Gaining weight is cool. Wait, what? Did she just say that

GAINING weight is cool? Yes, yes I did. The hashtag, #gainingweightiscool has

been floating around twitter and Instagram over the past few weeks and seeing

the actual words gaining weight is cool struck me. For many people the idea of

gaining weight or just the word/phrase is perceived as negative and something

that people would keep hidden, not announced to every social media site.

However, Arianna Dantone, an online fitness coach, bikini competitor, and all

around badass proved to everyone that gaining weight is something to embrace

and not to be ashamed of.

After the holiday season when New Year resolutions are being made, the resolution that almost everyone has is to lose weight. As little girls we are surrounded by online magazine, television stars, and social media posts of girls that are in good shape and are predominately skinny. Rarely do we see girls that are not a size 0-2 in magazines or in commercials. We have been taught at an early age that being skinny is something to strive for and if you are not that than it is a problem. In fitness transformation pictures the first photo is usually a picture of someone a little heavier and the second photo is after they lost the weight. They would receive praise of their accomplishment and comments such as, “so skinny”, or “eat a hamburger you’re so skinny” would pop up. These comments are not only completely unnecessary and downright rude, but just prove the point that no matter how your body looks you cannot please everyone. Everyone will have a comment on your appearance no matter if your big or small, but the opinion that matters the most is the one you have about yourself.

In the society that we live in today there are few out there who can announce and stand by the idea that not being skinny or having the best body is something to not be ashamed of. However, since this hashtag has come out there have been thousands of posts being made announcing to the world that it is okay to love yourself and to love the body that you are in. No matter what size you are, skin color, hair color and so on and so forth, being body positive is something to embrace.

This #gainingweigthiscool has proven to everyone, especially young girls, that gaining weight is nothing to be ashamed of. You should love your body in every stage that its in whether that’s losing weight, trying to maintain your weight, or even gaining weight (yes, some people gain weight on purpose get over it). No matter what others have to say about you, it is all about what you say to yourself. Love yourself, love your body, and love what your body does for you day in and day out. There is only one person who can treat your body with the love that it deserves and it starts with you.

https://twitter.com/AriannaDantone