“Fat Talk” Compels But Carries a Cost

A great post about the harm of fat talk.:   http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/27/fat-talk-compels-but-carries-a-cost/?smid=pl-share

Why oh why is it considered being a good friend to put yourself down in order to help your friend feel better?  That’s like a friend saying she is thirsty so you help by pouring your glass of water on the ground.  People – we can and must do better – out of respect for ourselves and for others.

My only critique of this great post is in response to the following:

Dr. Corning said that to break the cycle, a person shouldn’t engage. But particularly for younger women, it’s hard to say something like, “Hey, no negative self-talk!” or “Why do we put ourselves down?”  Instead, for adolescents, she suggested, “Keep it light; it’s not a moment for major social activism. Teenagers can change the topic. They do it all the time.”

Yeah, it is hard.  LOTS of things about being a teenager is hard.  LOTS of things about being a grown up is hard.   Let’s respect the young women in our lives enough to help them learn effective communication skills while they are young.  It only gets harder to voice our truth as we get older if she haven’t started building the habit while we were young.

“Why do we put ourselves down?” is a great response.  Or perhaps, “I think you look freaking fabulous.  Those jeans are missing out.”   :)

 

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