Marci Warhaft Nadler (@fit_vs_fiction) and I met about a year ago and the more I got to know her and what she was doing to raise awareness about what societal messages are doing to our kids’ perception of beauty and fitness, the more I learned about how important this topic is, and how many more parents need to be aware of its existence. I cannot put into words how this has changed my awareness and impact on my own kids. I’ve asked Marcie to tell her story so that I could post it here on my blog. Here are her words:

“Over the last few years I’ve become more and more concerned with the amount of pressure being put on kids to live up to the unrealistic images they see on TV and in magazines. Hard to believe, but boys and girls as young 7 yrs old have begun putting their health at risk by turning to drastic measures to lose weight in an effort to be skinny. While the recent focus on erasing the problem of childhood obesity is well intended, it may actually be trying to fix one problem by creating a different one.

Feelings of shame and guilt are resulting in parents stressing over every bite their child takes and every minute of TV they watch and this stress is filtering down to their kids. For every obese child in Canada, there are even more who are not obese, but who THINK they are and hate themselves because of it. Fear is not the answer. It’s time to stop fearing food and start learning how to enjoy and appreciate it with balance and moderation.

Fit vs Fiction is breaking down myths related to beauty and fitness and gives kids the chance to TALK about this issue in a way they never have before. After conquering my own severe body image and eating disorder issues for over 20 yrs, my goal is to prevent other kids from the pitfalls I wasn’t lucky enough to avoid.

The Fit vs Fiction Body Image Awareness campaign was designed to wake people up to the fact that our kids are struggling and need our help. We can’t control the negative messages society throws at them on a daily basis, but we can make sure they hear the right messages from us and that our voices are even louder!

Help me help kids like themselves again and forward these posters to everyone you know!”

Visit Marcie’s Facebook Page.