In an effort to counterbalance the previous pro-Seventeen paragraph, I will have you know that for lunch I had a massive chocolate ice cream cone into which I dipped curly fries. Afterward, I did not talk about how fat I felt, or how "bad" I was for eating it. I will eat whatever I want in moderation, and I will not let any magazine's limited idea of what is beautiful stop me; I suggest you all do the same, or find another way of thinking that makes you feel good about being you!
Hope those of you currently experiencing summer climates are enjoying the warm weather.... I certainly am!
P.S. My friend Andy is working on an awesome academic project about self-evaluation and realization of power. He is under a tight deadline (Wednesday) and would REALLY appreciate if you could help him by taking his SHORT FUN SURVEY.
It's funny how Seventeen claims that they want every girl to feel comfortable in their own body, and yet they tell their readers that eating certain things is bad and give their readers a different workout plan every month. It would be totally acceptable if they were doing to it to show their readers a healthy way to live, and they claim that this is what they are doing, but that's not the case at all. I used to have a subscription to Seventeen, and in the 3 or 4 years that I read it, I saw a plus-size girl MAYBE twice. They don't exactly practice what they preach. It's a shame, because girls these days really do need to hear that it's okay to be larger, as long as they are healthy, and Seventeen would be a great place to publish that thought.
ReplyDeleteI really like what you're doing. It's an interesting experiment. :)
I have alway dipped fries in my ice cream, even when I was younger. I would like to try a tandem bike. They have them in Disney World, I might have to try it next year or in the next couple of trips.
ReplyDelete...stupid lactose intolerance. I will have to settle for dipping my fries in mayo like a Canadian.
ReplyDeleteDo you plan on continuing to write (in some kind of public forum) after this project?
Jamie, you are awesome and I have a huge friend crush on you. I'm sorry I don't have a more specific comment. I'm just completely hooked on this project and this blog. I wish I'd thought this much about the world at 18 - didn't really happen till I went to college (and majored in gender studies, woohoo)! Please keep blogging/writing after you finish this project - you are an inspiration for all ages. Your post about "how to talk to teenagers" made me particularly happy. I'll definitely be keeping all of it in mind when I start my job teaching sex ed to 9th/10th graders next year. :) Also yay urban cycling!
ReplyDeleteI think it would be interesting to hear some sort of breakdown of plus-size models vs. non-plus size models in Seventeen (similar to what you did in the race post a few weeks ago)... although, perhaps the findings wouldn't be all that surprising (i.e. if there are no plus size models, there wouldn't be much to tell!), but I'd still be interested to see if there are any new/unique angles that you could bring to that kind of analysis, or even hearing a sampling of quotes from seventeen or seventeen online regarding messaging around weight/body image (both direct and indirect). I feel like, in reading magazines like seventeen in the past, they usually did a pretty good job of actually saying things that made sense in things like advice columns (sometimes), but then there were subliminal/not quite as direct messages in articles, photo spreads, etc. that gave a less enlightened perspective.
ReplyDeleteI just caught up on your entire project. I'd like to write something eloquent or supportive but it all comes back to "You go, girl!" which I think Seventeen would prefer, anyway.
ReplyDeleteDilly's ice cream?
ReplyDeleteYEP
ReplyDeleteYou rock my world.
ReplyDeleteSeventeen is hilarious.
Keep doing what you're doing.
(also, rock on class of 2010. I have a friend going to UChicago next year- if you run into a trish from DC, she's cool)
Up to now, I've had very few "ummm..." moments while reading this blog. And I'm doing it all in one sitting so it's fresh. An "ummm..." moment occurs when I disagree with what I'm reading, think it's oversimplified or it just rubs me the wrong way. I understand that there is a lot of negative to be said about Seventeen. Most everything of what you've written up to now is insightful and obviously the product of critical thinking. However, a sociological experiment should at least strive for objectivity. You are obviously negatively biased, which is fair, especially after reading about the things you cover, but in the interest of a successful broad-minded experiment, making a comment like "In an effort to counterbalance the previous pro-Seventeen paragraph..." detracts from your credibility because it reveals that you're very deliberately looking for things to criticize, as opposed to making an objective study of a magazine's effect on the demographic it targets.
ReplyDeletei wish i had written this comment from June 17, 2010 12:00 AM
ReplyDelete--EJ
Wow, it's really great to hear weight-positive comments right now bc a year ago I was seriously ill and when I got out of the hospital I basically sat on my ass for about 6 months and gained about 25 lbs. Funny thing is that it's not looking in the mirror that makes me feel fat, it's getting on the scale. I'm terrified to get on that scale and see that I've gained weight, bc I certainly haven't lost any since I've been eating better and exercising... I'm SICK of this back-and-forth with myself.
ReplyDeleteNice blog! I'm a skeptical, second-hand Seventeen reader, but I took their advice about the tandem bicycle ride and it turned out to be a ton of fun for me too. My sister and I were able to procure only a rather broken down bike from a rental shop, but we had a great time riding around for the afternoon. (If that sounded weird, know that I am inexplicably tempted to write this comment in a tone directly lifted from Seventeen. I'm not sure why.)
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