Weighty Issues

I am sort of sick of hearing people in the public eye get ripped on for their physical appearance- specifically their weight.

Take the recent example of Jessica Simpson. Whatever you might think about her, I don't think her weight gain (or not) is something that needs to be commented on. It's one thing if you are on the cover of a magazine celebrating your weight loss or choosing to go public with whatever you have going on. It's quite another to have an unflattering picture posted everywhere. Kelly Clarkson is another one who has been criticized recently- just as she is promoting her new cd.

I don't care if it is the celebrities choice to be in the public eye. I think the standards by which they are judged are completely unfair. And like it or not, this just screws the rest of us over because on some level we are all held up to that type of standard.

Even if weight is not a struggle for you, I am pretty sure that most women (and men too) can identify areas of their physical appearance that they would love to change. I could give you my own top 10 (or 20) list right now without much effort.

Who exactly decided what defines beauty? Who decided that you have to be overly thin and look perfect all the time? I am lucky to get out the door with a matching outfit...

I do think there are people who just have really good bone structure and so they take a great photo--but let's remember the airbrushing and other tricks that make those people look just too damn good.

This standard of having the "perfect body" is ridiculous. And it isn't just in the media- I have heard some VERY distrubing ideas about eating/weight come right out of a parent's mouth. The consequences are quite real. I have seen too many kids displaying signs of disordered eating- and I am talking about 7 or 8 year olds...not teenagers. Of course, a teenager with these issues is just as heartbreaking but my point is, it's even getting to the younger ones! Even a family member who has a son around 9 years old has seen some eating issues- and he is of average build but more on the lean side. But he heard TOO much talk about diets and sort of adopted one himself for a while. Luckily it was short-lived and he seems to be more comfortable with eating..but he did drop some weight and was looking a bit too thin for a brief time.

So what is my point? Aside from wishing that the world were a little less critical, I guess I just want to be careful about the eating habits that are established for my kids. I want them to be comfortable with food, be nourished by it and enjoy it without too much pressure. My kids are pretty good eaters but we go on jags where we aren't eating enough healthy stuff as a family or where one of the boys is just refusing to eat anything that isn't a chicken nugget (or cereal). They are typical toddlers in that regard. In general, I encourage them to try new foods, give them a variety of favorites and just be a good example of healthy eating. I hope I am doing it right.