We eat!!!
Who knew?
Special K, that’s who. After all, every January for many a year back in the early 00’s they sold us a 2 week crash diet to lose the Christmas 10lbs, so whats this new advert about…?
Special K have created an advert showing women eating.
Everyone is up in arms, apparently it’s completely ridiculous because everyone knows that women eat.
Everyone is like “Well, duh!”
But I’m gonna tell you… this is an important message.
As a coach of many women who have told me, in their own words and in many different ways, that they feel guilty for eating – this is important.
The logic of disordered eating
Food has calories.
Calories (could) cause weight gain.
Weight gain (as we are told every day) is bad.
Therefore, by association, food is bad.
And the guilt, fear and shame wrapped up with eating, particularly in public, is very real.
Shh! Woman eating…
The above image is the first one that came up when I searched for “Woman, food”.
An image that shows guilt and secrecy because she’s not eating a salad.
The Shame, fear and guilt.
Lets not forget the body shaming from a man who gave out cards to overweight women in the London underground telling them to lose weight.
Who wants to experience that level of shame for your body shape?
The fear that we will be judged for eating too much or too little is a real thing.
Women are worried that they eat too much.
Other people seem to be concerned that “overweight” women eat too much and that “underweight” women don’t eat enough.
And then there’s the calories. Good food. Bad food. When are we allowed to eat? How much is normal to eat? How can we stop being hungry? How can we eat less? How can we become smaller or thinner?
The food madness is exhausting but it’s very real.
We eat.
I personally don’t eat special K. But I do eat.
And now I eat in public because it’s normal. If I’m hungry – I’ll eat.
Sometimes I’ll eat even if I’m not hungry. *shock*
I have to tell you, genuinely, that 3 years ago I would feel shame for admitting that.
(even my language in that sentence “admitting” that I eat…I mean…COME ON!!!)
In a world where disordered eating behaviours are the norm, we need women on tv telling us that it’s ok to eat.
Not necessarily because we don’t eat (although this may be the case), but because the shame, fear or guilt around eating is so common that being confident about your diet needs to be normalised.
So yes, we eat. And it’s sad that in 2017 we need validation from a cereal company to do so.
– Ainzlie “munch munch” McMaster
p.s – if you have disordered eating behaviours, do get in touch with B-eat.co.uk for some support and information.
p.p.s – here’s the advert www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/special-k-women-eat
