It's not worth the weight

It's no big secret that the female population is plagued by skewed perceptions of body image. Unfortunately, it's no big surprise, either.

I mean, think of all the opportunities for self-degradation women are subjected to every day, all because of the "expectations" placed on us by the next-to-nothing coverage of today's clothing trends (and the typical-sized women anorexia-thin waifs that model them).
Last weekend I went shopping for a dress to wear to my friend Megan's bridal shower. It was an incredibly discouraging process, because it was pretty slim-pickins out there! I mean, the dresses themselves were cute, but...

*These pics are for representation only. No copyright infringment intended

...when did practically-pelvic-bone hemlines become appropriate?? These are more akin to bathing-suit cover-ups (notice how you can't even see the models' knees, they're so far below the hemline!). One slightly forceful gust of wind and you're showing more than what you see in a regular bathroom mirror! When I was a kid, these get-ups got you sent home, or at least to the nurse for a sweatshirt. What happened to the finger-tip rule???

It doesn't help that the media is in on the hype, too. I mean if they weren't, the public eye (particularly that of women) would never be laid on this:

This obviously-altered image caused an uproar, no surprise there.

In fairness, a lot of the media attention (such as the above-mentioned article) has been backlash against such absurdly disproportionate representations of the female form. And there are clothing designers out there who understand the need for "curvy" women to have a fair shot at fashion, too!
Well, unless you're this guy. But who does he think he is, anyway??

Because of my own weight struggles, I am particularly affected by the emphasis placed on having that "perfect figure." I have been stuck at chronically overweight for over 10 years, with a few periods of yo-yo weight loss in between. It's not because I don't try to lose weight...in fact I try very hard. Two years ago I reached my lowest weight since pre-adolescence, but since then I've gone up and down and up again. I don't watch very much tv (at least not "reality" tv) and I don't read magazines, because there are just too many reminders that I will never meet the "standards" set by the women in the media.

Back in May I wrote about my weight loss struggles. Unfortunately nothing has changed since then...in fact, I've actually gained weight. But I'm gearing up to start all over again. My goal is to get back to where I was 2 years ago, when I was at a healthy weight and felt great.

Wish me luck!