Eating by the Moonlight, in the Light of the Moon , 2000) , Clinical Psychologist Anita Johnston (Director of the Anorexia/Bulimia Centre, Clinical Director of EATFED) writes that in ancient societies there was a special ritual for girls who began their periods, it was intended to celebrate their becoming a woman.
Our modern society, she argues, also has its own ritual for teenage girls that marks their entry into the world of women. "And its name is diet."
Indeed, the Internet is full of miracle tips on how to lose weight. Scientists are looking for a gene responsible for obesity, nutritionists are writing concepts decorated with photoshopped photos of models.
Many psychologists promise help and support, give advice on how to create a reserve of motivation for losing weight. There are even statements that "all people with excess weight know about the delights of a slim life (clothes, health, reflection in the mirror, compliments, lightness and much more)".
I would like to share some reflections from Anita Johnston's blog post late last year entitled "Wine, Roses, and the Difficulty of Eating," my translation.
(Wine, Roses & Eating Difficulties )
During my trip to New Zealand, on my wine tour, the guide pointed out to me the rose bushes planted along the edges and framing the grape vines.
I thought, "What a great idea," and asked if the white roses were planted for the light wine grapes and the red roses for the red grapes. Our guide laughed and said, "Not really." He explained that when there is a problem with aphids, they will attack the roses first, giving the farmer plenty of time to protect the vineyard.
I immediately thought of all the women and girls I had worked with over the years, all of whom had difficulties with food. They were like the roses in the vineyard. These rose women were typically very emotionally sensitive, intuitive, and problems in their families, communities, or cultures would quickly trigger a reaction in them, and symptoms of distress would arise more quickly.
What if those who struggle with food and weight could see themselves as part of an entire culture? A culture that is wired, however manipulatively, to think of thin people as good and fat people as bad? What if they thought of themselves as sensitive creatures who, on a very, very deep level, are heralds of a greater truth… they are sounding the alarm that something is very, very wrong… and they are using their bodies to show that we need to act, now, before the problem becomes so widespread that it destroys us all.
The problem, as I see it, is that we have become such a material culture that we do not allow the invisible qualities in our hearts and souls to live and thrive. We focus only on the physical, concrete aspects of our lives (our bodies), and continue to narrow the definition of what they should look like. We do not value what makes us unique and special. We are encouraged to look, think, and feel like everyone else in order to "be in shape."
The "Roses" I worked with over the years were some of the brightest, most creative, most talented people I've ever met. But they didn't see themselves that way - at least not at first. They saw themselves as useless, incompetent, unattractive, and weird. There was a common theme among everyone struggling with food and weight. It was a sense of being a little out of place.
My job was to help them fit in. But also to find and help them embrace their own uniqueness, so that they could see that their sensitive natures are an important and valuable contribution to the world - not something to be gotten rid of.
Once they learned to accept and voice their existence, their struggles with food, fat, and diet episodes became a distant memory.
This is how Anita's blog post ends...
Not long ago I saw a video in English, it's called "Body positivity has come a long way this year " - the video is really impressive! The appearance of plus models on the catwalk size charges with energy, the creators talk about how the body-positive movement is gaining momentum around the world, and what happened for the first time this year.
It is clear that society continues to replicate glossy magazines by inertia. But we can already say with confidence that in 2015 the world swung a little. Swung towards naturalness from the need to be thin as an integral element in the composition of happiness.