Her Daily News

Many of us learned back in our school days that the first to retort “Well, you’re fat!” in most any argument has run out of ideas. This lesson appears to be lost on conservative commentator Laura Ingraham, who in a recent radio show went for the cheap shot in disputing political blogger Meghan McCain’s views on the future of the Republican party.

Ms. McCain, pictured above with her father Senator John McCain, recently criticized controversial pundit Ann Coulter for the disservice her radical views have done to public opinion of Republicans and stated that such extremism would dissuade younger voters from associating themselves with the party. In a subsequent radio broadcast, Ms. Ingraham criticized Ms. McCain on rather different grounds, calling her “too plus-sized to be a cast member on the television show The Real World” - and with that, the gloves are off.

In her latest piece, Ms. McCain raises that age-old question - why does image precede message? She cites a certain treatment of women in the media that is often taken as the status quo, where a woman’s appearance is the first order of business, particularly when the aspect of appearance in question is the woman’s weight. Not only has Ms. McCain come under criticism for being “too heavy” at all of a size 8, but her mother, Cindy McCain, has been the target of unkind remarks for her thin frame. What is this elusive “perfect size” that we must aspire to, then? That ideal proportion that won’t distract fickle audiences from our words and ideas? I’d like to think that the size of my brain matters more than the size of my dress, but I’m sure that there are many who would say that it’s all in my head.

On my summer vacation, I . . . went under the knife? Believe it or not, it’s happening. Elective plastic surgery has long been considered the domain of adults with considerable discretionary income, but today, the New York Times reports that an increasing number of teens have opted for cosmetic procedures, often with financial support from their parents. Despite the recent economic downturn, adolescents are going under the knife at a record rate, citing self-esteem and “fitting in” as factors. However, are these young patients getting the desired result - and is it healthy?

Traditionally, the youngest plastic surgery patients tended to be those undergoing reconstructive procedures - for a long time, plastic surgery in children and adolescents was a corrective measure for those suffering from trauma or congenital deformity. However, the recent trend indicates an ever-escalating pursuit of perfection, as teens undergo procedures such as rhinoplasty and liposuction with the intention of looking “normal” - or rather, a heightened version of normal.

The very idea that fitting in as a teen includes the pursuit of a specific physical ideal doesn’t sit well with me. Teenagers are still growing and changing, and while most surgeons take this into account when evaluating a prospective patient, many of these teens seek instant gratification when often, all they need to do is wait for that bigger bustline to develop. Above all, though, I do wonder about the actual social aftereffects of the procedures that the patients have undergone simply to fit in. Is it the perceived flaw that gets the child teased, or is it teen social structure at work? Will conforming to the perceived expectation actually change the patient’s social reality?

My own experience inclines me to believe that simply changing the feature in question is not enough to create instant social acceptance - and if it was, I would question the quality of the social connections forged based on that. However, with proper support and follow-up, a long-term effect of surgery may be an increase in self-esteem. It is important for us to realize that the scalpel is not a magic wand - while plastic surgery can be a catalyst for increased confidence, the most important work takes place within.

The Center for Women’s Mental Health at Massachusetts General Hospital has a fabulous website. I have been a fan of it for years checking every few months or so for new links and information. I perused the site daily for a few weeks earlier this year just after my son was born when I was really having trouble shaking the depression and anxiety I was experiencing. I am familiar with depression and it shouldn’t have taken me so long to identify that I was experiencing PPD, Postpartum Depression. However, PPD is tricky like that, it masquerades as tiredness, irritability, hating your husband, hating the lady who comes to clean your house, hating your saggy still fat body, hating everything and yelling often, saying bad things about yourself, the signs and symptoms are as different as each person who experiences this. For the record I never had any negative feelings toward the baby at all, although many women think that PPD means you are mad at your baby. I was just really unhappy with myself. Also for the record, since I seem to be “recording” things here, I did not seek medical help, I did not take any psychiatric medication (although I should have) , and once I was able to join a local gym and get out of the house, alone, and get some exercise, along with other things, mentally at least things started to fall into a much better place for me. **It isn’t this simple for many others, however.

I’m sure a lot of women go straight to the doctor and ask for a prescription of an SSRI and they get better. There are also a lot of women who seek out a good therapist and the talking helps them get to a better place.

I was not either of those women.

I was and still am nursing my son who is eight months old at the time of this article. I recall being told by one nurse in one doctor’s office that if I were to experience PPD they would “stop my breastfeeding to allow my hormones to re-regulate and then evaluate the situation” and because of this I was absolutely scared out of my DD-nursing bra that if I even hinted to anyone that I was feeling a bit, oh, irritable? that I would be forced to give up my nursing. I love nursing. It works well for me with this baby and I enjoy it. I didn’t want to give it up, not at any cost. So I didn’t tell anyone.

