Thursday, May 17, 2012

Body Image/Self Esteem

I hate magazines, especially fashion ones.  You can always tell all the pictures of the women are airbrushed.  How are our girls supposed to live up to false standards in magazines???

I love how Britney Spears has released the un-airbrushed pictures of herself from a photo shoot.  You can tell that she does actually work out but she has real-women issues.  Cellulite on the back of her thighs, some bruises on her leg.  Then they airbrush the hell out of her!  You can tell that her skin is just un-naturally smooth.

When I was going up my mom always had the latest issue of Glamour magazine laying around.  She always talked about how fat she was and what diet she was on.  She was never thin enough and she was always binge eating.  I don't think she realized the affect it would have on me though.  I have had an unhealthy relationship with food and I have in the past been diagnosed with an eating disorder.  Right now I have been eating very healthy, normal quantities and exercising a normal amount (mostly running).  I am actually happy with my weight  and size so now I don't feel the need to weigh myself at all (unlike my mom who used to weigh herself multiple times a day).

I do like that Annika has taken a notice to the healthy eating and my exercising.  She likes to try to do push ups with me and burpees!  Now she's even eating healthier too by having an apple with me as a snack instead of our usual cookie or candy of some sort.  I hope I am able to influence both girls to have healthy lifestyles.

I've never called myself fat in front of Annika, even now at this age.  I don't want her thinking that my size is fat.  I don't want her to think about her weight or the size of her clothes.  I just want both girls to be healthy and happy, no airbrushed pictures to compare themselves to!

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for posting this, and for linking the pictures, I did not know this and it's so refreshing to see. We don't even own a scale, b/c like you, I try to good and I am happy with the way my clothes fits, etc. I know the proper way to lose weight if I should ever feel the need. I also had an unhealthy relationship with food for a while, and I do not want to pass that on to Alex. Even though he is a boy, I still feel it's important to show him how to eat right and exercise, and not be obsessed with image. Thanks again!

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  2. It is so hard, isn't it. Magazines are terrible role models. I worry about my daughter, who is built like her dad, because that side of the family isn't super-thin, and there are some very slender people on my side of the family (I am not currently one of them). I am trying to exercise more and eat better, but she is so picky, and I worry about placing too much emphasis on food. It's so hard to know when I'm crossing that line.

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