Jane Fonda Talks Body Image to Harpers Bazaar

Barbarella / Jane Fonda By Joey Maas

                                                   

Jane Fonda by most readers of this blog is known for being "Babarella " the godmother of Duran Duran. So many of us feel the pressure to be perfect. I myself am in the same kinda of whirl win. I usually empower but have been feeling defeated. Listening to the voices of doubt that creep in. Sometimes the pressure seems so overwhelming I want to put a bag over my head wrap myself in a tarp. Just be invisible but I know hiding and not shining is not helping anyone most of all me. So everyday I take a deep breath and just get on with it. I loved reading Jane's article on Harper's website. Sometimes you just need that little tune up to get out of the rut. Reading this truly helped empower me. I look forward to reading her new book Prime time where she takes on many topics. I didn't know that she battled bulimia until the age of 40 . I loved what she had to say about body image.

"I wasn't very happy from, I would say, puberty to 50? It took me a long time." It's shocking to think of Fonda barefoot in the park, in Vietnam, mother of two children (Vanessa and Troy) … bulimic. "It was in my 40s, and if you suffer from bulimia, the older you get, the worse it gets. It takes longer to recover from a bout. I had a career, I was winning awards, I was supporting nonprofits, I had a family." One day she just stopped. "I had to make a choice: I live or I die." She refocused, trying to "fill that empty space with something." Then came the workouts. "Gloria Steinem said empowerment begins in the muscles."

Read more: Jane Fonda on Exercise and Bulimia - Jane Fonda Discusses Battling Bulimia - Harper's BAZAAR

One of Fonda's greatest lessons has come from her battle with body image. "I was raised in the '50s," she explains. "I was taught by my father that how I looked was all that mattered, frankly. He was a good man, and I was mad for him, but he sent messages to me that fathers should not send: Unless you look perfect, you're not going to be loved."

          

Bertrand Delanoë Jane Fonda by Olivier Pacteau

I can't even fathom what that must of felt like for a young Jane. Do you ever feel like people you love set standards for you that are very high? Its a struggle when that happens you love them but then. They do it out of love but the pressure can be crushing. What I do know is sometimes we are harder on ourselves than most people will ever be. I tripped over this article while looking for guidance. Babarella came to the rescue.I am looking forward to reading Jane Fonda's book seems to me there is allot of wisdom that transcends the generations.