front of a group of people is (and I'm sure her intentions were to be nice but this is the exact reason we just don't comment on people's bodies ever)

"You look incredible, show me your guns"

Well for me this was sooooo triggering.. instantly I thought

I need to work out more people are looking at my body...
I need to eat less at dinner tonight... So I don't bloat...
Do I have an "incredible" body ... Should I workout more times a day
I don't want to diet again but should I....

And I had to mentally say STOP IT!!! And correct my thought patterns... But this wasn't a tool I had back in diet culture so not everyone can snap out of that spiral thinking… but I thought and compassionately reminded myself:

"my body is not an okay or appropriate subject for other people's conversations so take that off the table right now"

I work out for fun and to help my body be strong and function well not to be something for conversation or to be evaluated

I eat intuitively so I take my nutritional health very seriously but without restricting or guilt shaming for certain good choices

I've work SOOOO hard for 3 years now to heal my relationship with body and food and in 10 seconds someones comment was able to unravel all of it... I share this because my feelings are not unique MANY of us leaving diet culture and it's toxicity are bombarded with people's comments on our bodies and food choices so my call to action is

STOP COMMENTING ON PEOPLE'S BODIES
FULL STOP!

There is never an okay time for us to do this because you don't know what you are encouraging (an eating disorder, body dysmorphia, and illness) or triggering inside that person.