Skechers Shape Ups shoes for kids has caused quite the controversy since their release, including a petition at change.org to have the line discontinued. Parents and professionals are disturbed that toning shoes are being made for and marketed to elementary school students.
The commercial aimed at young girls seems to be especially concerning to parents. The commercial in question does not specifically say anything about toning, but it does say that these shoes offer “everything a girl could want, looking good, having fun,” with “extra height and bounce,” which, of course, is too good to be true. Parents are concerned that the thin cartoon characters and emphasis on appearance is encouraging unhealthy attitude towards body image in young girls. Parents are also concerned that the commercial contains a shot of boys dressed as junk food following the singer; it certainly is a confusing image. I would be interested to hear what you think this is communicating to young girls?
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Jane Rides is the inspiration for See Jane Ride Bicycle Tours (www.seejaneridebicycletours.com or www.facebook.com/seejaneride). You can never be sure where she’ll pop up – New York – or Paris – Fashion Week; a royal wedding; or a Penn State football game. She’s always on her bike, always smiling, and always looking fabulous…at least on the outside. Wherever she’s seen, you’ll know that she’s bringing her philosophy of empowerment by encouraging adventure.
I consider myself a citizen of the world, but I call Central Pennsylvania my true home.
It was on the rolling hills and wooded mountains of Pennsylvania where I first learned about the zen-ness of cycling. There was also that incident at the Tour de France but I’m not sure I’m legally allowed to talk about that yet…
Moving on…
As much as I love riding – a commute here, a single-track trail there – I have to admit I’m still a bit of a girl. A girl who has all the same issues that the girls – ahem, excuse me, women – I meet all over the world have. One of them, my dears, is body image.
You look at me and you think, “Dear Jane, what on earth do you have to worry about. You are perfection on two wheels. The hair! The skin! The figure! The lips!”
First of all, thank you, thank you, thank you. I am quite fabulous looking, aren’t I? But more importantly, I feel great. Not every day, that’s for sure. I am still human – and no human who isn’t overly medicated and delusional feels great every day. That’s just not natural.
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Khloe Kardashian has said that she is always fighting up and down fluctuations in her weight. Even after a year and a half as a spokesmodel for QuickTrim diet and weight loss supplements, along with sisters Kim and Kourtney, she says that she has let herself go and re-gained the weight she had lost. Prior to marrying NBA player Lamar Odom, Khloe reported that she had lost 30 pounds with the QuickTrim supplements and increased exercise. She was even featured on E!’s “Remarkable Celebrity Body Bouncebacks.”
The variance can be seen in all the paparazzi photos of Khloe. Sometimes it is even difficult to recognize her. Khloe told Perez Hilton that she avoids reading what is written about her, yet comments about her weight still impact her. She is quoted, “I feel like no matter what I do, I never look good enough to everybody else.”
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According to a recent study by Psychology Today magazine, twenty-four percent of women and 17 percent of men say they would give up more than three years of life to be thinner. Yet, similar studies report that half of American women underestimate the size of their bodies.
So, why does America have such a distorted body image? Some fault the media, while for others, skewed body image begins during childhood.
Carolyn Strauss, a plus-size model and author of Specialty Modeling, told SheKnows.com that the biggest danger of a negative body image lies in the power it gives away.
“When someone has a poor body image, she will try to find validation from outside to make her feel better. The next diet, the next fashion fad, the next boyfriend, anything but where she is now. Instead of living in the moment, she may find herself living for ‘when I look better,’” Strauss says. “Remember, the goal of most [commercial] advertising it to make you ‘not okay’ so that, upon using that product, you will become okay.”
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Leave it to Hollywood to come up with the newest fitness craze of the year. Piloxing is a deadly combination of Pilates and boxing. Founded by Swedish dancer and celebrity trainer, Viveca Jensen, this style of training incorporates the benefits of each and turns them into an intense “fat torching, muscle sculpting, and core-centric interval workout.” Not only does Piloxing blow the heart rate out of the water, but it tones and strengthens the body with the use of weighted gloves. If you have been struggling to find a new routine or motivation in general, this is the perfect style of training for you. Get ready to incorporate fun with fitness.
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