Every day millions of individuals lose time, money, energy, creativity, self-esteem and emotional connectedness from their loved ones to the thin ideal. This endless pursuit is an unrealistic standard of beauty. Fashion is about fantasy, but we have forgotten that. Instead, we began to think that everyone is supposed to achieve this unreasonable and unhealthy ideal - and as a result we all lose. We all lose when 50% of our population is distracted from more meaningful and fulfilling pursuits that make life full and worth living and when 50% of our population is raised to hate their bodies.
Ultimately body dissatisfaction is associated with poor health behaviors including disordered eating behaviors. Pursuit of the healthy ideal — which looks different for everyone— requires us to take care of our bodies. The healthy ideal happens when we simultaneously maximize our physical health, mental health and quality of life. For better or worse, however, our bodies are no different than any other object or living being in our care. Hate them and we are likely to abuse them. Love them and we will finally begin down the road to health. So give up Fat Talk, which reinforces the thin ideal, and join us in the pursuit of the healthy ideal.
Fat Talk Free
Fat Talk Free is an international, 5–day body activism campaign in October that draws attention to body image issues and the damaging impact of the thin ideal on men and women in society. This annual public awareness effort was borne from Tri Delta’s award-winning body image education and eating disorders prevention program, Reflections: Body Image Program™.
Fat Talk is designed to raise awareness about how fat talk harms individuals on a daily basis by reinforcing—even encouraging—our culture to dangerously pursue the unhealthy extremes of the unrealistic thin ideal glorified by popular culture. Fat talk describes all of the statements made in everyday conversation that reinforce the thin ideal and contribute to our dissatisfaction with our bodies. Examples of fat talk include:
- "I'm so fat."
- "Do I look fat in this?"
- "I need to lose 10 pounds."
- "She's too fat to be wearing that swimsuit."
- "I need to gain more muscle."
Statements that are considered fat talk don't necessarily have to be negative; they can seem positive yet reinforce the need to be thin – "You look great! Have you lost weight?"
END FAT TALK NOW!
- Check out the End Fat Talk Web site to find out more about ending Fat Talk, the cause and stats You can view this year’s video (available on Monday, October 19) and also sign-up to receive daily e-mail challenges. Don’t forget to forward this website to all of your family and friends.
- Watch last year’s powerful video and share it with everyone in your life.
- Check out Glamour Magazine’s plus sized models that were featured in the latest issue.
- Female "Fat Talk" Socially Mandatory: Kvetching About Cellulite May Help Women Forge Friendships
- For more information on how to promote body acceptance.
- Video: Beautiful Women Come in All Sizes
- Make an appointment with Health Services Nutrition Counselor to talk more about body image issues, eating concerns and/or nutrition.
