Friday, July 27, 2007

A weighty issue

With the latest news about people’s weight being affected by the company they keep and this newest article on some teen-agers with diabetes manipulating their insulin dosages to manage their weight, it feels as if this whole weight issue has gotten out of control. We’ve known for quite a while that many people go through dangerous measures to keep their weight under control, but when I read of the insulin manipulation, I was surprised to realize I wasn’t surprised – if that makes sense.

What do we have to do to stop girls (mostly) from doing these things to themselves? I look at photos of high-end models and they look so unnatural to me. Why would anyone want to look like that? It’s not appealing, it’s not sexy, it’s not natural. This isn’t the same thing as anorexia nervosa – that’s an illness, but the obsession with being so thin, with looking so thin. I just don’t get it.

News for Today:
Dangerous Eating Disorder Trend Emerging Among Diabetics
Cannabis smokers ‘are taking huge risk of psychotic illness’
Diabetes drugs increase risk of heart failure, research shows
Prescribing of antibiotics to children still at a level to cause drug resistance, warn experts
Physical health problems often accompany PTSD

4 comments:

Terrie Farley Moran said...

Hi, Marijke.

Thanks for another interesting column. I have five grand-kids, four of them are girls, still too young to have body image problems. I read about this "thin, thin, thin" syndrome in young girls all the time.

It is frightening to see how far it's gone. I would think that young girls who were raised to take care of their diabetes would realize how dangerous it would be to mess with their insulin dose. but I guess it's like the kids that pile into the tanning salons on Friday so that they can be "golden" all weekend. They are too young to worry about the future and this is their idea of living for today.

Makes me very nervous.

Terrie

Marijke Vroomen-Durning said...

You're welcome Terrie. :-)

When my now 18-yr-old daughter was young, she even would ask me at age 4 and 5 if she was fat. That she did not get from here as it was a banned topic of conversation in our house. I guess I have to admit that we were lucky and didn't have weight issues, but it's so frightening how many children do.

Dawn said...

Knowing the potential result of diabetes, I am gobsmacked that anyone would mess with their insulin dosage.

If they lose a limb as a result, they will certainly loose weight!

What awful messages we are sending our kids.

Tena Russ said...

Hi Marijke,

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Nice to meet another dog fanatic!

Your topic about body image is interesting. As my blogger profile states (and nobody reads) I have been a model for a very very long time. I don't usually like to talk about the business much mainly because it's not that interesting. Writing is, though.

Not all models are bone thin. I am 5'6.5" tall and weigh 125 pounds. By no means does this make me a skinny woman. I am not obsessed with my weight or my appearance. I just want to look and feel heathy.

BTW, I happen to know a Dutch woman with your same name.

Best,
Tena