“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than you”
~Dr. Seuss
I remember when I was in high school, I would look at different magazines and dream about looking like they did. I starved myself and even went through a time where I would make myself puke after eating. But probably the worse thing I did back then and even now, was participate in Fat Talk – you know, the comments you make, either to yourself or with your friends, that cuts down an area or areas of your body. Conversations usually went something like this:
Me: “Ugh. My butt looks so big in these pants”
Friend: “I know, mine too. And don’t even get me started on my stomach…I totally need a tummy tuck and a boob lift”
Me: “Forget the boob lift, I need an entire body lift. Do they do that?”
Be Positive
New Years Eve will be here before we know it and with it comes all the new years resolutions…and with that starts the Fat Talk cycle. Did you know that 93% of women admit to engaging in Fat Talk and 63% say they do it at least once a week? Anything can trigger it…a quick look in the mirror, a skinny woman on the street…it doesn’t matter what it is, women will start dissecting every aspect of their body, in a negative way. Furthermore, 62% of women feel the need to participate in Fat Talk when they hear other women doing it and 70% mostly talk about themselves because it’s that better to talk about yourself before others do, mentality. That’s why Special K has decided to partner with Tyra Banks to shift the weight management talk to a more positive one. And I am VERY excited to be apart of this campaign, #FightFatTalk with Special K and be positive!
“I know firsthand how much criticizing your body negatively affects self-esteem, but as a role model, I try to maintain a positive attitude and healthy approach to managing my weight,” says Banks. “That’s why I’m excited to partner with Special K to help empower women to not only feel confident about their bodies, but also to remove those negative thoughts and show them how to employ tips and tricks to make their least liked physical attributes look better.”
Our words and thoughts are very powerful. Maybe if I had been a little more positive about myself, I wouldn’t have starved myself or made myself throw up. There is nothing wrong with wanting to get healthy and lose some weight. But how about we do it in a positive way? And to help us with our weight management journey, Special K offers a wide variety of delicious, guilt-free products that provide protein and fiber! For more information about the delicious food options and to participate in the Special K challenge (an easy and effective way to jump start your weight management plan for 2014), visit www.SpecialK.com. Let’s SHHHHut down the Fat Talk!
So…can you do it? Can you stay positive and stop the Fat Talk? Here are some tips to help you:
- Think before you speak
- Change the conversation when Fat Talk comes up
- Stop comparing yourself to other women
- Say something you like about yourself every time you self-criticize
My name is Leah and I will NOT be participating in Fat Talk any longer.
I’ll start us off. I have beautiful eyes. I love how blue they are.
Now…what about you? Leave me a comment telling me something positive about YOU! Be positive with me!
I am a strong person….
You do have beautiful eyes 🙂
I know how easy it is to fat talk – to myself and with my friends. But I try SO HARD not to because I don’t want my kids to hear/see me doing it.
Great Post! Love my hair!
I know I am terrible for the way I talk about my own body – but since having my daughter, I’ve become aware of just how often I talk like this. I’m trying so hard to set a positive body image for her.
I’m so guilty of this. Not a good example for my daughter!
I am going to try and be more positive. My son is starting to be more aware of what I say and he got really upset when I was down on myself. Now that I have twins girls, I need to set a better example too!
We are so quick to talk about our negatives aren’t we? But we never talk about our great features. You never hear us say oh my face looks fab today. I love this campaign. So, like you I love my big brown eyes. They look golden when my mood is really happy, which happens to be about 90% of the time:)
I’m definitely guilty of the fat talk. It’s hard not to not think or say things about yourself that everyone else has been saying for years.
I like my eyes too, always have.
I like the messaging behind this campaign and just hope that we can start a trend amongst females of all ages!
I know I am overweight, but I make a point not to talk about my body images because I don’t want my kids (especially my daughters!) hearing stuff like that and thinking it’s OK.
I really could stand to lose some weight, but I don’t want my daughter to have issues so I keep my mouth shut. Even when I’m unhappy with how I look.
You know, I’m one of the few people I know that can actually say that I do not participate in “fat talk.” As someone who has had weight loss surgery, I make every effort not to point out my flaws or weight more than what people already see. And, I always am quick to tell people something like “don’t say that about yourself,” when I hear it. My biggest fear is that if I participate in that behavior then 1) I’ll believe it and I won’t be successful with my weight loss surgery and 2) my daughter will hear it and think negative things about herself.
I love my smile. They are so infectious!!
I definitely take part in the fat talk and need to stop.
I love this message, I hate body shaming in all of its iterations. Of course, I’m in the 93% and do it to myself, but I know it’s not healthy/accurate. Let’s see, something positive about me? Actually, I’m going to pick my knees because they were injured for a long time and now work normally again. Being able to walk without pain makes my knees the most beautiful thing ever!
I am so guilty of this. 🙁 I have big dark brown eyes. And I think your eyes are beautiful, too!
OK i do not think its right to make yourself sick over weight..of course…but i also dont think its wrong to recognize things you want to change.
I agree. There are things about me that i would like to change, but rather than sit there and call myself fat every time I look in the mirror or put clothes on will not help anything. You know?
I am a natural redhead and I think my hair is beautiful. And I am totally guilty of fattalk
I love my eyes. The color and the shape. They’re pretty.
AMEN to this! Especially think before you speak. With a teenage daughter in the house, I am just now really starting to understand how detrimental Fat Talk is. I wish I had understood how bad it was a long time ago, it’s horrible to hear your little girl talk about her fat thighs. 🙁
I have pretty eyes and a smile and love to make other people laugh, so I get to smile a lot. 🙂
I have been guilty of this many times. You fall into a rut and start talking without realizing the emotional impact you are having on yourself. Thank you for the wonderful reminder to be positive.
This is a good message to send, especially if we have daughters who hear us talking about ourselves. If they don’t think we are fat, but hear us talking that way, pretty soon they are going to start thinking that they aren’t think enoung, either.
i call myself fat all the time but i’m entirely too lazy to do anything about it even though i want to T^T
Fat talk is so contagious…kudos to all women who can rise above it.
I love my dark brown wavy, curly hair. 🙂