thin

My Disordered Eating Past

February 5, 2010

Polly is dead. She committed suicide on February 8, 2008, a likely result of her lifelong struggle with anorexia. I don’t know Polly but for some reason the news of her death went through me like a cold shiver, the same way it does any time I hear about a eating disordered woman who loses the battle. So I did what any intelligent stalker-type does these days: I googled her. I discovered that her death made headlines because she was one of three eating-disordered women profiled in the HBO documentary “Thin” that aired back in 2006. Not watching TV, it [...]

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Skinny Vs. Strong – Who Wins?

June 11, 2009

In a cage fight between skinny & strong who will win? On the left we have Jaslene Gonzales, winner of America’s Next Top Model, Cycle Whatever. On the right we have an unnamed CrossFit woman. What’s your call? CrossFit chick, hands-down. Maybe in a bar fight and if Jaslene had a broken bottle. And the element of surprise. Then… Okay, not even then. CrossFit chick takes it in every scenario I can think up. Never Thin EnoughAndrea Muizelaar, winner of Canada’s Next Top Model, Cycle Infinite Winter, found this out the hard way. You may remember her from 2006 when [...]

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How To Think Like A Thin Person

December 30, 2008

See this person? They are not normal either. Inside I am Hello Kitty Storm Trooper too. Tell me truthfully: Do you think that thin people actually think differently than heavier folks? (Avoiding for a moment the very real point that thinness does not necessarily bring happiness as evidenced by this Special K survey where the top 4 happiest – both with their looks and their lives – groups of women were sizes 10, 8, 6 and 12 respectively.) I like to watch people eat. I stare. I’ll admit it gets awkward occasionally. But, contrary to what they often think, I’m [...]

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Trend Watch: Chest Bones Are the New Clavicle

August 12, 2008

Skinny is in, just in case you missed the memo and somehow also missed being whacked over the head with the skinny mallet by every single media outlet. But it is no longer enough to just be thin. You must be skeletal. Lumpy thin, a la Kirsten Dunst, is so nineties. Anyone can starve, darlings. But not everyone can make their bones pop just so. Consider the evidence: Last year was all about the clavicle. Many thin women have protruding collar bones at the base of their neck. But only the really good ones can make it pop all the [...]

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Body Confidence: What Not To Do

August 4, 2008

“You’re prettier but she’s way sexier.” Thus started one of the worst back-handed compliments I’ve ever received. “She just knows how to use what she’s got. You’re… kinda spastic.” The speaker was Shane, my rakishly handsome neighbor my freshman year of college. My roommates and I all had massive crushes on him which he both knew and used to his advantage. Two of my roommates were quickly out of the game, one by her own volition (she claimed she was playing hard to get but it came across as just not playing) and one was summarily dismissed when it was [...]

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Confessions of a Thin Girl?

July 14, 2008

Photo Credit: Flippin’ Sweet Gear In my life I’ve had many occasions to hear how different women and girls talk about their weight and body image. Not because I’m special but because we all talk about this kind of thing a lot. We’ve all witnessed the post-ice-cream meltdowns of a normal girl who considers herself a chubby failure. There are a plethora of books out there, both love and hate, about how obese people feel about themselves. Recently we’ve been hearing more along the lines of the body-acceptance movement, which I think is a welcome change. But you know who [...]

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Kids Will Be Kids

July 3, 2008

Second Son (4 years old): Whatdahet?? (his favorite nonsensical eptithet – heaven help me when he learns real cuss words) I am SO FAT! Just look at me! First Son (5 years old): Yeah, well I’m super skinny. Look at my bones everywhere! I’m just a little boy wasting away! (Oh the drama.) My blood ran cold as I listened to two of my sons discussing their figures over lunch. Where was this coming from? What had I done wrong? Had they overheard something that I said to someone? Overheard a friend’s mom? Had I mistakenly assumed, even though I [...]

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