Phat Girlz
You know a thread is going to be good when it begins, “I just have to rant a bit.”
And rant they do – about the extremely rant-worthy topic of women “starving to be thin.” The latest epidemic of skeletal celebs has women starving themselves in imitation, and, most disturbingly, has teens and preteens hating their bodies. We’ve heard it again and again – women, and even (increasingly) little girls, feeling like they have to be Nicole Ritchie-thin (see also: the gruesome cover of this week’s In Touch), which is in no way healthy. (Sorry, Nicole.) The more celebs get crazy-skinny, the harder it will be to figure out “what normal means” – for us and for young girls.
So cl-shywon starts us off: “I have two colleagues/friends who are on this near-starvation diet at the moment, and it's really getting to me. It's really just the one "friend" because she's doing it to lose THREE pounds. THREE!!! She's admitted it's not about health, it's about the number on the scale…. I guess I'm just frustrated at all the pressure there is to be that "right" size or weight.”
urbarbara adds, “I have a cousin who is now about ten, and when she was 7 or 8, I remember her taking me aside and telling me that her thighs were too fat. My stomach just dropped to hear that, because she is and always has been a normal, skinny little girl. But she idolizes girls like Lindsay Lohan, and I'm afraid that she's going to have a rough time figuring out what ‘normal’ means.”
And then there’s the health aspect of it. Shywon’s “friends” are on a diet that involves 2 liquid meals and than one meal of actual food a day. They won’t exercise because muscle adds weight – and they just want to get to that lowest possible number. (Please, let me waste away!) emeraldaura7 adds, “It's like my sister says: ‘People will do anything to lose weight...besides diet and exercise.’ Two liquid meals a day and a freaking ham sandwich? That isn't good. I'm what you'd consider ‘slender’ and although I'm grateful for that....if somebody told me, ‘You can have functional organs, strong bones, thick hair, and a size 7 waist...OR...diseased organs, brittle bones, patchy hair and wear a size 3’........yeah, I'd definitely choose the first option.” (Man, and I thought diseased organs were totally in this season. Oh well.)
Have you ever gone to extremes to try to reach a certain number, even when you knew you weren’t doing it the “right way”? Have you ever encountered extreme dieters, and felt badly about your own eating habits or weight as a result? Join the conversation.
And if anyone needs me, I’ll be strolling down New York City's Fashion Avenue, handing out cheeseburgers to models.
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I'm surprised you haven't received a comment on this. I am a skinny girl turned phat. I hate the phat. I desperatly want to be thin again. My ribs showed but I was not too thin. It is my body size, I am very small boned, only 5ft 1in and the extra weight makes me look as wide as I am tall. I weighed a healthy 98lbs and now weigh as the Dr says an unhealthy grossly obiese 146lbs. It is embarrasing to me. Even though I wear a size 6 pants and a size 8 shirt, my weight is around my belly,for my height and bone size I look unhealthy. So a liquid shake 2 times a day and 1 sm meal a day is what I need to become healthy. It is not alway bad.
Thanks for the comment, Judi! I hear you -- I too am around 5 ft tall, and at that height if you gain even 5 lbs you really really feel it. But it's certainly not something to be embarrassed about. I just think it's all about finding a combo of diet and exercise that helps you to look and feel good -- not about hitting a certain number.
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i'm 15, 5ft 1 and about 97lbs but I can go up and down by lbs day to day. I hate my body & although it is not a heavy weight- I only have 23inch waist and I have a small body frame and being so short I feel really wide and fat- especially my stomach, does anyone else have that ring of fat above their jeans coz I feel disgusting and I was bulimic for 6 months and then I went through a phase of not wanting to eat anything & i'm obsessed with food labels and i cant get out of it, I know you cant 'spot-reduce' fat but the only bit that realllyy bothers me is my stomach, any advice?