Skin And Bones

          One of the heaviest burden's to bare as a girl....our weight (no pun intended). Being skinny is a common obsession shared by most teenage girls around the world. Having toned thighs, a trim waist. Instead of being a step towards the future, each step is another calorie burned. Instead of food being a blessing, it's a vicious enemy that should be consumed as infrequently as possible. The idea of looking perfect in your new dress makes a girl stick up her nose to cake.
          Today in U.S. history class, we watched a documentary on World War II. We all know the stories of concentration/death camps. The inhumane and vast cruelty forced upon Jews of the time. Millions slaughtered. Gas chambers. Worked to death. Fatal medical testing. We've heard it all before. It's been studied for months in different social studies classes throughout my years as a student. However, I saw something in this documentary that I had never seen before. More of the untold story unfolded before my eyes. Images that stung my eyes with tears.
           Children orphaned and thrown onto the streets at ages as young as four years old. Not only were these children cold, homeless, and living off of what they could collect begging...they were starving. Not in the "I haven't eaten for a week way", more like "I've lived off of crumbs for a year" way. These kids legs looked thinner than my pencil; it made me wonder why they weren't crushed beneath the weight of their bodies. The Germans were so proud of their work that they videotaped it all. Thinking they'd look back on these images and feel that they brought honor upon their country.
           With these images burned into my brain, never will I look at my legs with shame again. Never will I deny a meal because I want to fit into a smaller pair of jeans. When I feel my soft waistline, I will not feel spite towards Victoria Secret models. I will eat my bread with a smile on my face, and with each bite, my thoughts will not be on how many calories I'm putting into my mouth. It will be on how lucky I am to live in a world where I can believe what I wish to and still be provided with such incredible luxuries.
           Next time you feel the need to be skin and bones, think about what skin and bones means in the literal sense of the words. Think about what it meant to the children who died in the Holocaust of starvation. Pick up a piece of bread and with think to yourself that each bite is going towards one of the perished kids that were starved so cruelly. You will never feel guilty for having that extra slice of bread ever again.