I don’t remember how but I stumbled on this website. I don’t remember how I scrolled down to read the comments.
But I did. And I’m flabbergasted.
“I’m 12 , i’m 4’11″ & i weigh around 110 lbs. that might not seem a lot but , it is . i want to lose 10-15 lbs AT LEAST.
“I’m only 11 years old, i am 5’3 and weight 135 lbs. My family keeps saying that i am fat and need to lose weight and I agree to. I want to at least lose 10 or 15 pounds fast. I’m a dancer and a model, with this type of body I have I can’t be it. I’ve tried to be on a diet but I cant help it. I hope this website could help me a lot I REALLY WANT LOSE WEIGHT.”
“Hi, I’m 12 years old, turning 13 in April. I am 5’1 and weigh approx. 120lbs. I want to lose between 5-10lbs and lose some weight on my belly and thighs. I’m happy with my actual figure at the moment and I’m aware that my body is changing but I’d just like to lose a bit of weight so I can look good for my 13th and my summer holidays. Please help me. I don’t want to tell my parents, “I’m not close to them, I wish I was. I want to keep it a secret without them getting suspicious. Do WiiFit work? I own one and don’t know if it actually works or not. Any advice?”
“I’m female, 5’2′, 10 years old, 90 pounds, and 29″ waist. I’m thin, but I don’t have a flat belly…My gut is actually pretty flabby. I Irish dance 5 hours a week. Please help asap;I’d like a flat belly by summer!”
“I am nine and I weigh 110 is that normal?”
Kids as young as NINE are writing on these boards, asking for advice, help to lose weight. NINE. This is terribly wrong and worrisome.
It’s very sad that children are already so consumed and worried about their weight. Body image and self-esteem issues are becoming really serious problems with our youth.
It’s a slippery slope because while childhood obesity is rising, so are eating disorders. While school obesity programs are helping some children, it may be also promoting worrisome eating behaviours in kids as well.
In the United States, between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese according to the American Obesity Association. The number of American children under 12 who were hospitalized because of an eating disorder has jumped 119 per cent between 1999 and 2006, according to a clinical report released by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
We need to do something about this NOW.
3 Comments
I am feeling incredibly sad and frustrated today. For every step forward we take in the battle against negative body image and eating disorders, I feel like there’s a stronger, more ignorant, less sensitive force, working against us.
Kids should not be worrying about their bodies this way(NOBODY SHOULD)!
We have completely forgotten all the things our bodies DO and instead focus on how they look..or DON’T look and it’s a damn shame!
Our kids need to be told, over and over and over again that WHAT they do and WHO they are is far more interesting than how they look. We need to change how they see and treat themselves ASAP!
I’m told all the time that my fit vs fiction program is fighting an uphill battle and I agree..but it’s one that I refuse to stop fighting. It’s time for things to change!
I believe this problem stems for the women the child is influenced by in their life. We cannot tell kids to think one way and role model another way. This can be from mother, aunts, older sisters, cousins, teachers, strangers etc. When a young girl hears other women she admires say they are fat/ugly etc and need to lose weight the child will look at herself and start to want to lose weight too. Especially if the person complaining seemed thin to the child. If we want young children to change their views we first need to change ours as a society. We need to love ourselves no matter what shape we are AND love each other. Children often hear others make side comments about other people’e weight like “omg did you see how fat that lady was in walmart buying 3 bags of chips”. When I child hears that they hear a different message “I eat chips so I must be fat too”. It sounds silly but it’s how children think.
You make a good point; kids listen to everything we say so it has to start from the parents. Unfortunately this is a much bigger issue because of the media too. We are inundated with images of what “beauty” is supposed to be and if we are influenced by them ourselves, how can we teach our kids? It does start with us – and teaching our kids to love themselves too.