'Good Morning America': Ginger Zee Opens up About Body Image Issues
Good Morning America meteorologist Ginger Zee wrote about her struggles with body image in an emotional Instagram post last week. Zee, 41, originally shared the message alongside a photo of herself working out, but she deleted it under the advice of a medical professional. She published the message again though because so many people connected with what she wrote.
At the start of the post, Zee noted that "gratitude for my body" is the "toughest to achieve" for herself, but she is working on it. She fought a cold during the week and did not sleep well. "When I step on the treadmill, I sometimes force myself not to wear a shirt so I can see my belly," she wrote. "To obsess over it. Never arms or legs. Belly. Always belly."
"No matter how strong I get in my mental health, the iron grip of body issues is the one that won't let go," Zee continued. Zee said she did not want to post the now-deleted photos in the first place because they might come off in poor taste. "People are suffering and starving and I'm staring at my belly?!" she wrote. "I'm 41. Hips are thicker, belly is thicker. I try to avoid processed food but this week, I just wanted a few f%^*ing cookies & a bite of cookie cake."
Zee hoped the post could be inspiring, adding that she is "not there yet" when it comes to accepting herself fully. "I'm at least at the point where I can share these thoughts that I know so many others have so we can get it out in the open," she wrote. "That's what I've done with depression and it works. Create a community of healing."
The meteorologist went on to note that she is "privileged" to have a treadmill, to be able to walk and to have snacks when she wants. "I know so many would be so happy to have my body," she wrote. "And while body positivity is all the rage, the obsession with being this is concurrently rampant."
"This is a process and an evolution," Zee concluded. "This morning I had the thought: I just wish I could start over. Start fresh at work, start fresh with my body image... but then I wouldn't be me." Zee noted that she is "genuinely proud of" who she is today and would not want to change.
Zee has frequently talked about mental health and body image issues over the years. In an October 2021 post, she wrote about avoiding mirrors and recommended meditation. She said she was now "mostly proud & happy" with the reflection she sees. "We all deserve that peace," she wrote at the time. "I wish I could go back in those lowest moments and remind myself these beautiful days were possible. I hope it helps you to know the storms don't last forever."