U.S. first lady Michelle Obama speaks during an event held to unveil a nationwide campaign to combat childhood obesity, at the White House in Washington February 9, 2010.
Posted on 02/09/2010 10:51:37 AM PST by maggief
EXCERPT
Now, some critics are questioning whether using her own daughters as examples is fair to them. "Was it hurtful to her girls?" asked one blogger who focuses on Mommy issues. Psychology Today even questioned the first lady for using the word "chubby" to describe her daughters.
While her heart is in the right place, Michelle may not have considered or been familiar with the delicate balance between preventing obesity and triggering eating disorders. She mentioned that she put her children on a diet after her pediatrician and their father felt they were getting “chubby.” Words like “chubby” don’t cause eating disorders but they are often a trigger to disordered eating behavior. As an eating disorder professional, we would strongly caution parents from using labels or prerogative words to describe their child’s weight as this has lasting impacts on a child’s self esteem.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimesblogs.latimes.com ...
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama speaks during an event held to unveil a nationwide campaign to combat childhood obesity, at the White House in Washington February 9, 2010.
Once a clerk at a store referred to me (when my sister was hunting me down and asked her) as “heavy-set,” and I’ve never, ever forgotten it, and she was no relative to me, not even someone I’ve ever met before and I *only* was about ten pounds overweight at the time. The sting of cruel words to describe your very own flesh and blood (the same flesh and blood that Michelle feels is disposable) is felt even more so, I would imagine. Shame, shame on Michelle. Do you think “her heart was in the right place”? I hope her kids become pro-life zealots. That would fix her.
If you leave most of these kids alone and stop being helicopter parents, kids usually grow up and out of these “problems”. Geez, but we’re an obsessive society.
A preteen girl need not look like a runway model. That is an unhealthy weight, and an unhealthy obsession, and a outdated mindset (that the value of a woman/girl is defined by if men like to look at her or not).
A twelve year old girl at a healthy weight SHOULD look a little chubby by Hollywood standards.
The diets and obsessing over what men think of how they look will start up with a vengeance soon enough. Why stoke the fire and destroy the last days of their childhood?
Michelle: "I have to speak to school kids today. You know what that means."
"Set up the TOTUS!"
And regarding her own caboose she said........nadda
I think they’re cute girls that look just fine.
I heard the same words as a child from an uncle and have never forgotten them. Right before I got married my mom and brother were along on a shopping trip with me and my brother told my mom that I walked like I was fat and he didn’t understand why (she told me later). I was 125 pounds and believed I was fat. That’s what adults’ words can do to you.
((Close your ears Sasha and Malia...you are perfect!!!))
Michelle is somewhat chunky herself
Pointing out the faults of your children shows your own insecurity about yourself.
Mrs. O, please don’t call your children names anymore. Don’t you know that when your young and the outside world puts you down or calls you names like “chubby”, the place you go for comfort is home.
Think Mrs. O. Where will your children go for comfort if you’ve called them names too?
Thank you!!! As if it isn’t already hard enough to be a tween. Perhaps she should refer to her own chubbiness before throwing the girls under the bus.
I was skinny as a child and to this day, I hate being called that. Except now I am FAT. And it doesn’t bother me when people say I am fat. Just don’t call me skinny.
They are at the chubby stage of prepubescence. so long as she is feeding them healthy food, she should not put them on a diet. my pediatrician tried to tell me my son was chubby at that age, and i knew darn well it was pre-growth spurt and as my older daughter grew out of it within a year so did he. not an ounce of flab on either of them.
The Children will development like their parents, it is called Genes. It is a shame, good or bad we get our body frames, etc from heritage. Michelle should not choose this as her First Lady platform because how can you talk about childhood obesity or obesity at all when from the waist down you look like a BW Bus. Improper nutrition can cause serious problems with growth and all over health. She cannot watch her children every minute and they may end up snitching food. The children will find a way. She could get them to take up smoking to kill their appetite like their Daddy. She needs to let her kids grow up naturally without making them the issue.
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