Gen X Women: Your Body Isn’t the Whole Story

If you grew up in the 70s, 80s, or 90s, you were surrounded by one loud message: your body was something to control. Thin in the 70s, toned in the 80s, fragile in the 90s. No matter what you did, it was never enough.

I know how easily that becomes an inner voice, whispering even now, decades later: don’t let yourself go, stay in line, keep working at it.

But here’s the truth you were never told. Your body is not just an object to manage. It is the living, breathing vessel of your life. It is the place where your story, your resilience, and your wisdom are stored. That is what I mean when I talk about the “soul body” — the body that carries you through thresholds, not the one judged in magazines.

Midlife is not a decline. It is an initiation. Your body may be changing, but so is your role. You are moving into a season where your presence, insight, and creativity matter more than any number on a scale.

If you want to start shifting the story, try this simple practice: place your hand on the part of your body you criticize most. Instead of asking how to fix it, ask what truth it holds. Often it carries strength, survival, and longing for recognition.

You don’t need to shrink anymore. You need to inhabit yourself more fully. That is the real revolution.