Children (both boys and girls) are continually exposed to media images. Every day. On TV, in the check-out line at the grocery store, on the ads that pop up while they’re playing games on their iPads. While advertising directed at children is one thing, they also see general advertising perhaps meant to influence you or me as well. It’s an unsettling discovery made awhile back, one that Cheerios has brought to the light – young girls are seeing celebrity fad diets, miracle foods, and weight loss tips and tricks all disguised as entertainment, and processing it in a way they simply are too young to fully understand.
They’ve given it a name: Dietainment.
Think about that. The idea of slimming down, cutting out the fat, and having the perfect body is now a form of entertainment in the media and thus, dietainment has become a thing. As a mother of an eleven year old boy (who told me he needs to put on weight because he’s too skinny, says who?) and two daughters ages seven and four I’m acutely aware of the impact the media and my own words has on them and their body image.
I hate that my girls are growing up seeing this constantly, yet I don’t know how to shield them from it when the media continues to push it in their faces (and my own, for thirty-eight years). That’s why I’m supportive of Cheerio’s initiative sto help bring change – they’re getting there.
An online petition that you can sign at http://worldwithoutdieting.ca/ is getting attention. For example, already Divine.ca and Faze magazine have committed to keeping their magazines and websites Dietainment free! That’s a pretty big deal to me.
I’m going to have a discussion with my girls this week about Dietainment, which will be easy since as we’re watching TV undoubtedly we’re going to come across a commercial or ten showing it. Thanks to my PVR, I can pause the commercial and have a chat, then watch it again with my girls to explain why this isn’t the ‘norm’ in women and why advertising like this isn’t OK. Yes, at seven and four I have full confidence that I can help re-wire my little girls to understand that Dietainment isn’t OK and that gives me tremendous hope for the way they’ll see things as they grow.
The media wasn’t paying attention to this when I was seven. My mom was always on some sort of diet or another, and was never ever once happy with her body. I know how that impacted me, and I’m aware of how the media and my own comments impact my daughters. I see change coming, and am so happy to see brands and media starting to support it.
Im not 100% happy with my body (who is?) BUT I love myself and Im teaching my 3 year old to love hers as well. 🙂
Seriously, when I was a child the book I recall my mother picking up the most How To Count Your Calories!
I don’t like it at all, but that is this great society of ours, even the Pennington commercials use thin women, I feel sorry for todays young girls for what they go through!!
I watch TV with my children and they certainly pick up on the subtle messages about weight. There is a greater variety of boy bodies on tv – girls are all tall and thin with long wavy hair. And then there are the commercials…
Thanks for sharing! with 2 young girls this is important to me!
This is the first that I have heard of this but with two ten year-old girls, I plan on discussing this topic with them.
There is so much pressure to be super thin and to fit in, who cares if you are not in the “cool” group – in most cases that group does all the bullying. Be yourself and find friends who have same beliefs. We do need to lead and learn by example
Such very good thoughts. I have three little boys so I know I will face this in a different way than Girl Mamas. I just know how hard it is to escape the messages even when you know better (like I do!)
There’s a lot of pressure to look a certain way and I agree it’s not okay! They drill it into women and young girls heads that girls should look a certain way, NO! We all look our own unique way, we are all beautiful
I signed the petition already. And yes there is no escaping it. the only thing we can do it talk to our children about it !
This is a great Cheerio’s initiative and it would be nice if other companies do the same.
this a great topic , we all need to talk to our kids about this ! thanks for sharing 🙂
I hate seeing how much “Dietainment” affects so many young girls (and boys!) Definitely a topic to chat with your kids about!
I have a pre-teen daughter and we are honest with how sugar can be a good and a bad thing for a person. Body image should be positive.. ALWAYS.
I always try to be mindful how I talk to my daughter about her body – would hate her to have the issues that I had growing up (I wasn’t a petite child….)
There are so many unhealthy messages out there. One needs to be vigilant.
Insecurities are transferred from parent to child. Confidence needs to be instilled in kids as early as possible!
It is so true all the unnecessary pressure on growing minds and bodies. It was hard for me growing up with a mom in a lifelong fight with obesity. She tried everything even eating buns baked with wood fibers.. and other diet aids,stomach stapling. I believe it did more harm than good and left me so fearful of being obese that I developed anorexia-bulimia in my teens,the damage still felt today and for what? Someones idea of beauty . dietainment is about right.
I feel there is much more of an issue of “detainment” now then when I was young and its quite scary for our youths health.
I don’t like it at all,but i thught my daughter to love and respect her body
Great that large companies are getting behind this and making a stand! We are who we are! No fast diet or trick will change us for the good. Good eating habits are what keep us healthy!
Glad to see that the push is on to try and get people to love their body for what it is. No one has the perfect body, everyone has flaws and we need to accept that. Keeping our bodies healthy is what is important.
It’s very unfortunate that girls are receiving these messages about body image. It’s good to know that companies are slowly beginning to create awareness of these issues and are taking steps to change.
This makes me sad I want our girls to feel healthy and confident
It is everywhere. Everyday. All over. So sad indeed.
glad that this is actually being talked about now!
the pressure to be thin is ridiculous. It’s so important to try to teach our kids to just be healthy
This is a great initiative.
My girls are also 7 and 4, and quite honestly, I am glad to see change as well.
Great video! Thank you for sharing, children are under so much pressure when they should be enjoying life.
Such valuable information. Thank you for sharing.
This is definitely getting worse and such an important issue to talk to your kids about!
I have always been against advertising weight loss and products and sexualizing women and our young girls. I’ve for years have felt those types of ads should be banned, like cigarette advertisements are……………. ads promoting a ‘perfect body’ as defined by ‘society’ are more harmful to our youth then cigarettes or alcohol could ever be.
I am alarmed how young the kids are that own devices. I honestly feel this whole thing is out of control. Why does a 3 year old need a tablet. Common, give your head a shake. Devices are conveniences for adults and not a necessity for children.
I signed the petition ,it sure is getting bad.
We need to give kids realistic role models.
I’m so glad to see that this is (slowly but at least) starting to change.
I am upset by the amount poor messages this world is sending our kids. You can’t turn the tv on without seeing a commercial for some weightloss product or plastic surgery. My 6 year old is concerned about fat and eating things that will make her fat. I certainly didn’t give her that message, but it’s everywhere and it’s sad 🙁 I am happy to slowly be seeing a change and more companies backing positive messages
I have three daughters and and a fourth on the way so like you, we definitely need to have a lot of conversations about it! I love that there are so many men and women in our lives that are different shapes and sizes so that our kids get to see that normal is a huge range of sizes. We talk about being healthy, like when I work out my kids won’t hear me saying that I need to lose weight or that I hate my fat. Instead I say, and try to believe that it the only reason, that I am doing it to get stronger and to stay healthy. We manage to avoid a lot of dietainment by not watching cable TV (we watch Netflix) and by not having magazines in our house (for no reason other than that I just don’t care to read them…) but we still get exposed to it so the conversations happen more often than I wish was necessary.
Such an important message for boys and girls. I’m sure I developed eating disorders, in part, because of the media/advertising.