I was at the store the other day and decided to take a shot of the lovely magazines that grace the front of the check-out lines. As I glanced over celebrity gossip, style tips and of course weight loss stories, I decided to do a little analysis on just how many messages about weight loss there were on the blessed magazine stand that day. Here are just a few I found…
In Touch (top right hand corner): “Thin by Memorial Day!”
Life&Style (second row down, center) On the right hand corner of the cover–”Half her size! How the biggest loser lost 112lbs!”
O Magazine: (third row down, center): On the left side of the cover–”How to lose weight after 40″
Shape Magazine (on the left of O Magazine): “Slim Down by May 31–Get the body you want!” “Blast 700 Calories–The cardio plan that anyone can do” “Go from Flab to Fab—The Workout that got Denise Richards strong and sculpted”
It’s amazing to me just how many messages about our bodies we can get in just a few glances. And the fact that “flab to fab” type bylines are featured next to women who are extremely thin (all of which are celebrities) is no accident. You know the drill…you look at the beautiful woman whose flawless face is staring back at you and then you see “Be thin by Memorial Day!” So what exactly are you left to think? “Oh no, I must be fat, I have to lose weight!” Despite what size you happen to be at the moment you are about to pay for your groceries, you certainly start to wonder whether or not you ought to be doing more to have Denise Richards’ abs.
I stopped buying these magazines a long time ago and now I hardly even look at them. And I have to say that I think I’m a more confident person because of it. Something to think about…
I love you writing!!! It’s helpful and pure. Its finds the perfect balance between both extremes. I feel like you really care about people.
Sometimes I think about that…people calling other people fat…and sometimes I think…that’s it? That’s the worst you got for me? You’re not calling me a b!tch or a ho or saying I cheat and lie and treat my mama like dirt…you don’t like the way I look? Don’t look. *haha!*
And…
What if we assigned similar importance to inner qualities rather than the holy grail of thin-ness? Magazine covers like,
“Be 4 Times More Compassionate in Just Two Weeks!”
“How to get Rid of a Self-Reightious Attitude – I did it! So can You!”
*haha!* just a goofy thought.
Sometimes I really just want to vandalize all those magazine covers, right in the store under the watchful eye of the security cameras. Sabotage!!
i actually was thinking about this the other day. I was in a sub shop doing some work and they have a magazine rack. It was so upsetting how basically every magazine cover had how to lose weight in weeks. I think we forget well of course first of all it is not about losing weight but being healthy takes a lot of hard work and time. Sometimes IF you do lose weight from being healthy it doesn’t just melt off it isn’t suppose to. If weight seems to fall off of you consider eating a cheese burger!
@ ~hope505~: I was thinking at the exactly same thing!
And I already started not to watch those covers anymore! I can say I am a bit “overweight”, but only because almost all my collegues are size 0! You should see how they look at me… But I try not to respond to them the same, I try to treat them well and look for the beauty in their inner-space. But I must say that it wouldn’t bother me to loose some weight, only because I think it would be better for my knees and spin.