We Must Stop Feeding Unhealthy Obsession With Looks
Imagine walking around with a tube that goes through your nose and passes through your esophagus, right down into your stomach.
A nasogastric tube, or feeding tube, provides nourishment. It’s usually reserved for patients with medical challenges. But now, feeding tubes are the new dietary rage.
Last week, the New York Times ran a story about crash-dieting brides willing to undergo the 10-day K-E diet that costs $1,500 and requires a doctor’s supervision.
It’s an eyebrow-raising trend, but we know where it stems from. The pressure on brides and women in general to look a certain way is not imaginary.
When I was planning my wedding, every magazine had a get-fit-quick plan for brides. Looking a certain way was an ongoing dialogue.
There was no escape from the endless pictures of Kate Middleton and even short-term bride Kim Kardashian. There’s nothing wrong with losing weight healthfully, but magazines, TV, runways and society seem to scream, “Lose weight. Look perfect.”
Perfection is expected of women, not just by men, but by other women, because this is the culture of thinspiration and bodysnarking. We feel so insecure about our own image that we pick on others. I am no exception. I’ve been picked on for being too skinny and having acne. But I’ve also scoffed at the girls in too-short skirts and v-necks down to there. It’s the bullied becomes the bully complex.
This is why Ashley Judd’s puffy face became a thing to talk about recently. We all wondered if she was a victim of botched plastic surgery or a crazy beauty treatment. I shamefully admit I gave her face the questioning side-eye. And I know better. Still, it’s easy to get caught up in the crazy talk.