Can you Stop the Fat Talk?

Did you know that this week (Oct 19-23) is Fat Talk Free Week? This international, 5-day body activism campaign draws attention to body image issues and the damaging impact of the thin ideal on women in society. This annual public awareness effort was born from Tri Delta’s award-winning body image education and eating disorders prevention program, Reflections: Body Image Program™.

Here are a few statistics from the End Fat Talk Campaign website:

• 81% of 10-year-olds are afraid of being fat. 51% of 9- and 10 -year-old girls feel better about themselves if they are on a diet. (Mellin LM, Irwin CE & Scully S, 1992)
• Barbie, the best selling fashion doll in the world, has unattainable and unhealthy body proportions. If she were alive, her waist would be smaller than patients with anorexia nervosa, and she would be unable to menstruate. Research shows that young girls (ages 5-7) who are exposed to Barbie want a thinner body than they have. (Dittmar, Halliwell, & Ive, 2006)

If you’re ready to join thousands of other teens and women who want to stop the fat talk, you can sign the End Fat Talk Promise! I signed it and I hope you will too! What a great reason to start banning negative thoughts from your self-image! Forget thoughts such as, “I need to lose ten pounds,” “I’m so fat,” or “I’ll never look like her…” What would our world be like if we could eliminate fat talk?