Hello, my name is Violet Brown. I know… what a unique name. Anyway, I started this blog to reach out to people who are obese, like I used to be, and to help them loose weight, like I did. First, let me tell you a little about myself. I am a 19 year old college student and I’ve been obese for most of my life. And like any girl, I like to do girl stuff, like wear make-up, take bubble baths, keep up with the latest fashion trends, and get my nails done. Sometimes, I would get really depressed looking at all the skinny girls in the magazine clothing advertisements. And going shopping didn’t help either cuz none of the clothes ever fit right or I couldn’t find my size.
The first ad I came across was by DKNY. The skinny, blue eyed girl in a pink jacket and a short skirt had the self-confidence that I craved. She impressed upon me that she had the determination to take on the world all by herself. I just knew that if I could look like that and wear those same clothes that I could have her self-confidence to hold my head high and show a little skin and take over the world with her (metaphorically speaking, of course). The determination I saw in her eyes fueled mine to lose weight and be a healthier person. Outside I went to get some exercise; I thought it would be nice to get in a few laps around the house. The outside experience didn’t turn out so well, not only did I get attacked by a swarm of sand gnats; I also was having trouble breathing by the time I got back to the front door after my first lap. That night I decided that instead of having my regular two Arby’s Beef-n-Cheddar with extra Arby’s sauce, a large Potato Bites, a large Jalapeño Bites, a large Sweet Tea and a Cherry Turn-Over, I’d have only one Beef-n-Cheddar sandwich and the Potato bites with a Diet Coke. I continued this routine, minus the outside exercise, for about a week. I saw very little results so I went back to looking at magazines’ and eating the same meals as before.
That’s when I came across Leon Max’s designer clothes ad. The girl’s long flowing hair and being on the beach without looking like a beached whale is what caught my attention. The girls far-away look on her face also made me wonder is she was looking or waiting for that “special someone.” The whole advertisement just spoke to me; the girl looked so relax, so peaceful, just waiting. OH! How I longed to not look like a beached whale on the beach that summer and to feel at peace with myself while waiting for my “special someone.” And to just walk down the beach without people shouting at you that you’re blocking their view. I was off to start a new diet, no more Arby’s for me! Wendy’s Crispy Chicken Sandwich, hold the lettuce and tomato, add bacon and cheese, with a small fries and a side of chili and a Diet Coke. HEY, a girl has got to eat! After lunch I thought I’d try exercising again, so I went to Wal-Mart… might as well walk around in the A/C with no bugs to attack you! I was determined to have that beach body by summer and in the middle of doing my exercise at Wal-Mart I thought it might be helpful to pick up some workout DVD’s. I went home and watched the DVD’s. I broke out into a sweat just watching them!
Another two weeks passed by, summer was getting closer and closer, and I had only lost 4lbs with the change in the diet, the exercising at Wal-Mart, and watching the DVD’s. The pounds were coming off but not as fast as I wanted them too. That’s when I saw the advertisement for Joe’s Jeans and the girls were so skinny. I swear I could make out their bones though their skin, since one of them was topless sitting in a sink. And to sit in a sink like that... I don’t think I could get my foot up that high, much less fit into it, but there’s no denying how sexy they looked and how I wanted to look just like that. I jumped on the internet to figure out how they stay so skinny.
I found an article in Marie Claire, “‘My 11-Grape Diet’: A Model Confesses.” Cleo Glyde had confessed to eating “…a green-grape diet (three for breakfast, two for snacks, six for binges).” I couldn’t ever imagine eating only eleven grapes a day. Glyde also pointed out that, while these models are incredibly beautiful; they are also undernourished and extremely unhealthy, probably just as unhealthy as I am in my obese state. She also described how one model “…died of anorexia-related heart failure between costume changes…” This led me to look up what anorexia was. From the National Eating Disorders Association “anorexia nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.” The National Eating Disorders Association says that the “…average American woman is 5’4” tall and weighs 140 pounds. The average American model is 5’11” tall and weighs 117 pounds” and that “most fashion models are thinner than 98% of American women.” I was really shocked by all of this and although they were my inspiration for losing weight I didn’t want to go from one extreme unhealthy state to another. My determination stepped up a notch to not only lose weight but to do so in a healthy way.
The question “You are woman?” jumped out at me from another magazine ad for the French Connection. And I thought about that question as I looked at the skinny girl in the white strapless dress (how wonderful it would be to be able to wear a strapless dress and not have to depend on a bra all the time!) as she held her Eiffel Tower made of yarn. Yes! I am woman! But I didn’t feel feminine enough and I knew I didn’t look feminine like the girl who looked up at me from the pages of my magazine.
The last straw had been drawn! And I was now more determined than ever to lose weight and still be healthy while doing so. I was off to Subway and not to get my normal Footlong Meatball Marinara sandwich with its 1,160 calories, oh no, I was going for the 6” Turkey Breast on Wheat Bread with all the veggies I could possibly get and excluding all the condiments, some apples slices and bottled water. I soon got tired of eating only turkey and I started alternating between turkey, black forest ham and oven roasted chicken. I continued going to Wal-Mart (and sometimes Target) every night to get some walking done. The DVD’s were helpful as well, once I started using them the way they were intended to be used. The pounds started melting off and I felt more energized than I had at any point in my life prior to that moment.
I was finally starting to feel as beautiful as the girls in the advertisements. I was finally able to fit into a dress that I had seen in one of those ads. The dress was only $19.95 and from H&M, with its wonderful color palate of baby blues, pinks and browns. Its light fabric floated around me and fit me just like it did the girl in the picture. I now shared the air of confidence that all those other girls in all those other ads did. I finally found a confortable weight. I am happy with my weight now and my Dr. is happy with it too. I know that I will probably never be the size Zero that the models are but I am happier in my skin being a size 8 from a size 18.
I hope that whoever reads this blog finds it to be helpful. I hope this encourages other women out there to lose weight in a healthy way and understand that just because those girls in those ads are skinny doesn’t mean that they are still healthy. And that on either side of the scale, underweight or overweight both are very harmful extremes and have some very dangerous consequences.
Works Cited
“Anorexia Nervosa." National Eating Disorders Association. 2005. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.
DKNY. Advertisement. Vogue. April 2011: 79. Print.
French Connection. Advertisement. Elle. April 2011: 199. Print.
Glyde, Cleo. "Fashion Model Eating Disorder - Marie Claire - Marie Claire." Hairstyles for Women, Fashion, Beauty Products, and Relationship Advice - Marie Claire. 30 Apr. 2007. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.
H & M. Advertisement. Elle. April 2011: 46-47. Print.
Joe’s Jeans. Advertisement. Elle. April 2011: 289. Print.
Leon Max. Advertisement. Vogue. April 2011: 90-91. Print.
“Statistics: Eating Disorders and Their Precursors.” National Eating Disorders Association. 2005. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.
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