I need to take a brief segue from my stress theme, as I want you all to take a look at this article that Jessica Weiner wrote in the September issue of Glamour Magazine about her “Health Awakening.” Entitled “Loving my Body Almost Killed Me”.
I adore Jess Weiner. She is a great speaker, fun to be around (I got to hang with her at lunch when she spoke at the VA NASW conference a number of years back). She has written two wonderful books, (A Very Hungry Girl and Life Doesn’t Begin Five Pounds From Now), and she has a great message to tell about loving your body and stopping “The Language of Fat”. In “Life Doesn’t Begin Five Pounds From Now,” Jess Says this:
“The Language of Fat is about more than the word “fat.” It is about more than just the fear of becoming fat. It is the nagging, brutal voice in your head that says your life isn’t worth living until you look a certain way.”
Given the quote above, do you think there are problems with her Glamour article? She talks about needing to lose weight due to her health. There is nothing wrong with that. She makes healthy choices in her efforts to make this happen. Over an appropriate period of time, through eating a balanced healthy diet and appropriate exercise she is able to bring her body out of a dangerous medical zone. Are their problems with her declaration of planned continued weight loss? Do we need information about Jess’s weight? Is her proclamation and plans different than what others do in the diet industry, and the language of fat that Jess discusses? She is not speaking ill of her body, but she is discussing weight loss as a central theme.
I would love for you to chime in on this. I still love Jess but I wonder about this new turn….