Shrink they tell us.  Become as small as possible.  Take up less space.

Dissect each part of your body like a lab specimen.  Find the flaws.  Fix them.  At all costs.

The more we break ourselves down the less whole we become.  We are more than a number on the scale or a size on a tag.  We are more than our cellulite, wrinkles and fat rolls.

But they don't want us to be more.  They want us to be less.  Because when we believe we are less they have us in the palm of their hand.

I want to integrate every ounce of my being into my story.  I want to fully inhabit every cell in my body.  Because then I become whole.

The irony is that we attempt to disown our difficult stories to appear more whole or acceptable, but our wholeness – even our wholeheartedness – actually depends on the integration of all of our experiences, including the falls. 

— Brene Brown