Thin, thin, thin; everyone wants to be thin. From head to toe, everyone in my generation is expected, yes expected, to be thin. Even the latest advances of technology is expected to be thin, or thinner. Living in America, the most famous of celebrities are placed on magazine covers, televisions, and even merchandise items, showing to the world that being thin is like the new black, or even the new sexy. A want to be thin in our world has never had an urged this big until recent years.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Ellen Goodman, in her article “The Culture of Thin Bites Fiji”, compares the culture of Fiji and present day America, with the astonishing remark of television being the cause of the new trend; being skinny. Before, Fiji was at once, a settled island, where being fat was not a problem. In fact, women would give themselves complements on gaining weight, to where going thin was seen as disease. As soon as the use of the television came to view, teenagers were at the risk of eating disorders, 74% of those teens in this study claimed to feel “too big or fat” and 62% began dieting, as Goodman states in her article. Our society is brainwashed to thinking that you have to look great to be happy with yourself. What ever happened to feeling great?
During my life time, I have not seen or experienced anyone who straight off the bat, wants to be thick, or better known as being ‘fat’. In my family, I’ve always been the chubby fat one; always been the one who was bullied because my shirt fit to tight or to big. I was never complimented on my size, until I reached a size 3 in jeans. I remember receiving comments like, “Omg, look at you,” or “ Did you lose weight? You look great!” Truth be told, I didn’t feel at all that great. From then till now, I’ve reached up to a size 7, and I feel great. Who ever said being thin means being happy?
Eating disorders isn’t something to joke about, yet it isn’t something to consider. If you are unhappy with your body image, make a change, but do it safely; the healthy way. Trying to lose weight? Exercise regularly and have a healthy eating plan. Trying to gain weight? Lift weights, and/or eating more fiber foods. Theres a way for both, and it’s all the healthy way. Again, it isn’t wrong if you want to lose weight, as it is to gain weight. Do the best for YOU. Do it because you want to, not because someone told you to.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Ellen Goodman, in her article “The Culture of Thin Bites Fiji”, compares the culture of Fiji and present day America, with the astonishing remark of television being the cause of the new trend; being skinny. Before, Fiji was at once, a settled island, where being fat was not a problem. In fact, women would give themselves complements on gaining weight, to where going thin was seen as disease. As soon as the use of the television came to view, teenagers were at the risk of eating disorders, 74% of those teens in this study claimed to feel “too big or fat” and 62% began dieting, as Goodman states in her article. Our society is brainwashed to thinking that you have to look great to be happy with yourself. What ever happened to feeling great?
During my life time, I have not seen or experienced anyone who straight off the bat, wants to be thick, or better known as being ‘fat’. In my family, I’ve always been the chubby fat one; always been the one who was bullied because my shirt fit to tight or to big. I was never complimented on my size, until I reached a size 3 in jeans. I remember receiving comments like, “Omg, look at you,” or “ Did you lose weight? You look great!” Truth be told, I didn’t feel at all that great. From then till now, I’ve reached up to a size 7, and I feel great. Who ever said being thin means being happy?
Eating disorders isn’t something to joke about, yet it isn’t something to consider. If you are unhappy with your body image, make a change, but do it safely; the healthy way. Trying to lose weight? Exercise regularly and have a healthy eating plan. Trying to gain weight? Lift weights, and/or eating more fiber foods. Theres a way for both, and it’s all the healthy way. Again, it isn’t wrong if you want to lose weight, as it is to gain weight. Do the best for YOU. Do it because you want to, not because someone told you to.