Page 35 - 1998
P. 35
Amanda 15
Breaking Free- Celebrating Our Natural Sizes
There is unrelenting pressure for females to be thin and glamorous. Self-esteem and social value for females are strongly connected with appearance. Given that less than 5% of us "fit"the~idealofbeautywithrespecttoshapeandsize,itisnotsurprisingthatmost women in our society are dissatisfied with their bodies. Many women act on these feelings and go to dangerous and damaging lengths to change the bodies they have.
"It's not our bodies that need changing .•• It's our attitudes!"
We need to move away from one narrow, unrealistic ideal of beauty, to a celebration of
our diversity through healthy lifestyles. Our shape and size do not define who we are. REMEMBER: "Scalesareforfish, notpeople. Don'Iweighyourself-esteem."
THE NATIONAL EATING DISORDERS INFORMATION CENTRE (NEDIC)
51
