Sometimes, I just don’t know
Posted on September 11, 2007 - Filed Under Adult swim
I really cannot believe I am soiling this blog by writing about the following crap. But here goes anyway.
We have a small refrigerator in our office at work. I was putting something in there the other day when I discovered a slightly used bottle of 100% organic maple syrup. This was surprising to me because I am by far the team member most likely to eat such a thing and yet, I knew it wasn’t mine. So, I asked a co-worker (JC) who it belonged to. He began to laugh and told me it belonged to SF, a co-worker who will be leaving for another work assignment this week. (I have written about her here before. I am glad to see her leaving; it is barely sufficient to say we did not get along.) He went on to explain the syrup was part of SF attempting a fad diet. Now, I had known from first meeting her that she had body image issues. I would walk into her office and immediately notice weight loss pills, Slim Fast containers, etc. The thing is, she is not overweight; sure, she might be able to benefit from losing a few pounds but her concern for the issue far outstrips any real weight loss necessity. Sometimes, I get feelings–intuitions–about people; many times, I am right. The one I have regarding her is that she is obsessed with the topic and that it severely impacts her self-confidence. Anyway, the details of this diet are truly frightening. I just cannot understand the screwed up mindset required to take a person to a place where it is acceptable to do this to your body.
The really sad thing is, SF’s mental disease in this area is indicative of a larger national sickness. We were reminded of this in the last day or so by all of the discussion about Britney Spears’ appearance on MTV’s Video Music Awards. It was supposed to be a come back for her; she was to be returning from a long personal struggle with all sorts of demons. She got up and did her thing but looked kind of lost doing it (you can watch it for yourself here). Anyway, much has been said and written about her physical appearance during the performance, a lot of it very negative and concerning her weight. Many people have been downright mean. But more importantly, these people are adding to the obsession over weight, especially among young girls. Many idolize her but now they are being told she is fat. What kind of message does that send about those who admire Ms. Spears? How is the average young girl supposed to grow up with a healthy self-image (completely opposite of the one possessed by SF) when this is what they are being convinced to believe? Fortunately, there’s at least one group out there trying to do something about the problem.
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3 Responses to “Sometimes, I just don’t know”
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Good post, as it kind of hits home (and I’m glad your site is up and running again by the way). I try not to obsess over weight and fitness and have gotten better about it. As a guy that was once 60-70 pounds heavier, I always fear that it will creep back up. I know how I felt physically and emotionally as a former obese guy and having that stigma as the “fat guy” and will do everything possible not to let that happen again. So I’d like to think my “obsession” comes from that perspective, and not vanity (although we all know how drop dead gorgeous I am, so it is difficult not to be vain… j/k).
It is, indeed, a shame to see what society has deemed “pretty.” When I saw Britney’s “comeback,” I thought she was looking kind of hot. But seeing what people are saying all over the news is crazy. And it hits home for us, as we both have daughters that will have that kind of pressure on them.
I got your message the other day and will call you here soon. I’m glad to see you guys are still doing well. Take care for now.
Jake
you are 100% on target with that. I would be very very happy with her bod!
I think Brit looks great - of course I would too if I had my kids by 23 years old and had millions of dollars to spend on body tucks & lifts and my 10 personal trainers and food chefs. She does look a bit lost - I think she should totally reinvent herself and become a Christian rock star! She may have a good chance at a comeback then!
As for the serious stuff - I am still working on my plan to teach Maggie that how society rates her physically should not effect her confidence and her ability to become a self-fulfilling, intelligent woman in this world. I wish I was able to believe that myself. Unfortunate for me that demon still lurks around every corner of my life.