May :||: Truth or Dare

I had this thought a few weeks ago, a dare that I might issue to people about how they show up with food for a month. And then I thought of how well dares pair with truths. (Although, honestly, I never played truth or dare. I was too boring and too chicken when I was younger. And that’s why I was terrible at “Never Have I Ever” when I got older. I’d never done anything. Oh well, that’s what your thirties are for, right? GO WILD!)

So here are the completely made up rules: I’m going to issue a Truth or Dare challenge, and you can pick one or both to try for the month. You can comment here, tweet or facebook me, or just do it in your journal. But I encourage you to try one. And I’ll be back in another month with a different challenge.

Truth:

Tell me about the a person that really grinds your gears when it comes to body image. You know the person: you’re going through life, feeling awesome, and then someone does something that just triggers all your shit. Maybe it’s someone that’s always making comments about your body. Maybe it’s someone that comments on your clothes or accessories. Maybe it’s one of those online gurus that ask, “What’s YOUR excuse?” Maybe it’s something else entirely. Tell me.

Dare:

I dare you to eat (and maybe also exercise) without explanation or justification for an entire month. I dare you to abolish phrases that are some variation of or remotely related to the following: “I work out because I like to eat.” “Fat kid problems.” “I ran five miles today; I deserve this.” “This hike is a great way to burn off all the curry we ate.” etc. You know the phrases.

Instead, I dare you to… not say anything. Eat without commentary. Exercise without justification. Not to yourself, not to other people. What is your impulse? What do you feel like saying? What needs to be explained? How does it feel not to do so?

Let me know how it goes!