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Size zero not much better than obesity
Anorexia still big problem for girls worldwide; small jeans not healthy either
Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: Viewpoints
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According to the Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc. Web site, about one in 100 girls between the ages of 10 and 20 suffer and die from the disease. This is an outrageous number.
On the other hand, the fact that childhood obesity is an epidemic is just as outrageous. These extreme health issues in this country are caused by feeding extreme wants instead of nutritional needs.
What could cause girls to want to starve themselves and ultimately kill themselves?
The media is a large part of this. On popular television shows you rarely see a woman who doesn't wear size zero jeans and a small shirt. They bombard children with images of beauty and glamour, and then wonder why they strive to be super thin.
The Miss America Beauty Pageant is one extreme example of this phenomenon.
America has never had a chubby, or slightly big beauty queen, it's always been someone who was tall and thin.
Shows such as VH1's Celebrity Fit Club and America's Next Top Model are shows that tell contestants they are fat and need to slim down. They even offer prizes for losing weight.
In a country where childhood obesity is a growing epidemic, maybe the problem isn't so much how the media portrays beauty, but how the common person looks at food.
Food is something that bonds people, keeps them happy and helps them socialize.
Dinner time is full of fatty foods for most college students and not enough vegetables. Parents rarely cook on a daily basis for their kids. Instead, they buy them something greasy and filling that has no nutritional value.
Then they wonder why their children are overweight and have childhood diabetes by the age of 12. They wonder why their 14-year-old daughter who has always been a little chubby suddenly hates herself and wants to look like Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie.
It's because bad eating habits and bad body-type role models are going to equal horrible self-images and false images of what beauty is.
A size zero is not healthy; it is deadly unless you are 12, and it is dangerous not only to your heart and hair, but also your bones.
A size 20 is not healthy, it will lead to the same problems that being a size zero will.
The key to stopping this epidemic before it reaches too far is revamping the media and reintroducing the food pyramid. Give every five year old a triangle and put smiley faces next the vegetables and fruits, give them a sticker every time they eat one.
It will probably help them feel better about themselves in the short term, and save them from health problems in the long run.
Viewing Comments 1 - 9 of 15
Will
posted 10/26/07 @ 2:16 AM EST
In a state where obesity is already a problem it is hard to determine what is healthy and not healthy. Anything under a size 12 is small for what I have seen over the past few years while in South Carolina. (Continued…)
polemarch
posted 10/26/07 @ 10:38 AM EST
No, I'm pretty sure most anything beats obesity.
john.depew
john
posted 10/26/07 @ 11:46 AM EST
The problem lies at the home of the child, and the foods that the PARENTS provide for their children. If you limit the junk food, and provide good wholesome, healthy food, then the children will learn good habits. (Continued…)
Liz
posted 10/29/07 @ 5:45 PM EST
A size zero is not necessarily deadly unless you are twelve. I understand your point, but you were making it better with the facts rather than just blatant, unsupported statements. (Continued…)
cate
posted 11/03/07 @ 11:12 AM EST
I am a naturally petite person with a bmi of 22 (right in the middle of the "healthy" range of 19-24), and I wear a size zero. Anorexia is unhealthy and obesity is unhealthy, but not all size "zeros" are anorexic, nor are all size 14s obese. (Continued…)
Concerned in Columbia
posted 11/05/07 @ 12:18 AM EST
You may want to check that website again. If 1% of females die from eating disorders then 1.5 million people in the United States alone would die this year from eating disorders. (Continued…)
jen
posted 11/26/07 @ 12:17 PM EST
I agree with some points made here, however , i'm not convinced that re vamping the media is a particularly realistic solution. Granted that they do carry a large amount of responsibility as their images and messages are observed by the masses; however it must be accepted that people should be able to think for themselves (at least to an extent). (Continued…)
Jonathan
posted 11/26/07 @ 2:14 PM EST
When you make a blanket statement like "A size zero is not healthy" you come across as ignorant and unintelligent.
There are many healthy women who wear a size zero. (Continued…)
Aimee
posted 9/14/08 @ 12:54 AM EST
I'm a little late on finding this but I have to put in my two cents. I am 28 years old, 5 feet tall, weigh 95 pounds and am a size 0 regular; 2 petite, bmi 21 (aka HEALTHY and no, my ribs do not show). (Continued…)
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