"Thigh Gap"

I just saw an article this morning about teen girls trying to acheive 'thigh gap.' This is utterly ridiculous. As a health nut, and a mom of two young girls, this just ticks me off.

I recently spent several weekends volunteering with a community theatre. They were doing a production of "Annie," and I was surrounded by a number of young girls daily. Several times, I would hear one or more utter something to the effect of, "I shouldn't eat this, i'm on a diet," or "I'm fat." Lucky (or unlucky) for them, I was doing the orphans' makeup, so I took that opportunity to talk to a few of them that I had overheard.

This EDUCATING of our young girls is SO important, and really, I feel it on my heart to do this.  I told these girls that they should NOT be on a diet. A diet is temporary. What they need to be doing, is ensuring that they're living a healthy lifestyle! They're GROWING!! They need to be fueling their bodies correctly with good, nutritious food. And yes, it's okay to have cookies once in a while, or a piece of birthday cake!

I hate that we live in a society that PUSHES diets on these young (and very impressionable) girls. So,  I encourage you to...well...ENCOURAGE young girls to live a healthy lifestyle. A stick-thin body with no fat is NOT typical, nor should it ever be unless it is in your genetics. Encourage them to eat well to fuel their growing mind and body. Encourage them to accept ALL body types. Encourage them to see the beauty in their body shape. Just ENCOURAGE them.