One of my wife and my daughter's favorite shows is America's Next Top Model. There is always a marathon of this show on our TV somehow. A major concern for me when watching it with them is the critiques that they give. A few of the girls have been what they consider "plus size" models. The scary thing is these girls couldn't be more than a size 10 in clothes! When watching the video this week in our Supplemental reading it was a bit scary for me as a dad. I have a beautiful healthy 14 year old daughter and hearing some of the things that come out of her mouth about her body is a bit terrifying at times. I have heard my daughter call herself fat numerous times and can't even believe she can think the way she thinks. I certainly blame the media, the entertainment industry and the actual clothing designers. When my daughter tries on clothes it is all about the size. If it says medium or large then my daughter has a hard time wanting to buy it. The clothes are made so tiny that most people would have to wear a larger size and it is misleading to young girls that are unsure about their bodies. Watching the people in the video that were affected by eating disorders was heart wrenching! I can certainly see what leads to women having body issues. We as a country need to stand up and say no more! We have to take care of our daughters and mothers and friends that should feel good about themselves and their bodies. Healthy living should be the priority not how skinny you can be and that is what our young girls need to be taught.
I definitely understand your concerns as a parent. I am a very small person with a small frame. I have been a size 4 for about 25 years. When one of my daughters turned into a teenager I began to notice that she associated anything over a size 5 as fat. When I tried to talk to her about it she pointed out my size. My daughter is a very small person, making this a very confusing time for me. She was only about a size 5 when she started to diet. I still don’t completely understand how she could see her tiny size as big. She is now 23 years old and I still notice her critiquing her shape. By the way, she is still small, and I still don’t understand.
ReplyDeleteDuce,
ReplyDeleteYou have brought up many great points in your blog! I am so passionate about helping women to embrace their bodies and accept themselves for who they are. I do believe we should live a healthy lifestyle and If a person is overweight that it is important to take care of themselves. On the other hand, it is sad when I hear my 15 year old cousin talk about how her classmates call her fat and she wears a size 3. It is definitely affecting many teen girls these days. I am very afriad when I have children that this will possibly be a subject that we will have to discuss. We should teach young girls, and all ages of women that it is okay to be different sizes because we are not all alike.