Today has been a tough day. I’ve been reading a lot today. And the stuff I’ve been reading keeps reminding me that in our society today, size really does matter. It matters A LOT. Take for instance the Cheeseburger News from earlier about the Miss England Finalist (See Below). Although I am happy that we are broadening our definition of beauty (as I mentioned in the post) I am saddened by the fact that the media coverage on Chloe Marshall just keeps reminding us that size DOES matter.
I also stumbled upon a blog today that was so disappointing. A young bride-to-be is documenting her weight loss from now until her wedding day in October. But here is the kicker…she is already small. What more is she trying to lose?
Then I found this article on the JunkFood Science blog (which is a GREAT blog) that further saddened me. Self Magazine recently reported from an online survey that “An incredible 97.6% say they would be upset if they gained 5 pounds — one third of all the respondents say they’d be moderately upset and 44.1% would be extremely upset.” Is this true ladies? Are we really so indoctrinated by the belief that size matters that 44.1% of us would be extremely upset if we gained 5 measly pounds?!
In addition, tonight I will attend a discussion on the campus of my alma mater by a woman who has a VERY popular diet book out right now. I’ll just say that one of the words in the title is “Skinny” and her and her co-author are further promoting this idea that size does matter. Be skinny or else. We’ll see what answers she can give me tonight when I attend this talk. Stay tuned.
This day has inspired a new Cheeseburger Rule which I know is similar to Rule #7 but non-the-less we need the reminder. Stop letting your Jean Size Define You! You are worth so much more than one or two numbers. I would like to live in a world where size doesn’t matter.
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I can’t wait to hear what your thoughts are after the talk tonight! It can be disheartening at times, but just think of all the civil rights movements that faced massive resistance. You are doing an amazing thing with your blog. Keep on bloggin’!
Size becomes more and more important as the years go on, which is ridiculous. You would think that people would get smarter as the years go on but they don’t. It is a sad, sad world. Unfortunately, very few people don’t define themselves by a jean size. Great post, by the way.
When I was first trying to get out of the diet mentality, I had to remind myself: people have no idea what size your jeans are just by looking at you. If I were to try to squeeze myself into a size 10 these days, they would see me wearing jeans that are too small. If I’m wearing a size 12, they see me wearing jeans that fit me, and they have no way of knowing what the label says. Honest.
P.S. I’m loving this blog so much! 🙂
Yes! I’m curious to hear about what that ‘skinny b*%ch’ said about her diet. *heehee!*
Here is something that has helped me:
CUT ALL TAGS off your clothes – I know some come with the information actually printed on the garment (like T-shirts) but most others can be removed with little effort and some scissors. It helps me not think in the SMLXL, 4-6-8-10 usual numerical or size-centric way and thus, helps me feel more carefree about my shape. Especially good for jeans.
* : )
I saw an experiment with size, I think it was on The Tyra Banks Show, about the impact of size on women. They took two women, tweaked a scale, and told one woman she had lost weight and the other that she had gained weight. Then they changed the size on garments to reflect a change in size either up or down. Though neither woman’s size had changed at all, the one who thought she was in a smaller size was ecstatic while the one who thought she had gone up 2 sizes was depressed.
Both, though reported a similar reaction. The night after the experiment, before either knew about the trick, each woman decided to … eat a cheeseburger! The “smaller” one figured–I can afford it; the “bigger” one figured–What’s the point?
I have been big and small and have had the same image issues either way. What’s inside your head and heart are what matters. Especially when, at any given time, I can fit into any of three sizes without gaining or losing a pound. There is no standard in clothing sizing which, in my opinion, just helps to feed into women’s insecurities regarding weight.
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Great post – and great blog!! 🙂
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