This weekend I was sitting poolside with my sister and her daughter. My sister is concerned that her daughter is too heavy. Her daughter seems to be quite comfortable in her body. My youngest daughter is heavier than I think she should be, too. I struggle with talking to her about it. What must it sound like to have an obese mom talk to you about your tummy? I worry because I don't want her to go down my road, she worries because she is okay with how she looks - is that bad?
There are girls trying to be super thin and also girls getting to be fat. The fat girls, because there are so many more of them than there were in the past, aren't getting quite as stigmatized. They call themselves curvy which suggests they have chosen their look just as the skinny girls have.
This morning I heard about a study in the UK that 7 out of 8 women didn't feel attractive. How sad is that? I know that at my advance age and size I feel past being attractive, but I still have my days. So when I think of all those young women out there not feeling pretty, it just makes me feel sad.
There is something so wonderful about that feeling of being attractive - feeling young and alive that I still remember. It gives a glow. It is really about happiness. If women are happy, it doesn't matter what their physical appearance is; how symmetrical their features, how big their bust or slim their hips.
So that is the answer - not to take away our daughter's happiness with themselves. Offer them the opportunities to make healthy choices and love them and nurture their happiness and beauty.
