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 Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 9:26 am
"Do I look fat in this?
If I could only lose 10 pounds!
You look great! Have you lost weight?
We hear women in dressing rooms, locker rooms, and bedrooms around the world complain about one thing over and over again – their bodies.
In a culture that equates beauty with thinness it's no wonder that women have become obsessed with the figure staring back at them from the mirror. To many she never seems thin enough, not like the ultra slender women that strut down fashion runways, are splashed across glossy magazine pages, and star in today's biggest blockbusters.
We are told these women are beautiful. We are told that if we are thin we will be beautiful too. So we strive to attain this thin ideal and along the way destroy our self-esteem and berate ourselves for not measuring up to these unrealistic, not to mention unhealthy, bodies.
Well, it's high time that women break the thin ideal and start embracing a wider (no pun intended) definition of what it means to be beautiful.
We can start by celebrating Fat Talk Free Week, an international 5-day body activism campaign that raises awareness of body image issues and the damaging impact of the thin ideal on women in society. The campaign was born from the award-winning body image education and eating disorders prevention program Reflections: Body Image Program.
Fat Talk Free Week encourages women to strive for a healthy ideal and take care of their bodies by focusing on health – not weight or size. The campaign encourages women to let go of the fat talk that plagues our every day conversations and promotes a celebration of things about ourselves that have nothing to do with the way we look.
Breaking free from the unrealistic thin ideal of beauty has never been more urgent.
Did you know that:
* 1 out of 8 adolescent girls reported starving themselves to lose weight
* 40% of moms tell their adolescent daughters to diet and 45% of these girls are of average weight
* 81% of 10 year old girls are afraid of being fat
* 51% of 9 and 10 year old girls feel better about themselves if they are on a diet
* More than 2/3 of women ages 18-25 would rather be mean or stupid than be fat
* Over 50% of women ages 18-25 would rather be hit by a truck than be fat
* 70 million people worldwide struggle with eating disorders
These statistics are startling and proof that the thin ideal is affecting younger and younger women. They are also frustrating and sad. Imagine all the things women could be doing with the time and energy they spend dieting, exercising, and obsessing over their figures. What kind of world would that be?
Fashion models are thinner than 98% of women – 98%! . They are not the norm, their bodies are not realistic, and for many their figures are unattainable – it's about time we start acting like it and stop judging our own reflections."
http://www.care2.com/causes/womens-rights/blog/end-the-fat-talk-friends-dont-let-friends-talk-fat/
Visit the link for more links and for reader comments.
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 9:55 am
I like this thread, the article but this is too true to celebrate anything to contest it right now. I agree that all of this self esteem shattering has to stop, but it has just gotten to absurd levels in the past few years. A friend of mine who weighs 90 pounds soaking wet has (thankfully ended) but has asked me for help on weather she needed to lose any of her fat and honestly she hit the point of starving, thank fully that is over in her case, but if somebody who is as small as can be can be hit by this sort of thing, I can only imagine how badly girls who are of average or above average size could be hit with as much as a glancing blow of a comment... really makes me sad but there is very little anyone can do unless it is kicking your self for feeling those things... Regardless this thread is very true and just as much as having it here makes the problem a tad more known which is unfortunately the biggest thing right now.
(Sorry if I am rambling on a bit, this kind of thing hits home on about 3 different levels for me sweatdrop )
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:28 pm
same here even though im a lil overweight i can still look sexy
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 11:07 pm
I just finished a literature review for one of my university social work classes, about eating disorders and their prevalence in men and women, and research from as far back as 2001 shows that girls as young as 9 admit to dieting and being concerned about their weight.
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Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2009 2:01 am
i just don't get it. Women can be a little big and still be able to be happy with themselves. I mean, to me, anything below a size 10 just seems emaciated, how is that attractive at all? it can't possibly be a turn on to see your partner's ribs sticking out when they take their shirt off. I support this movement, and it should be stated that women aren't the only ones affected by this. Men are under just as much pressure to maintain a physique that looks something like a boiled chicken. I suffered from anorexia for about 2 months because I overheard my girlfriend saying that she wasn't attracted to me because I put on some weight, and it was only because my family noticed that i had lost interest in food and wouldn't cook anymore that i got help.
