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Is your pre-teen on a diet?

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Did you know that 32% of teenage girls admit to starving themselves to lose weight? It's jaw-dropping facts like these that had me take a second look at what MissRepresentation.org had to say.

By using social media and by reaching out to schools, communities and consumers, Miss Representation is trying to change the world's mindset about what beautiful really is. It's not the retouched smiles and Photoshopped bodies we see in the media. It's real people with healthy bodies that should be splashed across magazine covers instead.

Miss Representation unveils other disturbing facts like:
  • 3 out of 4 teenage girls feel depressed, guilty and shameful after spending three minutes leafing through a fashion magazine.
  • 80% of 10-year-old American girls say they have been on a diet. The number one magic wish for young girls age 11-17 is to be thinner.
  • 53% of 13-year-old girls are unhappy with their bodies. That number increases to 78% by age 17.
  • 48% of teenage girls wish they were as skinny as models.
  • 42% of first to third-grade girls want to be thinner, while 81% of ten year-olds are afraid of getting fat.
I read through these facts and I had tears in my eyes. My heart broke. Is this really what we have done to our young women?

And yes, I say "we" because we've all complained about how we'd love to be thinner or taller or have whiter teeth. We've all been sucked into the media's idea of perfection and it's culminated into our 10-year-olds wanting to diet (if they haven't done so already).

It's shocking but it can be fixed. MissRepresentation.org recently petitioned that magazines stop using the body-altering evil that is Photoshop on every model that graces their pages. You can find out more about what they're doing on their Facebook page.
 
I asked our Facebook fans and Twitter followers if they would let their pre-teen go on diet if she wanted to be thinner.

This was their response:

"No, I would rather take her with me to the gym or we could do an outdoor activity together." - Sagree

"Yes, especially if she has gained a lot of weight. It's better to start controlling weight at a younger age." - Briella

"Pre-teens should still be playing with dolls and toys and not be obsessed with their weight gain." - Lanese

"NOT A CHANCE. My 7 year old is already weight conscious! Kills me to hear her ask if she's skinny enough." - @TarynHun

"I don't think I would just because of my bad relationship with food in the past! I wouldn't want her having the same issues." - @Nixie_Nix

What do you say - would you let your young daughter (or son) go on a diet?

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