Understanding Body Currency
Today’s post comes from Jen Baum, MS RDN
Of all the work I do with clients, body image work is the hardest. Why? Because of what society has conditioned us to believe since we were young enough to understand: Your body is wrong. And not just a little wrong, like really, really wrong.
In nearly everything we do we are taught that our bodies are not thin enough, healthy enough, fit enough, detoxed enough, toned enough, or wrinkle-free enough (I’m looking at you social media). Our bodies are a problem to be fixed. A puzzle that, once solved, will finally enable us to be happy and fully engaged in life. It’s no wonder that most of us have internalized a strong, negative narrative towards our bodies. A narrative of guilt, shame and failure. No wonder body image work feels so daunting.
Enter the idea of body currency. Body currency is the supposed price (in the form of time, energy and money) that we feel we must pay in order to finally be happy, successful or loved. Simply put, body currency is the alleged cost of admission to finally getting all the good things we want in life. In her book ‘Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls’, Jes Baker, describes the idea of body currency saying:
“We as a society are taught that IF we achieve the ideal body that we see in traditional media (and not before), our work will then be rewarded with everything we desire: love, worthiness, success and ultimately happiness. Because the vast majority of our culture buys into this, we have millions upon millions of people investing everything they have into achieving the ultimate goal: thinness.”
Jes aptly points out that body currency fuels the conditional promises that we get to enjoy [insert fun activity or important life milestone here] only after we’ve changed our bodies.
The concept of body currency finally puts a name to something I imagine most of us have experienced. It’s the voice saying we have to lose x number of pounds before we can finally enjoy swimming again. If we can just achieve a ‘swimsuit ready body’, we’ll finally be worthy of a romantic partner. So we stay trapped in the future, locked into a cycle of dissatisfaction, always looking ahead to when our bodies will finally feel acceptable.
Virgie Tovar, author and activist, puts it this way, “Our imagined “thin future” becomes a perpetual destination. It feels good to be able to invest in that imagined tomorrow: where we won’t have to deal with the imperfections of the bodies (and lives) we have today.” Body currency forces us to constantly look ahead, limiting our ability to enjoy today.
But here is the secret: much like actual monetary currency, it isn’t real. We are collectively participating in the myth that our body shape or size dictates our value. You don’t have to change your body in order to fully participate in life. While the idea that thin equals happy can feel seductive, it’s just simply not accurate.
We’ve all seen others who we believe to have more body currency than we do who endure trauma, mental and physical health challenges, or the falling apart of important relationships in their life. . That’s just part of being human. You can’t eat or exercise your way into a perfect and pain free life.
So perhaps, begin to notice if you engage in a cycle that includes this idea of body currency. Bring awareness to how that cycle limits you and what you choose to participate in. Can you pause when you find yourself engaging in body currency transactions and then redirect and reframe your thoughts? Remember, you get to live and enjoy life without paying the fines of body currency.
Don’t short change yourself.
Baker, Jes. Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls. Seal Press; 2015.
Tovar, V. Things We Grieve When We Become Body Positive. 2020.Available at: https://www.newharbinger.com/blog/self-help/3-things-we-grieve-when-we-become-body-positive/