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Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2009 9:05 am
Alakoompahed I mean, to me, anything below a size 10 just seems emaciated, how is that attractive at all? it can't possibly be a turn on to see your partner's ribs sticking out when they take their shirt off. Size 10 is certainly not emaciated. Most women around a size 6 to 10 don't have ribs popping out in any unhealthy ways. But not all women who wear smaller sizes do either. Whether ribs are visible or not depends a lot on the person's frame, how they carry their weight, where they carry their weight, even how they are standing, etc. I am all for confidence and different sizes. However, I am also a big supporter of health. I do not think bigger women should feel bad about themselves or less sexy. But I think everyone should strive to stay at a healthy weight. Some people have genetic or hormonal issues that make that harder to do. In that case, it's fine. But most overweight people have a bad diet, not enough exercise, or both. And that's a problem, not because of the way it looks, but because of all the health problems that are associated with it. So I don't think we should tell big people that they're ugly. But I also don't think we should tell them there is no reason to lose the weight. We have to switch the focus from "looks" to "health." People should strive to be healthy and stop striving to hit a certain size. It's in everyone's best interest to eat a healthy diet, exercise a little, and not even pay attention to what the scale or the tags on clothes say. Because when a person does that, their body will do the rest and find the healthy weight for them. As it is, we have a lot of people at healthy weights saying they're fat, and we have a lot of people trying to lose weight in unhealthy ways. And that's not good for anybody. Alakoompahed I support this movement, and it should be stated that women aren't the only ones affected by this. Men are under just as much pressure to maintain a physique that looks something like a boiled chicken. Absolutely. We don't hear about it or notice it quite as much, but we certainly do put pressure on guys. We pressure them to be a certain weight or body type. And there's pressure about clothes and hair cuts too. Alakoompahed I suffered from anorexia for about 2 months because I overheard my girlfriend saying that she wasn't attracted to me because I put on some weight, and it was only because my family noticed that i had lost interest in food and wouldn't cook anymore that i got help. Well, I hope you are all healthy now. A lot of people don't realize that starvation is pretty much the worst way to lose weight. If a person does not eat often, their body goes into starvation mode. The metabolism goes, "Whoa. I don't know when I ate last. Maybe food is scarce out there. I better slow things down and conserve my fat reserves." And that means you'll lose weight even slower and you'll probably be weak and unhealthy in the process. To lose weight the safe, healthy, and effective way you should be eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. You should also be eating about six small meals a day rather than the traditional three big meals that our grandparents advocate! That's because small frequent meals make your metabolism go, "Oooh, there must be plenty of food out there! Guess I can go ahead and burn off some of this fat!"
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Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2009 1:01 pm
There's a Muslim country (don't remember the name) where morbid obesity is considered the mark of beauty, so all women are force-fed, and they're not even considered marriageble unless they do so. It's changing there due to the influence of the West, but I think the concept of beauty is strongly shaped by the society in which a person lives.
I think looks are something, but there are times when I talk to a "beautiful" woman, and I don't think she's really beautiful after she opens her mouth. I certainly wouldn't want to be a wrinkled old man married to a she-b***h that's been screaming my ears off for 40 years.
