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weight issues
Monday, 9 February 2009
If kate Winslet looks at herself in the mirror and thinks she’s fat, what hope have the rest of us got. Okay so she’s not the thinnest of all the stars…but that’s a good thing. She’s one of the few who actually look healthy.
Kate states, “I feel fat and unhappy sometimes. As a young girl, I never felt attractive. I was fat and unhappy at times and that kind of thinking stays with you your entire life. There's always going to be a part of me that worries about not looking as slim as other actresses."
I know we are all self critical, there is undoubtedly some part of us we might like a little different, a bit flatter, a bit smaller, a bit slimmer. But to suggest that she is fat is a little over the top.
My daughter saw the report and said “she’s not fat though is she mum?”
“NO!” me and her dad said.
As grownups we can see it, but as a fourteen year old, impressionable child, I fear my daughter is going to pay more attention to what stars say. I’m very careful not to make derogative comments about my own body in front of my daughter, we tell her how people come in all shapes and sizes, and as long as you’re healthy, it doesn’t matter if you’re a size six or a size sixteen.
And we can’t stress enough to the kids that it is important not to compare yourself to other people.
But I remember being fourteen and fifteen, and I have no false illusions about my children thinking I know better than Victoria Beckham or Angelina Joley!
I was a little disappointed when I read the interview, because Kate Winslet is one of the ones that always seemed down to earth and less worried about her weight and image than most.
I know some of you are going to argue that by saying this it shows people that we look better than we think, and that we sometimes have a false self image. But my daughter, her friends, my nieces and goddaughters all got the same message from it...you have to be ultra thin to be glamorous!
And quite frankly, if kate's fat, I'm a whale!
9 February 2009 at 15:02
First off - Kate Winslet is my dream size.
That being said, she is an actress. Imagine INTENTIONALLY walking into a room and someone bluntly stating, if you want this roll you have to lose 30 lbs, change your hair, your eyes are all wrong etc etc..
They sign up for the nonesense and we perpetuate it by buying into the fantasy.
I personally intend to keep bulk weight on as a protest against mainstream media :)
Love your blog! Thank you for following Life on the Goo Goo Ga Ga!
9 February 2009 at 17:08
I totally agree with you on this issue. Little girls and young teens especially are all affected by the media these days. My daughter is only 7 years old and comes home from school saying that ppl tease her about being fat. She is fat by no means and I try to tell her that, but at 7 it is kinda hard to understand. Their emotions are very high at such a young age. I myself, being only 5 ft tall have always struggled with my weight too, the least bit of weight I gain, tends to show. But I agree that the media puts way too much emphasis on weight and "being skinny" and it does affect our children. I try to tell my daughter that everyone is different, and that we cant all be the same size, and if so it would be a boring world...lol. I try to instill good eating habits in her and tell her that by medical charts she is right on track. She just tends to have more of an athletic type body as I did growing up, but I tell her to be proud. For now she listens, but I am scared that as she gets older, her mindset will change and it's scary because of all the things out there such as anorexia and bulemia, but all we can do is teach them to the best of our knowledge, and instill good values. Love your blogs...keep up the good work.
9 February 2009 at 17:58
It sounds like you are doing all the right things. I don’t think people realise how much really young children listen to absolutely everything and just how influenced they are. I think as a star in the limelight, it’s a small price to pay to make sure these seemingly innocent comments are not made. The number of eleven and twelve year olds with anorexia and bulimia is on the rise, and it terrifies me! If only we stopped buying into it!