A friend sent me
this link talking about how the media is making it more acceptable to be overweight, maybe even celebrating it. I feel that these images and messages are lost in the plethora of images and messaging that says we should all be a size 0 or toothpick thin. That young girls have poor body images because of what the media (MTV, movies, television shows, etc.) depicts as the "desired state".
That, combined with fast food, drive throughs, high fructose corn syrup and home automation (remote controls, automatic garage door openers, gas powered lawn equipment, etc.) all have driven our ability to consume many more calories than we burn off. We've become a society of "instant gratification" using food, shopping, gambling, drugs, alcohol and sex to tickle some part of our brains to give us a rush of endorphins and a feeling of happiness. But it's shortlived. We end up realizing we didn't change anything. We still are unhappy with who we are, where we are in life or what we have or don't have.
Learning to be happy in our skins can be challenging. I think when I was heavy, I first hated myself, felt unattractive and beat myself up mentally. Then I slowly came to accept my body as a "given". As I become more self-confident, some might have mis-read my acceptance of being overweight as being proud of it but that was never the case. I just came to accept the fact that 1) I was not attracted to overweight people, 2) that everyone's definition of attractive is different and 3) some people will find me attractive physically or mentally. The real challenge is finding someone you find attractive and who finds you equally attractive. Hopefully, you are attracted to that person for who they are (funny, witty, charming, intelligent or caring) instead of what they look like. Judge Judy says it best when she says, "Beauty fades but dumb is forever." If the only thing you like about the person you are with is what they look like, you will eventually grow tired of them. You have to have a variety of things that you like to find a lasting relationship that grows closer over time instead of drifting apart.