Let's Talk Body Image
YOU South Africa|July 27, 2017

In a world that’s obsessed with weight and looks it’s important to promote positive self-esteem in kids

Lindsay De Freitas
Let's Talk Body Image

IN A fit of temper, her four-year-old daughter lashed out with the most hurtful insult her young mind could muster. “You’re fat, Mom!” she yelled. Instead of losing her cool, US holistic health coach and self-help author Allison Kimmey used the incident as a teachable moment. She sat her daughter, Cambelle, down to discuss the implications of what she’d said.

“I asked her, ‘What did you say about me?’ and she responded, ‘I said you were fat, Mama. I’m sorry’,” Allison recalls.

She then used the moment to warn her daughter about the dangers of name calling. “The truth is I’m not fat. No one is fat. It’s not something you can be. But I do have fat. We all have fat. It protects our muscles and our bones and keeps our bodies going by providing us with energy. Some people have a lot and others don’t have much. But that doesn’t mean one person is better than the other.”

Allison recently posted the exchange on social media in the caption of a photo of her and her daughter in their swimsuits – and the response was overwhelming. At the time of going to print, her post had received more than 34 000 likes and had been shared almost 700 times.

Yet while many supported the social media influencer, plenty considered her approach reckless and felt it encouraged unhealthy eating habits at a time when childhood obesity rates are at an all time high. South Africa is one of the worst culprits in the world – one in five schoolkids is obese or overweight.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 27, 2017 من YOU South Africa.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 27, 2017 من YOU South Africa.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من YOU SOUTH AFRICA مشاهدة الكل
PUSHED TO THE LIMIT
YOU South Africa

PUSHED TO THE LIMIT

The unusual relationship between an heiress and her husband has taken a sinister twist

time-read
5 mins  |
5 September 2024
HOW TO MAKE A SUPERBABY
YOU South Africa

HOW TO MAKE A SUPERBABY

Noor Siddiqui says her company can test embryos for hundreds of conditions from diabetes to Alzheimer's. Critics call it social engineering but she insists she's just giving prospective parents the means to avoid a lot of future heartache

time-read
10+ mins  |
5 September 2024
THE GROWN-UP BRAIN
YOU South Africa

THE GROWN-UP BRAIN

If you think your brain deteriorates as you age, think again!

time-read
3 mins  |
5 September 2024
THE eyes HAVE IT
YOU South Africa

THE eyes HAVE IT

They're the windows to our soul - and the first place to show the stresses of everyday life. Juliette Winter reveals expert tips to de-puff, brighten and smooth this delicate area

time-read
1 min  |
5 September 2024
WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER
YOU South Africa

WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER

It hasn't been an easy road but now this bodybuilding couple are making waves in the industry

time-read
4 mins  |
5 September 2024
I CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER!
YOU South Africa

I CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER!

Annetjie's about to get effective treatment for the skin condition that has blighted her life and she's looking forward to hitting the shops and facing the world

time-read
5 mins  |
5 September 2024
'SHE NO THREAT TO ANYONE'
YOU South Africa

'SHE NO THREAT TO ANYONE'

When SA boxer Chris van Heerden's Russian girlfriend went to visit her parents she was thrown in jail and accused of treasonnow he's in a fight to free her

time-read
5 mins  |
5 September 2024
SUNK IN 16 MINUTES!
YOU South Africa

SUNK IN 16 MINUTES!

A sun-drenched holiday turned into a living nightmare for those aboard this luxury vessel

time-read
5 mins  |
5 September 2024
READY TO SMILE AGAIN
YOU South Africa

READY TO SMILE AGAIN

A groundbreaking surgical procedure will restore this Limpopo teen's badly damaged jaw and teeth

time-read
5 mins  |
5 September 2024
HARRY AT A CROSSROADS
YOU South Africa

HARRY AT A CROSSROADS

As the prince turns 40, royal experts paint a picture of a troubled soul- isolated, homesick and struggling to find a purpose in life

time-read
8 mins  |
5 September 2024