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Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2009 3:28 pm
Derimed There's a Muslim country (don't remember the name) where morbid obesity is considered the mark of beauty, so all women are force-fed, and they're not even considered marriageble unless they do so. It's changing there due to the influence of the West, but I think the concept of beauty is strongly shaped by the society in which a person lives. I remember reading about that in a women's magazine years ago. I found the article and have it set aside to add to the guild. smile
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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:04 pm
I support this but also feel as though this applies to males too, seeing as i was extremely self-conscious of my body, and this little bit of pudge i (still) have. i love the concept of these threads and this subforum. :3
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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 7:33 pm
Mastodon is Metalcore I support this but also feel as though this applies to males too, seeing as i was extremely self-conscious of my body, and this little bit of pudge i (still) have. i love the concept of these threads and this subforum. :3 Oh of course. smile I'll try to find some more information for guys as I go along too. Just know that most of it applies to guys too. ^_^
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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 10:36 pm
LorienLlewellyn I am all for confidence and different sizes. However, I am also a big supporter of health. I do not think bigger women should feel bad about themselves or less sexy. But I think everyone should strive to stay at a healthy weight. Some people have genetic or hormonal issues that make that harder to do. In that case, it's fine. But most overweight people have a bad diet, not enough exercise, or both. And that's a problem, not because of the way it looks, but because of all the health problems that are associated with it. So I don't think we should tell big people that they're ugly. But I also don't think we should tell them there is no reason to lose the weight. We have to switch the focus from "looks" to "health." People should strive to be healthy and stop striving to hit a certain size. It's in everyone's best interest to eat a healthy diet, exercise a little, and not even pay attention to what the scale or the tags on clothes say. Because when a person does that, their body will do the rest and find the healthy weight for them. As it is, we have a lot of people at healthy weights saying they're fat, and we have a lot of people trying to lose weight in unhealthy ways. And that's not good for anybody.
Instead of starving themselves people should just eat a nice balanced non-processed diet.
I know some overweight people that can run up a flight of stairs without being winded and some skinny people who can't do it without being exhausted.
When I was working at Mc.Donalds I decided it was time that I started eating a healthier diet so I brought my own food from home instead of eating there. I'm already really skinny and I don't ever consider going on a diet to loose weight but as soon as people saw me bring my own lunches I got the whole "your beautiful you don't need to diet" talk. Then I had to explain "just because I have a high metabolism doesn't mean that eating bad food is good for my body" lo and behold once I started eating better I felt great! n____n
I went from a size 0 to a size 1 but who cares; I'm still skinny and I feel better.
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Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 3:07 pm
Yea, I don't like those who say, "Oh, I'm fat." and yet, they are not even as fat as me and I'm slim.
People should also consider, fat isn't so bad. Because if they get Lipo done, they can save lives. Fat from Lipo can be converted to stem cells in two weeks time, thus can be use to treat, cure or help with illnesses.
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Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 4:09 pm
LorienLlewellyn Alakoompahed I mean, to me, anything below a size 10 just seems emaciated, how is that attractive at all? it can't possibly be a turn on to see your partner's ribs sticking out when they take their shirt off. Size 10 is certainly not emaciated. Most women around a size 6 to 10 don't have ribs popping out in any unhealthy ways. But not all women who wear smaller sizes do either. Whether ribs are visible or not depends a lot on the person's frame, how they carry their weight, where they carry their weight, even how they are standing, etc. bear in mind that I said that to me they seem emaciated. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I simply happen to have a different view on beauty than some. frankly, I really don't care much for the body, as it's the mind that normally catches my eye. you need to read more closely, my dear
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 11:31 am
Alakoompahed LorienLlewellyn Alakoompahed I mean, to me, anything below a size 10 just seems emaciated, how is that attractive at all? it can't possibly be a turn on to see your partner's ribs sticking out when they take their shirt off. Size 10 is certainly not emaciated. Most women around a size 6 to 10 don't have ribs popping out in any unhealthy ways. But not all women who wear smaller sizes do either. Whether ribs are visible or not depends a lot on the person's frame, how they carry their weight, where they carry their weight, even how they are standing, etc. bear in mind that I said that to me they seem emaciated. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I simply happen to have a different view on beauty than some. frankly, I really don't care much for the body, as it's the mind that normally catches my eye. you need to read more closely, my dear Eh, my sister is a US size 4-6 but you can't see her ribs because she's got great big boobs. If I was that skinny, you would be able to see my ribs, because my weight is carried almost entirely by my butt. You said they seem emaciated because of their ribs, and to be honest I'd have to agree with Lorien. Not all skinny people look like they're about to drop dead. What we SHOULD do, in my opinion, is kill BMI. It puts me halfway through the overweight category, and I'm a US size 10-12. Even at my heaviest, in the obese category, I was a 12-14. Size isn't everything. Yes, I've lost some weight, but I've gained muscle and I'm eating better, as well as exercising more. I'm not as fit as I could be, but I'm definitely doing better at the whole thing.
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