GlossyVeneer

The Full Body Project
Did you know that Spock from Star Trek is a photographer? Apparently he is and he’s got a book out that features full-bodied women naked. Interesting side project, I guess those trekkie conventions don’t pay enough to cover the bills?

All kidding aside. I haven’t seen any of the clips with him promoting the book but apparently when he was on the Craig Ferguson show, Craig made the comment that some of the women are possibly beyond what is just “curvy” and may be approaching the health-risk area.

What do you think? Is this just accepting different body types or is it encouraging poor health. I’m on the fence. While I do think people should be striving for optimal health (for the shape their genetics made them), I don’t see anything wrong with making people of all different body types feel beautiful. The women on the show How to Look Good Naked end up doing a nude photo shoot and they all feel really good about themselves at the end (or at least the show makes it appear that way). Doesn’t everyone deserve to feel HOTT?

Body Drama
This book is one I’ve seen mentioned in several articles in fitness/health magazines and it kind of intrigues me. I think I should run by a Borders or Barnes and Noble just to flip through one. It is supposed to feature real women’s bodies with questions about all different aspects of being female. Kind of an “Is this Normal” type thing. It appears that it is getting a lot of exposure from media outlets.

And while Leonard Nimoy was talking about how his book would be a good option for homes with young girls, this book looks like it might be a more practical option for that audience. Especially when they’re dealing with those awful adolescent years when you go to sleep with clear skin and feel great only to wake up in the morning all bloated and covered in acne. Or is that the 20′s & 30′s? Does that feeling ever go away?

Another cool thing, the author has a blog where she even has entries that revolve around a product I never even dreamed would exist. I gotta give some love to a woman that dares to even approach topics like those!

I have no intention of turning this site into “my struggle with an ED” or anything like that. I’ve had a lot of thoughts floating around in my head lately and my blog is the natural place for me to dump them. When I learned that it is National Eating Disorders Awareness week, I thought that it was a somewhat natural time to post some of my swirling thoughts.

Our world is really insensitive when it comes to weight issues. My recent work trip to Utah brought this behavior into clear focus for me and at times it hurt my feelings.

1. A co-worker told me, “You’re looking so much healthier. You’ve got color in your cheeks and I think you’ve gained some weight! Now you don’t look as much like one of those nasty starving girls with a nasty eating disorder.”

Gee… thanks. Nasty, huh?

The thing is, I have actually gained some weight. A grand total of about 2 pounds. I’m still not where I need to be and those two pounds might as well be 200 with the amount of emotional punch they packed. I was thrilled that I was successful and doing something that I needed to be doing for optimal health. Simultaneously I was terrified and my first instinct was to react negatively. Every single moment is a struggle.

To be honest… if I was super-rich this weight gain might be easier because I’ve had a couple of really decadent meals from pricey places and if I could eat like that every day… I could be happy with putting on pounds. It is easier for me to eat a rich meal when it is from a “real chef” restaurant because I know they are using quality ingredients.

Well, kind of easier. Easier at the time of consumption, there’s still the follow-up guilt.

2. Another co-worker said:
“Well, Jill will only add about 12 pounds to the weight on the elevator, I think we can squeeze her in.”
and my favorite:
“Are you going all Karen Carpenter on us?”

I have never once said anything to this co-worker (who, BTW happens to be very overweight) like:
“Maybe I should catch the next elevator. With your weight we could plummet to the bottom.”
or
“Dude, you’re going to eat yourself into oblivion. Trying to make it in the Guinness Book of Records or something?”

No, it is bad form to make negative remarks to people about their weight if they’re on the high end, yet people feel they can make scathing remarks about lower weight all the time. It’s not right, and it’s not fair.

Some people are naturally very, very thin and have no control over their weight. And other “skinnys” are dealing with intense struggles that don’t need the extra fuel added to the fire.

We need to become a little more tolerant of everyone. That’s not to say there aren’t health risks with each extreme, but who are we to judge everyone else? Shouldn’t we be striving to find the beauty in every different person. I admit, I have been quick to judge others (on both ends of the weight pendulum) but recently I have been experience a shift in my perception. I’m not perfect, but I’m trying to be kinder and gentler.

NEDA Week: February 24 – March 1