Fat-Talk Free Week Campaign

The Fat Talk Free Week Campaign is currently underway, beginning on October 16 through October 22. The Fat Talk Free Week Campaign is geared toward creating awareness and reshaping the way teens think about their body image, weight loss and accepting who we are.


The Fat Talk Free Week Campaign encourages discussion among adults and teens about society's obsession with being thin and the unrealistic expectations many put on themselves to look like photo-shopped celebrities. It is not uncommon for men, women and teens to describe feeling fat, or to wish they could lose a few pounds. While, for health reasons, it is important to eat and exercise moderately to keep a healthy lifestyle, it is not healthy to continually put one's self down for being overweight, or for feeling like they don't match up to this unrealistic standard of beauty. 

This realization is what brings together the Fat Talk Free Week Campaign for teens and adults. This week encourages individuals and teens to take an active effort in what they say, especially regarding their weight by eliminating "fat talk." For example, comments like, "I feel so fat in this dress," or "Do I look fat in these jeans?" These comments are actually more detrimental to the attempt for someone to build self-esteem and even engage in an overall healthier lifestyle, according to researchers. Because these kinds of fat talk comments tend to make us feel negative about ourselves, they really only encourage low self-esteem and methods of losing weight in less-than-healthy ways like eating disorders. The more negative we talk about how we look or how much we weigh, the more depressed we become, and the less likely to do something effective to feel better. 

Instead of partaking in fat talk, making healthier lifestyle choices is truly the best ways to see results. Fighting back away from allowing these negative fat talk comments from overwhelming us and making us feel not good enough, we might actually see a new trend toward a more realistic type of mentality regarding women's health and beauty. The Love Your Body Day on October 19 is another day we can take to appreciate what is good about our bodies and how we can appreciate what we have to offer. 

One of the biggest hopes of the Fat Talk Free Week Campaign is to help change the way of thinking among many teens. Teens are often the biggest sufferers of eating disorders. The majority of all eating disorders begins with teens and can carry on into adulthood. These eating disorders are both extremely psychologically and physically damaging to the person that struggles with them throughout their adolescence and teen years. 

In today's world, being thick or fat is often equated with being unhealthy. However, with so many different cultures and body shapes out there, being bigger than a stick-thin model is not always unhealthy. Many women have such different body types that it is unfair to compare each woman to the other. One woman can weigh the same amount as another woman, but be completely healthy for her body type. Instead of focusing on how we wished we looked, or comparing ourselves with celebrities that are constantly dieting and working out with personal trainers, it is important to focus on what we do like about ourselves. This might still include working out and eating healthy. As long as you are doing those things,  you are a healthy individual and should pride yourself on that accomplishment. Trying to look like someone else isn't always realistic. This is the effort being put forth by the Fat Talk Free Week Campaign. It is about awareness and trying to kick start positive thoughts and feelings about other aspects of our lives, rather than just physical appearance.

How You Can End Fat Talk:

Appreciate your talents, successes instead of just how you look, or if you've lost weight. Focus on your successes in school, music, performing, writing, reading and so much more. Compliment  yourself and others by focusing on what can be controlled. Weight and appearance is a difficult thing to control. It is important to focus on what we can control and to let others we know we admire that. For example, instead of telling someone you like their dress, tell them that you like their sense of fashion. This compliments something about their mentality and know-how rather than their appearance. Admire a person's individuality. This will help them feel special, without having to feel good about themselves only in relation to their appearance or weight. Dress with confidence instead of wearing clothes to hide how you look. If you dress in something flatter and in something that you enjoy wearing, you are going to be more likely to feel good about how you look. 

Focusing on other things aside from appearance while trying to maintain a healthy life overall is a great way to continue toward the ideas set forth by the Fat Talk Free Week Campaign. 

Sources: endfattalk.org, huffingtonpost.com

 

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