Friday, December 10, 2010

Cut #999 Part II

Here is an excerpt from a clever post by Ragen Chastain.  She carefully cites every media barb she expereiences in one day of media exposure. 
Here are the top-sheet results:
• Messages stating that it is impossible to be healthy at my weight: 217
• Messages stating that my weight makes me unattractive: 123
• Messages stating that I am lazy and don't exercise/don't exercise enough, lack will power, or am not "in control": 311
• Messages stating that I need to reach a specific BMI to be healthy: 36
• Messages stating that I am a drain on the health care system: 116
• Messages stating that I have poor eating habits: 84
• Messages suggesting that I should be "repulsed by my weight" [used those words specifically]: 19
• Messages calling me a derisive name: 152
• Messages saying something positive about people with large bodies: 3
• Messages that specifically shouted down those 3 positive comments: 231 (these are included in the categories above so they are not added into the total below)
Let's review:
• Total messages about my body: 1061
• Total negative messages: 1058 Total positive messages: 3
• About 353 negative message for each positive message.
If we extrapolate, I have been receiving:
7406 negative messages about my body each week
31,740 negative messages about my body each month
386,170 negative messages about my body each year
Now it's audience participation time…
Do you think that hearing 386,170 negative messages about my body makes me more likely to:
a. appreciate my body in a way that makes me want to take good care of it
b. become a silent monk living in the mountains with no technology
c. hate myself and feel like a failure who doesn't deserve to be treated well by myself or others
d. b. and c., but not a.
Should we be surpised that such anxiety is showing up in earlier ages as well

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