Hollywood has invaded every society on this planet. Keeping the body God gave you is abnormal when breast implants, butt augmentation, lipo-suction, botox and other cosmetic enhancers are the way to go.
The perceived notion of the "perfect body" by Hollywood has penetrated the minds of the average teen/woman, leaving them to believe that these images of air brushed photo shop models are the real deal. The T&T Guardian interviewed 27-year-old Natasha, who shared her struggles as an overweight woman. "I have never had a real boyfriend. Boys interested in me were not interested in me as a person, but rather just using me for intimate comfort. "As an overweight girl I have had so many insults geared towards me, whether it was standing in a line, getting in a car or buying food at a restaurant. "The expressions on people's faces always suggested that I was 'outta my place' to be existing. "In school if I had any 'fall outs' with anyone, the first thing they'd do is attack my weight. Somehow calling me by my name was not the normal thing to do-I was always referred to as 'de fat girl.' "Even when someone was being nice to me it was still 'aye fatty, how yuh doing?'
"It has always been hard for me to maintain self-esteem, as my weight always seemed to get in the way.
To add to Natasha's pain, reading an article, last year, titled Should Fatties Get A Room (Even On TV), created further insecurities for the St Joseph native. The piece written by American journalist, Maura Kelly and posted on MarieClaire.Com, sought to address the issue of obesity and focused on the television sitcom Mike and Molly-a couple who meet at an Overeaters Anonymous group and falls in love. However, instead of alluding to constructive criticisms, Kelly claimed she would be grossed out if she had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other. She said she found it aesthetically displeasing to watch an extremely fat person simply walk across a room. The article caused quite a stir among the overweight and those who are obese. It even drew the attention of celebrity talk show host, Sharon Osbourne, who lashed out at the journalist, and later cancelled her subscription to the magazine, stating that Kelly was a discredit to all women. She added that articles like that compounded the problem parents have today with their kids regarding low self-esteem, insecurities, anorexia and suicide.
Keeping the confidence
Local Image Consultant, Catherine Gordon of Catherine Gordon and Associates Image and Design Institute, gave her advice on how a "fat girl" could maintain her confidence levels. "This whole business of being thin is really a western concept. If you could recall, the ancient Greek, Indian and African statues of women always indicated that the 'chubby' woman was the desired one," said Gordon. She added that confidence for a fat girl really started in the home with family and the ones closet to her, helping her to develop a strong sense of self. "I remember watching an interview with actress Mo'Nique and she said her father never referred to her as a fat girl...he never said things to her like you are beautiful for a fat girl. He just always instilled in her that she was a gorgeous woman. "These women need to have a support system-people who will constantly remind them that they are beautiful and it is not all about the outside appearance," admonished Gordon.
"They should also understand that while they are being reminded that they are beautiful, they also need to accept that they are, and finding the images of successful women who have made it...like the Mo'Niques and Oprahs, is a clever way to start appreciating themselves." Gordon said when big girls continued to look at skinny model magazines, this could become very unhealthy for them because they would be constantly bombarded by weight loss programmes. She said in most instances women who were not a size zero, were made to feel that they were not beautiful, that they would not get a boyfriend, they could not be happy, or that something was dramatically wrong with them. She reiterated that they should get images that looked like them-women who were healthy and successful.
Get a good education
Gordon also revealed that having a good education also helped to boost the confidence of an overweight girl. "Part of building your self-esteem is having a good head on your shoulder. You can slim down all you want but if your brain is empty-your confidence will be in jeopardy. So if you are a shy person then enroll in some public speaking course, when you are competent, people don't see the pounds. "Maybe you like to swim but you fear having to wear a bathing suit. Get that out of your mind. Learn to swim if you want to. You don't have to wear a two-piece, there are very stylish bathing suits that give full coverage. "I am saying don't stifle yourself because of your weight-do what encourages you to feel beautiful. I know when you are sitting in the situation it will seem hard, but the sooner you develop the inner you, that is all you will see. "So while you are working on cutting down on your weight, do so safely and take it one day at a time. In the meantime just remember that fat does not mean that you are not beautiful."