Feminism | Posted by Becka W on 12/8/2009
How Many Calories Are In That Gerber Applesauce?
if I were blonde and 10 lbs lighter then Jimmy would totally pass me the blocks more often...
Girls have an immense amount of pressure on them from an extremely early age. For as long as I can remember, I or one of my friends has been experiencing some kind of an issue with our body image. Whether it manifests itself through literally staring down a cake, eating sugar-free chocolate (an abomination to mankind), or incessantly going to the gym; we’ve all been there – worried our waist sizes are getting too big.
I also think we all can remember a time way back when where this stuff wasn’t an issue. Where 7-layer cake was simply delicious, and not a evil overlord trying to force you into elastic-banded sweatpants. And for many of us, that time period included those magical years of preschool, where we were congratulated on making a macaroni art picture and got 3 snacktimes a day.
WELL, that innocence is over, according to a new study. Apparently, even Preschoolers are worried about their weight these days.
Let me repeat that.
Young girls aged 3-5 years old ARE WORRIED ABOUT THEIR WEIGHT. Up to 50% of the girls surveyed were already anxious about their looks, and a third were almost always worried about their weight and appearance, with some even desiring to change their hair color. (via The Daily Telegraph)
This is a symptom of the serious issue we have in our country and society. No three-year-old little girl should be so concerned about her weight or hair color. Girls should be taught that their bodies are perfect the way they are, that they can do anything. I understand the obesity epidemic plaguing thousands of kids across this country, and am a huge advocate of healthy, balanced meals for our kids and education of what goes into making those meals.
cookies: the sinfully delicious enemy to toddlers and adults alike
But this has nothing to do with that. If a young girl is eating healthy foods and staying active, as far as I’m concerned, she’s healthy. She shouldn’t go through life feeling judged, or feeling that she could be judged on her hair or weight or makeup or clothing or whatever it may be.
This study is proof that this issue is real, that the media and advertisements and television and movies can have a serious affect in how we view ourselves – even when we’re three years old. It’s up to us to start a revolution and demand change – for the sake of our future three-year-old daughters. I mean, let’s enjoy cookies while we can, right?
Becka also writes for her own blog, Becka Tells All.
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Zoe @ at 12:55 pm, December 8th, 2009
I remember being in 4th grade and feeling too fat, maybe even younger than that. I’m not that surprised that the age is dropping. It’s sad
K8 AH @ at 4:27 pm, December 8th, 2009
Something to consider… Moms need to be careful of what they say in front of their daughters. I remember being in the dressing room with my mom when I was little at stores in the mall and my mom going on and on about being “too fat” and just tons of other self hate. This has a profound effect on how young girls see themselves when their mothers do not have a healthy body image.
Valerie B. @ at 5:46 pm, December 8th, 2009
I agree!! My godsister has a mother who always criticizes everything about herself to a point where she’s a beanpole. My godsister has sort of a contorted view: she’s grown up (she must’ve been one of these worried toddlers) around criticism and being critiqued. She has tons of self-hate and low self esteem, no matter how many times her friends compliment her eyes, or her writing skills, or her humor: she still believes she’s ugly and its sad.
ashleyL @ at 6:57 am, December 9th, 2009
I agree completely… my partner just asked me when I started to think about dieting and such, and I couldn’t give him an exact year. It’s always been with me. Scary stuff.
Chica… please I beg… words like “mankind” are damaging – the fact that feminists use them in discourse shows just how hardcore they have become ingrained, and it takes a conscious effort, but every time you use words like mankind, a few feminists cry.
N.Gin @ at 8:39 am, December 9th, 2009
It is terribly upsetting that it affects girls so young. Kids shouldn’t be even concerned about the look of their bodies too much, because they don’t really need to be..well,attractive to anyone.
And everyone is wondering why 13-14 year olds have no self-respect and no innocence anymore.
Toongrrl @ at 5:28 pm, December 9th, 2009
I always make it clear to my younger cousins that food is delicious. I just hope they don’t join in the “fat talks” with my mom, aunts, and older cousins, ever. The last time that happened I stole a page from Daria and said: “When’s dessert? I want to talk about nose jobs!”
No one saw that as a joke and failed to realize that, they told ME that we have perfect noses.
Steph @ at 12:59 am, December 10th, 2009
@Toon: I’m totally the same. I was offering some of my classmates part of a cake that I’d made for a project (best class EVER, btw), and of the four other girls, only one took any, and that was only AFTER I told her that it was good and healthy and such. Preposterous, that packaged ‘diet food’ could be seen as better than homemade cooking, full of love and deliciousness.
Also, whenever stuff like this is discussed, it is perhaps one of the very few reasons I enjoy being trans – I WASN’T raised with these perceptions and attitudes, so I can see just how plain ridiculous they are. My cousins and classmates, though – I feel and see just how fucking hard it is.
Lolli @ at 4:56 pm, December 10th, 2009
When I was eight, I’ve started wanting purple hair. I don’t see what this has with not accepting my body image through the eyes of the society, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the little girls debating their hair colour weren’t the “zomg blonde is hawt and trendy”, but instead the imaginative and creative. I agree with the criticism of weight issues, though.
How many calories are in that Gerber applesauce? « Stand Up Stand Up @ at 2:04 am, December 19th, 2009
[...] many calories are in that Gerber applesauce? Jump to Comments My good friend Becka wrote this article for the feminist blog, The FBomb. It’s fantastic. She writes about body image in women and girls and how young girls, even ages [...]
Holly @ at 6:56 am, December 22nd, 2009
This is an issue that has so much to do with parenting and role models. Of course, society and the media are always partially to blame, but for girls that young moms are essential. Miraculously, I got all the way to 8th grade without worrying too much about my weight or associating food with guilty feelings, like I do now. While a good metabolism probably helped, my mom’s constant praise and encouragement made me love myself in a healthy way. She always told me I was smart, beautiful, special, etc. etc. I can’t remember her ever complaining about her appearance more than an occasional groan at the beginning of swimsuit season. Now at age 19 I have struggles with my weight, but more importantly I have the underlying self-confidence my mom helped instill in me from a young age.
Renee @ at 1:38 am, May 31st, 2011
@Holly my mom did the same thing too she always told me I was smart and beautiful and I didn’t start going against that until about middle school but that was mainly because I was more awkward than a newborn Giraffe…but now (im sixteen) I could really care less
Lolita @ at 5:16 pm, July 5th, 2011
I remember, regardless of what /anyone/ (parents, family, friends, teachers, /strangers/ told me) I thought I was the ugliest thing known to man. That I had to over compensate; be braver, smarter, nicer, more patient, more accommodating-more /everything/ than anyone else in order to get people to be able to stand me. From about the same age (3-6).
I’ve just now started getting out of it (well, the ugly bit the rest as not changed) and I’m 21. .