Women today are given endless reminders of society’s thin-obsessed culture, which exudes unrealistic and unattainable standards of beauty. Magazine covers such as Star are visible on every supermarket stand, airport news counter, and salon table. Women are constantly reminded of the media’s standards of beauty, which reduce them to parts of their body.
We need to stop purchasing these types of magazines because they only reinforce our obsession with thin. If magazine sales continue to go up, publishers will only generate more content that objectifies women.
Advertisements also reinforce the notion that “thin is in.” A PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) billboard in Jacksonville, Florida,displays a cartoon image of an overweight woman in a bikini with the tag line, “Save the Whales. Lose the Blubber: Go Vegetarian.”
But media isn’t the only culprit. Have you ever caught yourself saying, “She should not be wearing that,” or “I can wear these jeans if I just lose five more pounds”? Women have to take active roles in eliminating this “fat talk” and avoid being their own worst enemy.
We can all shift our focus to take strides in the right direction. Glamour magazine’s photo of Lizzi Miller in their article on self confidence has helped women appreciate their bodies. Miller is 20 years old, 180 pounds, 5’11″ and is a size 12–14, which is the size of an average American woman. According to Glamour, readers everywhere are overjoyed and continue to inundate their website with praise.
International sorority Delta Delta Delta and Carolyn Becker have a program called Reflections, which focuses on improving body images issues and raising public awareness. Through peer-led small groups and intervention programming, the focus has shifted from highlighting eating disorders to reaffirming positive and healthy personal body image through activities and exercises.
Additionally, the National Organization for Women Foundation has a Love your Body Campaign that encourages activists across the nation to take action on their campuses and in their communities. It offers a wide range of activities, events, and forums students can host to advocate for positive self affirmation and steer their friends and classmates away from negative self image.
Challenge yourself to eliminate “fat talk” from your dialogue. Commit yourself to altering your language to help change the culture of your campus and communities one day at a time. Don’t ever underestimate how far a compliment can go, and don’t be afraid to say that you love what you see when you look in the mirror. Practice random acts of kindness by ending fat talk one post-it note at a time through Operation Beautiful. Embrace your body and celebrate your beauty, you owe it to yourself.
You might want to look at the “Possibly Related Posts” they seem to be promoting the exact opposite of what your blog is supporting.
Also, I don’t think the photo of Lizzy Miller goes far enough, she’s 5’11″, that’s not average even if she does wear a size 12-14 and according the the BMI calculator on the NIH website, she’s got a BMI of 25.1, barely out of the normal weight category. Her picture is certainly a step in the right direction, but I think there is still a long way to go.
Thank you for your comment Stephanie. The “Possibly Related Posts” are actually automatically generated so unfortunately I do not have much control over the messages they send.
The picture of Lizzy Miller moves us forward in our self-confidence and learning to love our bodies, but we definitely are not nearly where we need to be. All we can do is continue the dialogue and encourage women to support one another and work to eliminate fat talk one day at a time.
I am so ready to elimate “fat-talk”; I am tired of comparing myself impossibly thin women and feeling like no matter how thin i am I could always be thinner.
Until recently I hadn’t been acknowledging the negative affect “of society’s thin-obsessed culture” and “unrealistic and unattainable standards of beauty”, on my body image. I have always considered myself a confident person but more and more lately I find myself thinking that I can never be thin enough, if I am wearing a size 2 dress I berate myself that I am not fitting into a size 0.
When I saw Lizzi Miller in Glamour she looked so happy and self-assured and it made me want to cry, I can’t remember the last time I got dressed or undressed without thinking about all of my body’s “flaws”.
This post has made me really think about shifting my focus from berating myself and my body to loving and congratulating it for all the wonderful and amazing things it does for me everyday.
Thank you for openly sharing your experiences regarding body image Sheila. It just goes to show that we create our own standards and seeing other women who are confident and proud of their bodies is honestly inspiring. It offers us the courage to love and congratulate our own bodies.
If we go through the process of shifting our mindset, appreciating our bodies and eliminating “fat talk” one day at a time, we can open ourselves up to beautiful long term benefits.