The University of Kentucky Health Services partnered up with their Panhellenic Community to host a "No Weight Wednesday Scale Smash," in order to "break the stigma and break beauty standards." In this event, the University Health Services bought new scales and set them up along one of the most walked sections of campus, in front of their library on Rose Lane. Here, students had the ability to take a sledgehammer to a scale releasing all of their built-up anger.
When I first heard of the Scale Smash, I was not sure what to expect, but I am beyond fortunate that I had the ability to experience it.
As a dancer from a young age, I was always in front of the mirror and dressing in very small clothing. As a child, I had this idealized vision of what a girl should look like, and that vision remained in my head as I got older and up until today. Working out to not only remain healthy but look physically fit was something I always did. Often times, I would change around my exercises for the day to work on whatever part of my body seemed to be lacking, instead of keeping a regiment to work out my entire body. Looking physically fit also meant changing my eating habits often and deciding what or how much to eat that day, depending on how I looked.
Unfortunately, I know that these ideas are experienced by women and men all over the world.
If given the opportunity to change my appearance and a part of my body I definitely would, and I believe many others would as well.
Today, when I got my scaled and picked up my sledgehammer, I told myself that I was beautiful in my body. I told myself that I did not need to change or live up to another standard. Then, I swung back and used all my force to smash the scale, something I have been dreaming of for a long time. At this time, I pushed out all of the negative thoughts in my head that the world had given me.
I screamed and yelled at the scale for having numbers and for dictating how I would feel sometimes. I made sure to crack each number because it did not define me.
The Scale Smash let me see myself beyond idealistic ways — it showed me reality. It gave me the opportunity to physically take my anger out on something that has bothered me since I was a child. Once I was done, I watched as others came and did the same thing. As each person left, they seemed as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders. They were all actually happy.
So, the next time you see a scale and think of those negative thoughts, try and hit it with a sledgehammer, I promise it will be rewarding.
