Do I Look Fat? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah

Are you afraid that boys won’t like you? Are you afraid that you will be rejected by your friends? Do you feel like you are unlovable if you do not have a perfect body?

How much do your conversations revolve around your weight and body image? Do you put yourself and the way you look down in order to fit in with other girls. Do you identify your feelings of low self esteem with the way your body looks?

Talking about weight and body image is a huge topic of conversation among teen girls, and adult women for that matter. It could be an issue for everyone… last night I was on a walk with my family and our neighbor stopped us to talk to me about baseball. He is an older guy with a ‘tummy’. At the end of our conversation he said, “I’ll let you guys get back to staying skinny.” I only use that as an example of how much body image and weight is a part of everyday conversation.

It seems to be that, for teen girls, negative talk about their bodies is a safe way to express their insecurities. Rather than really discuss what is going on, it is easier to just give a comment like, “I am so disgusting, I am going on a diet tomorrow.” Author Jessica Weiner calls this speaking the language of fat. In other words, talking about body image to account for or cover up other fears and insecurities.

I don’t think that it is healthy to talk about all of your insecurities to everyone that you meet. But I do think that it is important for you to think about what you are really expressing when you talk about how fat you are… or aren’t.

Identify those feelings and then talk about them with someone that you trust. It should be someone that you know will take your feelings seriously and help you express them and work through them. There is so much more to you than your body and the way you look.

Leave us a comment and let us know how much you or your friends talk about their bodies.