Join TriDelta in Stopping the Fat Talk!

What is fat talk?  We know it when we hear it!  Most of us engage in it, even though we know that it carries a cost, and most of us  admire women who don’t engage in it.  In 2008, the sorority TriDelta decided to do something to stop it by instituting Fat Talk Free Week in October.

So, how do we stop the fat talk?

Here are some great tips on becoming “Fat Talk Free” from OperationBeautiful.com:

• Consciously correct yourself if you Fat Talk.  Replace those thoughts with something realistic and positive.
• Don’t compare your body to others.
• Appreciate your body for what it can do.  If you feel down and are Fat Talking, try going for a walk and enjoy being outside.
• Turn a negative into a positive.  Instead of “I’m stocky,” try “I’m strong!”
• Never Fat Talk in front of your kids or friends.

To Learn More, to Share Your Story & to Get a Very Cool Button…

Visit Changethemessage.com. The organization, run by Jill Shaffer, RD, and Nancy Logue, Ph.D. provides workshops for people who want to be more accepting of themselves and their bodies. They also provide workshops for educators, coaches and healthcare professionals. They are currently inviting people to share their personal stories about how they are “changing the message.” While there, you can purchase the very cool button pictured at left in order to help start (or stop) the conversation.

Why is this so important?

We leave you with Lily Myers performing her powerful poem, “Shrinking Woman,” about battling cultural and family imperatives that women be thin.  This was taped at the 2013 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational, where her poem was awarded “Best Love Poem.”

Weekly Round-Up: Women’s Health News 7.26.13

This was another week full of women’s health news. If you see that we’ve missed something, please post a comment or email it to us and we will publish an addendum!

Youth and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) As reported by the National Partnership for Women and Families, Linda Carmine of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York and her colleagues provided updates on the diagnosis and management of sexually transmitted infections in adolescents and young adults, “with an emphasis on ‘what’s new’ in the field.”  The review was published in the 6/17 issue of the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology.  Click here to read a summary of the findings.

Does your family planning provider ask you about the stresses in your life? A study published in the June issue of the journal, Contraception, found that, in young women who experience depression or elevated stress are less likely to consistently use hormonal contraceptive methods like the pill.  The researchers recommend that health providers address clients’ psychological and emotional status when helping them make decisions about birth control methods. Click here to read the study abstract.

Barbie and Body Image – What if Barbie looked like a normal woman? It’s not exactly news that few women, if any, look like Barbie in real life.  It’s also not news that Barbie is not the best tool for encouraging healthy body image among little girls.  But what would happen if Mattel(T) modified Barbie, giving her more realistic body proportions?   One enterprising artist decided to see. Would we like her better? Would she be better for little girls’ self-esteem?  We’ll let you be the judge!  Click here to see a blonde Barbie’s before and after picture (on Upworthy)!

7 of 10 Women Use Reproductive Health Services A new report from the Guttmacher Institute found that 70% of U.S. women of reproductive age make at least one medical visit for sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services each year. Uninsured women are significantly less likely than either privately or Medicaid-insured women to receive SRH services. Our hope is that the provisions for women’s preventive care included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also known as Obamacare), will make a difference for uninsured women who are currently going without.  To read the report, click here.  To learn more about ACA requirements for women’s health care, click here.

Get Vaccinated, Prevent Throat Cancer? A new study suggests that young women who are vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV) not only protect themselves from cervical cancer, but from throat cancer as well.  HPV is responsible for up to 70 percent of oral cancers, so getting the vaccine is an important step towards keeping your throat healthy!  Click here to read more about the study.