Beautiful, no matter what the size
Alana DeFinnly

"Do these pants make my butt look fat?"

"What was she thinking? She doesn't have the body to wear that."

"I have to get back to the gym, I'm getting flabby."

"I hate my thighs."

"She's so skinny, I wish I had her stomach."

Do any of these phrases sound even remotely familiar? Sadly enough, they probably do. A startling 90 per cent of North American women are dissatisfied with their bodies, and approximately 70 per cent are preoccupied with their weight.

The number of women actually diagnosed with an eating disorder is much lower (one to two per cent of women for anorexia and three to five per cent of women for bulimia), yet 20 per cent of women engage in a variety of activities in their daily lives associated with both eating disorders. These could include anything from skipping meals to self-induced vomiting, or simply hating the reflection you see in the mirror.

Those figures alone indicate there is a growing problem of low self-esteem and body image among North American women (and some men), but the problem is not confined to adults.

How did we become a society where being fat is so reviled and thinness is put on a pedestal - a society where a rigid definition of beauty is crammed down our throats and genuine self-acceptance seems so hard to achieve?

We can't even look around without seeing a petite girl or a well-buffed guy modelling the newest jeans or the gadget we want to buy. What's more, what can actually be done about this ongoing problem?

It is widely recognized that the problems with body image and weight preoccupation most women experience are strongly influenced by socio-cultural factors.

Television, movies, magazines, advertising and the fashion industry all feed into our culture's tendency to see being thin as a perfect example of willpower, determination and self-restraint.

If someone is fat, it must be their fault. They must be lazy, undisciplined slobs who simply eat too much because they lack the willpower to stop.

Sadly, we too often apply those same harsh standards to ourselves. If our hips are too big, our thighs too jiggly, if we don't wear a size six, then we must be 'too fat' and we come to hate our bodies, which in reality are beautiful and strong, no matter the size.

We come to equate beauty and the quest for the perfect body with the attainment of love, friendship, relationships and happiness. These kinds of attitudes have to change.

Just think of all the strength and energy we'd have to focus on more productive and attainable goals if we stopped berating ourselves for not having a flat stomach.

February 1 to 6, is Eating Disorder Awareness Week, a week dedicated to celebrating the beauty of all body shapes and sizes, while working to reduce the reported cases of eating disorders and other body image problems in Canada.

On Wednesday, February 3, the Women's Centre has organized a panel discussion from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. in the Paul Martin Centre to discuss eating disorders, body image and the media.

It's going to be an enlightening evening, with healthy snacks provided, so please join us.