Weight loss ads...
...bother the heck out of me!!
I am an average weight for my height and age. And I am healthy. And I am beautiful. As a matter of fact, I lost ten pounds last fall. In probably the least healthy way possible: not eating for a week. I haven't been diagnosed, and it hasn't happened again (at least not so drastically), but I think I might have been mildly anorexic. It wasn't about an aversion to body fat, it was about control; my life was falling apart, and I had no control over anything, so I didn't eat as a way of exercising control over something. Then, of course, I moved to the fourth floor of a building across campus, mostly by myself, and had tech week. Those helped, but most of it was not eating.
So, I lost ten pounds, and I get *complimented* on doing it! "Oh, MK, you look so good! I'm so proud of you!" Um. Really? Because I hate it. Before my life fell apart and I stopped eating, I had the best body image I've ever had in my life. I accepted that I'd gained some weight my freshman year, but I was around lots of women, many of whom were larger than I was, most of whom were absolutely GORGEOUS. I was healthy, and just because I had a few extra pounds didn't mean anything. Then I lost ten pounds in a ridiculously unhealthy way, and instead of people trying to get me to reclaim the health I'd had, they were complimenting my slimmer figure. I know, of course, that most people (i.e., my mom's friends) didn't know I'd done it so unhealthily, but my mom does. And all the time she tells me how great I look now, and maybe I didn't do it the right way but hey I can keep it up, right?
Point is: my self esteem is now LOWER than it was when I was over 160 lbs. Partly because people keep telling me I look so great now, but I interpret it as "Well, does that mean I wasn't beautiful when I thought I was?"
Bigger point: Facebook. Ever get those ads-to-advertise in your news feed? "Advertise using Facebook's highly target-ed ad system! Best way to reach customers!" Usually, this is great. I have bands listed in my "favorite music" section, and I get ads saying "Like X band? Try us!" Which is fine! Or I'm a "fan" of Barack Obama, so I get ads for shirts, etc. I say I like musicals. I get ads for musicals.
What I don't like, though, is all the weight loss ads. Know what they're targeting?? My sex is listed as female. I'm sure people whose sex is listed as male get sports-targeted ads, or whatever. But just because you're listed as a woman, the advertisers for these (probably rather unhealthy and/or useless) weight-loss schemes [pills, diets, exercise routines, etc.] target WOMEN. This is unacceptable.
One of the good things about the new Facebook, however (complain all you want, this part is still better), is that you can click thumbs up or thumbs down to each ad, and then suggest a reason. I know people who select "irrelevant" to the ads, because they don't need to lose weight, but I always choose offensive. I think it sends a stronger message. If you would do the same, that would be AWESOME. The more people that report the weight loss ads as offensive, the more likely Facebook will be to listen.
So. If you happen to notice that there's a "Get back into your skinny jeans!" or "Oprah approves acai for weight loss!" or "Got a muffin top? Here's how to get rid of it!" ad on the right of your Facebook browsing experience, click the thumbs down, then from the drop-down menu choose "offensive." Simple as that. It takes about ten seconds per ad, and then it will go away and be replaced with a different ad.
You don't need to lose weight to impress people. You are BEAUTIFUL. Just because you are a woman doesn't mean that you should feel pressured to lose weight to "fit in."
Think about it, please? And pass it on!
Love,
MK
I am an average weight for my height and age. And I am healthy. And I am beautiful. As a matter of fact, I lost ten pounds last fall. In probably the least healthy way possible: not eating for a week. I haven't been diagnosed, and it hasn't happened again (at least not so drastically), but I think I might have been mildly anorexic. It wasn't about an aversion to body fat, it was about control; my life was falling apart, and I had no control over anything, so I didn't eat as a way of exercising control over something. Then, of course, I moved to the fourth floor of a building across campus, mostly by myself, and had tech week. Those helped, but most of it was not eating.
So, I lost ten pounds, and I get *complimented* on doing it! "Oh, MK, you look so good! I'm so proud of you!" Um. Really? Because I hate it. Before my life fell apart and I stopped eating, I had the best body image I've ever had in my life. I accepted that I'd gained some weight my freshman year, but I was around lots of women, many of whom were larger than I was, most of whom were absolutely GORGEOUS. I was healthy, and just because I had a few extra pounds didn't mean anything. Then I lost ten pounds in a ridiculously unhealthy way, and instead of people trying to get me to reclaim the health I'd had, they were complimenting my slimmer figure. I know, of course, that most people (i.e., my mom's friends) didn't know I'd done it so unhealthily, but my mom does. And all the time she tells me how great I look now, and maybe I didn't do it the right way but hey I can keep it up, right?
Point is: my self esteem is now LOWER than it was when I was over 160 lbs. Partly because people keep telling me I look so great now, but I interpret it as "Well, does that mean I wasn't beautiful when I thought I was?"
Bigger point: Facebook. Ever get those ads-to-advertise in your news feed? "Advertise using Facebook's highly target-ed ad system! Best way to reach customers!" Usually, this is great. I have bands listed in my "favorite music" section, and I get ads saying "Like X band? Try us!" Which is fine! Or I'm a "fan" of Barack Obama, so I get ads for shirts, etc. I say I like musicals. I get ads for musicals.
What I don't like, though, is all the weight loss ads. Know what they're targeting?? My sex is listed as female. I'm sure people whose sex is listed as male get sports-targeted ads, or whatever. But just because you're listed as a woman, the advertisers for these (probably rather unhealthy and/or useless) weight-loss schemes [pills, diets, exercise routines, etc.] target WOMEN. This is unacceptable.
One of the good things about the new Facebook, however (complain all you want, this part is still better), is that you can click thumbs up or thumbs down to each ad, and then suggest a reason. I know people who select "irrelevant" to the ads, because they don't need to lose weight, but I always choose offensive. I think it sends a stronger message. If you would do the same, that would be AWESOME. The more people that report the weight loss ads as offensive, the more likely Facebook will be to listen.
So. If you happen to notice that there's a "Get back into your skinny jeans!" or "Oprah approves acai for weight loss!" or "Got a muffin top? Here's how to get rid of it!" ad on the right of your Facebook browsing experience, click the thumbs down, then from the drop-down menu choose "offensive." Simple as that. It takes about ten seconds per ad, and then it will go away and be replaced with a different ad.
You don't need to lose weight to impress people. You are BEAUTIFUL. Just because you are a woman doesn't mean that you should feel pressured to lose weight to "fit in."
Think about it, please? And pass it on!
Love,
MK