You Are Your Worst Critic

Today at my church we had a lesson on keeping our bodies healthy. One of my teachers read us some statistics which I looked up after I got home. They were things like this:

• 5-10 million girls and women and 1 million boys and men have eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, etc.)
• 80% of 10-year olds are worried about getting fat
• From a study of 8-10 year olds, about 50% said that they weren't happy about their size
• 1 in 2 American women are on a weight loss diet
• 40% of 1, 2, and 3rd grade girls want to lose weight
• 10-15% of anorexics and bulimics are men
• 15% of young girls have eating disorders
• The average model 25 years ago had 8% less fat than the average American women. Now it is 23%
  

Okay, so I thought that this was all pretty scary. I think it is just beyond sad that millions of people are unhappy because of their weight. They think that if they look a certain way then they will be happy. Even if it isn't really possible, they're all trying to look just like a model. I couldn't believe how many statistics there were about elementary girls who were worried about their weight. When I was their age, that was the last thing I worried about.

In today's society, people don't think they can be accepted unless they starve themselves. It happens with boys too. It said that 10-15% of anorexics and bulimics are guys. Plenty of men in our country feel the exact same way. They also don't feel like they can be accepted until they get the macho muscley look.

We've all heard about how if Barbie were a real person, then she would be 5'9" and 110 lbs. She would probably have health problems because of being underweight. What many people haven't heard is that GI Joe Extreme would have a 55 inch chest and a 27 inch bicep. That means his bicep would be almost as big as his waist, and he would be more muscular than most body builders.

It just makes me sad that this is what people want to live up to. They all want to look like Barbie or GI Joe. They think, Well once I reach 110 lbs I'll finally be happy. They don't realize that models do a lot of unhealthy and stupid things to look the way they do. Some people think that by skipping breakfast in the morning they will lose some weight. What they don't know is that skipping breakfast can actually make you gain weight. Also, they'll feel sick and cranky during the day without the nutrition they need in the morning.

Another thing I think is sad is addictions. Instead of the If I look like this then I'll be happy idea, it's If I do this then I'll fit in. I met a girl this summer at a camp. She was from California, 14 years old, and getting over a weed addiction. After she realized how bad her life was getting because of the weed, she got help. She said that now she's a completely different person.

Another dangerous addiction is alcohol. Even if they've heard about how bad it is for your body, tons of people do it anyway. Even if they might ruin their liver, it doesn't matter if it means that they fit in. The teacher who taught today told us about how her brother is an alcoholic. He thinks that it only affects himself, but he doesn't realize that his angry, bad mood the alcohol gives him affects his entire family.

She also told us about a man who died of lung cancer. He had smoked most of his life, and it pretty much ruined his lungs. Three years later, his wife died of it too. The difference was that she had never smoked in her life. Just by living with him and breathing in the smoke, she died pretty soon after he did. Once again, he thought that whatever he did could only affect him. He didn't think that second-hand smoking would kill his wife, but it did anyway.

Basically, I think our world would be a much better place if people could be happy with the way they are. If people just ate healthy food and took care of their bodies, then they could really be happy. If people didn't feel like they had to lower to everyone else's standards to fit in, they would be happier, healthier, and more beautiful than if they went on a diet. It would really make our world a better place.