The One Thing: Our Stomachs

Fitness Magazine asked both men and women, “What’s the one body part you want to change the most?” A staggering 36% of women easily proclaimed: their stomachs (Editors of Fitness Magazine, 2006). Other studies have been done that also come to the conclusion that women’s least liked body part is their stomach. Glamour magazine did a survey in which 55% of women had abusive thoughts about their overall weight or size with 43% saying certain areas they disliked, the highest being the stomach followed by the thighs (Dreisbach). Think about advertisements to lose weight. These advertisements most likely will broadcast the percentage, inches, or pounds you could lose of belly fat. So, what is the deal with women disliking their stomachs?

Well, babies are held in the woman’s stomach area – the womb - as they grow from conception to birth. This is one of the areas where we as women truly become mothers, where we truly learn more about our femininity and our role in God’s plan. The fact is that women were created with the primary purpose of being mothers, whether spiritually or by giving birth to their own children. The stomach is where new life begins and that is why it is so often attacked. The evil one wants to trick us by turning us into a culture of death and the one place he attacks is the first place where life begins. Think about how many abortions are happening in the world today. The place that is supposed to bring about new life is attacked into becoming a place of death, which leads to the death of motherhood and womanhood. This essential part of our femininity is constantly bombarded with thoughts of hatred and the lies of death.

However, a 34-year-old woman named Ange said this about her stomach, “This belly is not what it used to be before two little girls took up residence in it, but I’m slowly coming to terms with that. The fact that they like to snuggle up to it when they need comforting, reminds me of its purpose and its beauty” (McCombs, 2011). Ange recognizes the beauty of her stomach and the purpose of it.

We, as women, need to do the same with our stomachs. We need to realize that the stomach is the area of our bodies that life first takes place and where we learn about our womanhood. Even Jason Evert said that the stomach is the most sacred part of a woman's body.  

God sent His Son Jesus to enter into the world through our Blessed Mother. The very first place Jesus made His home on earth was in the womb of Mary. The evil one knows this as well, which is yet another reason for the stomach area of a woman to be attacked. However, we as women must truly realize that our stomachs are sacred for the reason that Jesus first resided in the womb of Our Lady. When we realize this we realize that the woman’s stomach is something truly beautiful. We will start to love our stomachs and in doing so start to embrace their purpose for motherhood and womanhood. We will start to grow and learn about our femininity and the role that women play in God’s plan.

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Your Sister in Christ

Sources:

Dreisbach, S. (n.d.). Shocking body-image news: 97% of women will be cruel to their bodies today.

Editors of Fitness Magazine. (2006, June). The fitness body image poll.

McCombs, E. (2011). The xojane real girl belly project.