When I was in junior high and high school there were a few kids that were overweight. As the years and decades passed, despite better nutrition and education, obesity has risen in an astounding proportion. To look at the kids walking home from the school near me you see quite a few of them that are overweight. Some kids are more overweight than others but overall there are far more overweight kids now than when I was in school. With so many struggling in the same area you would think bullying “the fat kid” would not be so prominent. Yet, that is something that has not changed over the years.
Years ago, I knew a girl who could not walk down the hallway without being called names. She was bullied relentlessly for being overweight. She tried to take it all in stride but the taunts hurt her deeply. A few boys would never let up on the name calling making her sense of self worth crumble with each step she took. She went on multiple diets in desperation to lose weight. Her parents even supported the diets, which always seemed odd to me. The diets were not always healthy but desperate attempts to lose weight by the weekend. She never did lose weight.
The pressure to be thin is not lost on the thin girls. I knew a girl who was so frightened of losing weight that she began to take diet pills. She did not need to lose weight but she was wider set than many other girls. Due to this she did not appear to be pencil thin yet she looked perfectly fine to everyone but her.
The pressure that causes such extremes and heartbreak are not any less today than some twenty years ago. My guess is it that it will never change overall. What can change is how the individual feels about her or his self. Despite body size or type, maintaining an active lifestyle and getting involved with a hobby or community can help a child feel a sense of esteem outside of body weight. Most importantly, is an open communication, loving and accepting atmosphere at home. Parents are still the biggest influence on our children’s lives.