Tag Archives: role model

Size Six is The New Plus Size

A size six is now being considered plus sized for models. As shocking as that may be to most of us, it may be more shocking when you consider that Christie Brinkley, Paulina Proizkova, and Cindy Crawford all wore a size six at the height of their super model careers in the 1990s, according to PLUS Model magazine’s January edition. It horrifies me to think that my younger cousins might look at Cindy Crawford and think she is plus sized!

The article in PLUS Model magazine also reports that half of today’s women wear a size 14 and above, but most retail stores carry only sizes 14 and smaller. In addition, while in the 1990s, “the average fashion model weighed eight percent less than the average woman. Today she weights 23 percent less” and “most runway models meet the Body Mass Index physical criteria for anorexia,” according to PLUS Model magazine.

It is no surprise that Judy Scheel, Ph.D., executive director of Cedar Associates is concerned that society is encouraging young girls towards the development of eating disorders in response to this article, most commonly binge eating disorder or bulimia. As parents, we need to realize that no matter what we are modeling for our children, the media is also modeling an ideal body that is unattainable by the majority of the population and making it seem as appealing as possible.

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Posted on January 20, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

Tracy Anderson Admits to Wanting An Eating Disorder

Tracy Anderson is again shocking people with her less than responsible statements, reminiscent of what I read in her book Tracy Anderson’s 30-Day Method: the Weight-Loss Kick-Start That Makes Perfection. Fitperez recently published the following quote from Anderson: “After my parents divorced when I was 17 my mum worked three jobs so I could come to New York and train to be a ballet dancer. But I didn’t make it – I got too fat and couldn’t shift the weight.”

“I tried everything short of an eating disorder – which I really wanted to have, actually.” As Fitperez points out, it sounds like, even as a seemingly healthy adult, she is regretting not having an eating disorder.

One interesting point raised about this statement by Kelly Turner, a Seattle-based ACE-certified personal trainer and professional health and fitness writer, is that “this proves that you can’t just wish an eating disorder into existence, you have to be predisposed and then often times something, like stress or extreme change, brings it to a head.”

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Posted on July 28, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

How One Family Fitness Writer Learned to Walk the Walk

Catherine Holecko is the Guide to Family Fitness at About.com. Since becoming a mom 9 years ago, she’s mastered the crow pose and discovered the new worlds of kiddie karate and synchronized figure skating.

A few years ago, a friend suggested that I apply to write for About.com. I popped over to check out the list of available topics. The one that jumped out at me: family fitness.

This was unexpected. I came late to fitness. Like, 30-years old late. All the way through school, I was the short, skinny, weak kid who failed miserably at any sport she tried. During college, I gave circuit training and aerobics a whirl (yeah, it was the early 90s, how did you guess?). Post-college, I lived in Manhattan, where I stayed fit by walking everywhere and not having enough money to eat out.

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Posted on April 29, 2023 by GuestBlogger

Be a Healthy Role Model for Your Children

Another technique used to encourage life change is Environmental Reevaluation, which combines both emotional and cognitive assessments of how a personal habit affects those around you, as well as the understanding that you are a role model for others. We are not always aware of who is watching what we do, but there is always someone whether it is a child (even if not your own), a boss, or a potential client.

For parents it is hugely important to remember that the old saying “do what I say, not what I do” will never work. Children pattern themselves after what is modeled for them. If they see you doing otherwise, they are most likely to learn that those behaviors (whatever they may be) are simply a privilege of being an adult. (more…)

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Brooke Randolph