Turn on your TV, open up a magazine, or take a walk through the mall and browse the window mannequin displays and what do you see? Rail thin women and lean men displayed as if every person gazing upon them look the exact same way. I, for one, am not a size 0..are you? Every person, adult and child, have their very own body type, size, qualities, and yes, imperfections. Yet in todays society those body types and figures which are publicized and idolized are those that are unrealistically thin and low weight, and this obsession with weight and physical shape is having a negative, and scary, impact on society’s youth. Being years since I had given any real thought to the cause I was abruptly reminded by my niece just a few weeks ago.

Sitting down for dinner one evening with my 2 sons, and our guest, my 9 year old niece, we were chatting as we ate. Neither of the three children present had ever been picky eaters. On the contrary, they were always healthy eaters with a hearty appetite which had been a relief for both myself and my sister at having that one less worry. As I talked to my niece I noticed she was moving her food around on her plate with her fork, and taking teeny bites of her chicken nuggets, a favorite food of hers. I encouraged her to eat all of her dinner, but as the meal ended I realized most of it still sat on her plate. I excused my sons from the table and sat with her and waited for her to finish, although she never did. I explored all the possible avenues as to why she was not eating. Was she feeling okay? Was anything bothering her? Did she not like the meal? She assured me everything was fine, she felt good, and that she loved chicken nuggets, but, she concluded, they are high in fat and she did not want to get fat. I was stunned at her statement and for a moment was not sure of what to say. She had always been a thin child, at a healthy weight, but more importantly, she was just a child. How much fat and calories were in her meals should be the last thing on her mind. I assured her that she had no worries, that she was a perfect size, and absolutely beautiful, and allowed her to leave the table. I immediately called her Mom, who is my sister, and shared the conversation with her. The issue is being dealt with, but it left me with the realization of how serious of a problem is spreading through out our youth population.

What kind of message is society sending to our children? To fear food? To obsess over their size? In a world where nothing is for certain, and life can throw at us many challenges, burdens, and fears, it is sad to realize that during the most carefree and happy time of their lives our children at the young ages of 8 and 9 are worrying about their size, weight, and body shape. A solution to this problem is simple, and needs to be wide spread. All women, and men, are unique and beautiful in their own way. You don’t have to be a size 2 to be beautiful, and there is far more to a person than how they look, and the size they. When the grown-ups in todays society can learn and accept this fact, it will be passed on to the children, and once the seed is planted, a whole new perception of beauty and self image can grow!