Tuesday 23 July 2013

Weight loss adverts follow me everywhere....

There's been a trend lately, one we all see in the run up to summer of magazines declaring their tips on how to get your body bikini ready, lose 5 lbs in one week, cheat yourself slim, detox diets, etc etc which are frankly bad enough and the reason I rarely buy women's magazines.
The only times I do is before a long train ride and I usually regret it quickly when I feel my IQ points dropping alongside my self esteem. 
Why can't I have perfect skin like them? Why do I have bits that wobble when they don't? Oh wait photoshop, of course we don't all walk around with a magical filter that makes us look like these fake emanciated designer dress wearing coat hangers. 
All my photos are photoshopped, big reveal there, no one has perfect skin, bagless eyes, lack of stretch marks even after three/ four kids. Even I have stretch marks despite having no kids, my arse has sagged slightly now I'm reaching my 30's, I do have wrinkles under that make up somewhere. 
But why do I bring all this up? The worrying fact that even scrolling your Facebook feed and twitter feed will show you pictures of grinning celebrities who have millions of pounds, personal trainers, and access to plastic surgeons without blowing a lifetime of savings but somehow lost weight with this cheap easily accessible diet tip! You sit on the Internet and are a girl, your esteem must be low, just click this link and we will make your skinny dreams come true. 
Well, guess what Internet, I am skinny and what's more, I don't like it. 
I've lost weight lately due to stress, working a lot, travelling and not being able to eat as much as I do when I'm at home. This has taken a toll on my stomach meaning its in pain after I eat, I seem to get none of the nutritional value of the rather healthy food I do eat due to it and it has lead to loss of weight, more worry, more stress and a fair amount of pain. Well, that's a diet tip for you...
So I did what we all do secretly, I googled the problem and the only information google had to offer on my rather worrying situation? More diet tips. 
Since when do we take our choices and personal well being from Internet adverts placed before our eyes in a not even discreet manner? The adverts have grown larger and their content more worrying.
Does my 14 year old sister get the same adverts placed on her feed? Does my mother? How about my other friends, family, and fellow performers? 



Burlesque has always been about loving the body beautiful, and I think it does on the most part. It would be nice if that extended out into society some more rather than having ideal shapes.
How about an ideal happiness, an ideal level of just being healthy, there's such a thing as too skinny, there's such a thing as too fat but these are the extremes. Anything in between should be embraced.
Women bitch about each others weights, I'm sure I've done it myself at some point in my life, we all do and know why? Because we are conditioned to do so.
We are shown from a young age that this one certain look, weight and shape is how we should be, eating disorders are a serious problem that more people would care to admit to. I did at a young age starve myself because of my weight, but the puppy fat stayed until it was good and ready but this is all part of growing up. We change, we grow curves, we lose bumps, even our faces may change shape but this is during the age where eating disorders affect girls the worst, when really we need the food, the iron and minerals and vitamins so please let's have a change of pace here. 
Instead of diets, advertising junk food then advertising weight loss techniques lets have some positive messages that you are all fine, just as you are. Nobody's perfect, and that's what makes life perfect. 

2 comments:

  1. My thoughts exactly Millie! just recently someone said to me (after I complained about my less than perfect body) "There is nothing wrong with your body". This filled me with such confidence, Yes I've got wobbly bits but who's really bothered? Embrace diversity oui oui! :-)

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    1. it's like i say, whats a shimmy without a bit of wobble...? it's just a weird jerky shoulder movement really!

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