Guest Boo_Bradley Posted September 24, 2003 Report Posted September 24, 2003 Worrisome Trend About 40 percent of 9- and 10-year-old girls are trying to lose weight, according to a study in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. What frightens some researchers is that many of these girls aren't even overweight to begin with. Concerns about body image are surfacing much earlier than in past generations, says Laurie Humphries, MD, director of the Eating Disorders Program at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center in Lexington. "By age 9," she says, "many young girls are starting to show preoccupation with shape and weight." advertisement She blames this preoccupation on continual exposure to very thin women in the media. Just look at the actresses who star in TV shows popular with preteens. In between the storylines and ad copy is the message that if you want to be happy and successful, you need to be thin. Children also take cues from health-conscious parents who may give them the message that junk food must be avoided at all costs or that all fat is bad. Even some 7-year-olds have obsessive attitudes toward food, similar to those of older girls with clinically diagnosed eating disorders, says Dr. Humphries. They religiously track calories and shun high-fat treats most grade-school students love. Martha, who lives outside Washington, D.C., is concerned about her 9-year-old daughter, Emily. (Her last name is being withheld to protect her daughter's privacy.) During the past year, Emily has complained about her legs being "too big." At times, she rejects foods she knows are high in calories. Emily is muscular, but definitely not fat. Martha thinks Emily is being teased about her body shape by another girl at school. That girl is very thin
kkktookmybabyaway Posted September 24, 2003 Report Posted September 24, 2003 Wow, our kiddies are either too fat or two thin. What will we do to protect our children?...
Ravenbomb Posted September 24, 2003 Report Posted September 24, 2003 <Strong Sad> I don't like food anymore</Strong Sad>
Guest SweetNSexyDiva Posted September 24, 2003 Report Posted September 24, 2003 Well, it is sad when girls like boney (though pretty) Tara Reid are considered the norm. It is a lot for a little girl to live up to.
Guest T®ITEC Posted September 25, 2003 Report Posted September 25, 2003 So everyone's really fat except the little kids? Okay, whatever. Good for them. I support eating disorders for everyone.
kkktookmybabyaway Posted September 25, 2003 Report Posted September 25, 2003 Low-fat Twinkies? No. Kids will just eat twice the amount of Twinkies they would normally consume -- after all, they're LOW-FAT...
CanadianChick Posted September 25, 2003 Report Posted September 25, 2003 This is sad. But parents should stop blaming media all the time. Why don't they try to teach their children what the actual norm is rather than rely on media to do so?
Ripper Posted September 25, 2003 Report Posted September 25, 2003 I get pissed when I see these actresses that are called hot. It looks like a fucking famine hit Hollywood. I was watching some hollywood show and they were talking about how Salma Hayek could lose 10-20lbs. What in the everloving fuck it going on.
Guest stardust Posted September 25, 2003 Report Posted September 25, 2003 I get pissed when I see these actresses that are called hot. It looks like a fucking famine hit Hollywood. I was watching some hollywood show and they were talking about how Salma Hayek could lose 10-20lbs. What in the everloving fuck it going on. They're all on crack.
kkktookmybabyaway Posted September 25, 2003 Report Posted September 25, 2003 I was watching some hollywood show and they were talking about how Salma Hayek could lose 10-20lbs. What in the everloving fuck it going on. Let me guess, and the person saying this looked like Roger Ebert...
Silence Posted September 26, 2003 Report Posted September 26, 2003 I was watching some hollywood show and they were talking about how Salma Hayek could lose 10-20lbs. What in the everloving fuck it going on. The media, Vince McMahon, what's the difference between the two anyway? Well, one of them wants most divas to get breast implants, the other wants all attractive female celebrities to be really skinny I guess. Still, the one thing the media and McMahon have in common is that they're corporate assholes who want people to look a certain way.
Mole Posted September 27, 2003 Report Posted September 27, 2003 Two years ago, when my niece was in 4th grade, some girls told her she was fat. Julia has a little gut, but is NO where near fat. Fuckin bullshit if you ask me.
spiny norman Posted September 28, 2003 Report Posted September 28, 2003 Well, people called Christina Aguilera fat recently. And I saw her and thought "You have to be kidding me." I was once 172 lbs, about average, but I freaked out and lost heaps of weight and got down to about 140 in a month. It was because people commented and I felt that weight was large. Also I'd always been fairly thin so some clothes were just becoming too small. So I don't think you should blame the media.
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