Turns out that was bad information. And it did me a disservice. There are many options for women experiencing anything from mild to severe PPD. There are many medication options and many non-medication options. I didn’t feel like I had anyone to talk to about it and I fear that many many many other mothers feel the same way. Being a new mom is hard. Excruciatingly difficult, terrifyingly isolating, you feel like your body is permanently destroyed, you don’t have time to finish a sentence with your spouse and you feel like the world is going on and you are chained to a chair feeding and rocking a delicate ever-needy baby.

This article about breastfeeding and psychiatric medication gives a good overview of the basis for most medical decisions regarding PPD and nursing moms.

I feel strongly about helping other women get the information they need to have an easier postpartum experience. I will write more on this topic again soon and often.

Another great postpartum website is Postpartum.net

** I fear I am oversimplifing my situation and I don’t mean to do that. I will address this topic again soon with more honesty , clarity and useful information.

This article really hit home with me. In the Houston Chronicle today, there is a story about a study done by the University of Texas that shows teenage girls who are obese are half as likely to attend college as their slimmer counterparts. The study also showed that obese teenage girls were more likely to engage in reckless behaviors such as skipping school, underage drinking and drug abuse. Such acting out stems from feelings of isolation. What I found most poignant in the article was how the societal stigma of appearance is not the same for obese boys.

Today is my birthday and I’m venturing into my mid-twenties. But it wasn’t too long ago that I was a teenage girl in high school facing the same pressures discussed in this article. For girls, even at an early age, looks and weight become the focus. Once you fall outside of the desired parameters for looks in society, the change begins. It is a shame that these girls are judged by their looks before they have even had time to develop them. What is even more of a shame is that these outside factors are affecting the educational choices of these young women. Because you don’t wear a certain size means you aren’t supposed to be successful in life? This shows me how much young women tie beauty to self-worth. The unfortunate part is that beauty and outward appearance will fade and can be taken away. It’s what you learn, give to others and grow into as a person that makes you special. Those types of lessons often come with life experience and wisdom, both of which you do not need outer beauty to attain.

women, obesity, education, beauty, society, teenage girls, pressure

An article on ScienceDaily.com shows a connection between weight-loss and race. The study shows that Caucasian women are more likely to seek outside help from a nutritionist, personal trainer or support group than their African-American counterparts. So why the difference?

As a Black woman, I can say I agree with this study for the most part. I have tried dealing with weight-loss on my own for most of my life. I do think that at times when dealing with weight-loss issues ethnic factors aren’t always taken into consideration. Factors such as ethnic diet, income level, geographic location and family history have to be considered when you look at effective weight-loss. In my opinion, body type is one major factor. While a specific diet and exercise routine may work well for one body type it may not work well for another. For instance, I have a large amount of muscle mass compared to most women my age. Most of this is due to genetic and ethnic factors. A workout program that would require a great deal of strenght training would only make me bulk up (which I don’t want!) while a program more geared toward aerobic fat-burning or toning would be less likely to create a bulky physiche. So in my opinion, there is lots more to learn about the way our bodies work in order to effectively manage weight-loss across the races.

women, health, weight-loss, exersice, race

Gastric bypass surgery has helped millions of women loose weight and fight the battle of compulsive eating. Because of the popularity of the surgery in recent years, it has almost seemed like a miracle cure for the severely obese. But one issues has been found creeping in the background of all the hype surrounding the benefits of weight loss surgery. ABC Nightline did a story shown on Yahoo! News bringing to light the growing problem. The underlying addictions that effect those who had compulsive eating problems prior to their surgery. What happens when these women transfer from one addictive behavior to another? What they are finding is a new battle with a different opponent.

Transfer addiction is relatively new on the scene of side effects of gastric bypass surgery. But the issue is seen as a rising concern by those conducting Bariatric meetings, designed as support group for those who have undergone the procedure. What they are seeing is a rising number of patients who transfer their addiction from food onto something else. The most common examples are alcohol, shopping and sexual addiction. Many of the patients say the were not warned about possibility of this possible side-effect before the surgery. This could possibly be because the procedure itself is still in its infancy and the long-term side-effects are not known yet.

What is known is that more information needs to be collected in order for the problem to be properly addressed. In the mean time, the majority of the women interviewed said if they had to do it over again, they still would have had the surgery but would have addressed their addictive behaviors beforehand. As the number of people going under the knife to loose weight rises, the problem can only be expected to grow. Will doctors give their patients the necessary education to help patients address the problem before they have surgery? My belief is that because of the life-altering effects of this type of surgery, there should be a screening process for potential patients. A simple psychological work-up, much like what is required for those seeking gender reassignment, would help these women address potential issues ahead of time. Sounds like a simple solution right? Lets see if the medical community answers the call.

Sources:
Transfer of Addiction - Yahoo! News with ABC Nightline

Gastric Bypass - Medicine Plus

Bariatric Partners

women, surgery, gastric bypass, addiction, bariatric