Julie, Barbara and Ellen keep it real with fitness facts and Philly tips. | Disclaimer
March 19, 2003
A question of body image

ELLEN, journalist and anti-athlete: This week, I decided to ask the youth expert in our house to answer our reader’s query. My daughter, Kaitlin, is 17 and a senior at Lower Merion High School. She has recently started an exercise program and lost some weight. Here’s her advice:

    Dear 16 and confused,

    As a 17-year-old who has grown up on Seventeen and Teen magazines, I find your perspective on weight very familiar. The battle against negativity in fashion mags and for good body image has been and is a long and arduous one for many teenagers. It’s an issue that I struggle with too.

    Kaitlin Mullaney.
    However, I cannot give you an exact remedy because I do not think there is one. I do know that yours is a question of body image, not weight. If there was a medical problem looming, my advice would be different. But, in your case, and in the cases of most of the girls that I have talked to, losing weight is not the problem. The issue is finding a weight that you are comfortable with, and, moreover, being the person you are comfortable with. That is a very hard thing to do because there isn't a nice clean equation for us. But I do think it is definitely possible.

    Now, if you want to lose weight, there are tons of short-term, lose-quick diet methods decorating the Internet. Before you do a google search, honestly ask yourself if you really care what those ads in Teen Vogue are telling you. If you do, I think that is the wrong motivation to lose weight. And it’s the reason that most people gain weight back. If you're losing the weight to look like the models, then your efforts will fail.

    My suggestion is to set a definite exercise routine, and stick to it like it’s your job. The routine HAS to be realistic. Start out slow if you know that a quick change to your habits might defeat your plan. Also, pick things you like to do if you have the opportunity, and find someone to exercise with you whenever you can.

    Sincerely,

Kaitlin

If you’d like to be a guest columnist for the Girlfriends, please give us your name and your topic by hitting Add A Comment below. We’re particularly interested in the opinions of young girlfriends out there. Thanks, Ellen.

Posted March 19, 2003 11:53 AM

Comments

geez that kaitlin girl was using some big words!! but i like her advice ... its so true!

Posted by: Madaline Jones on March 21, 2003 11:49 AM

kaitlin,
great advice. you sound like dr. Phil.....dr kaitlin has a nice ring to it. my friend wrote a book about girls and self image and growing up. its called "when the breastfairy comes" by stacy roberts......teen girl body image is very important and will stick with a girl a long time. we need to make sure girls are not using 17 magazine as the guidelines because most of us in the real world don't have trainers and don't want to starve ourselves. life is no fun that way.

Posted by: barb noel on March 21, 2003 09:19 PM

Kaitlin:

Your thoughtful answer shows that you understand the struggles out there and how important it is to make your own choices and plan. I am very proud of you and am glad that your ideas can be shared with everyone! Go Girlfriend!

Janice Hillman

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