One of the reasons why I appreciate FEMA so much recently came to light when I was at a bridal shower for a relative of mine. We were sitting at a table eating cake and all of the women around me were talking about how “fat” they were and how they “can’t” do ____________ (fill in the blank with whatever activity you want) because of their weight. This was even talk coming from the 18-19 year olds who were 90 pounds soaking wet.
There was a point in my life where I would have joined into this negative talk and shrugged it off as completely normal. But this time, I just sat there in stunned silence and counted my blessings for finding a school where no body type is considered in a negative light and words like “can’t” will earn you extra pushups.
While I have my own body issues (even though intellectually, I know I have no reason to), since coming to FEMA to train, I have more good days than bad. Training here has given me much more confidence to say “So what?” to the popular idea that women have to be thin as rails, and preferably under 5’6”.


- Megan Treziok