Dr. Robyn Silverman
September is an amazing month for action. You can smell it in the air. Back to work. Back to school. Back to…snarky body-bashing comments from “friends,” coworkers, and the girl next door who, as it turns out, isn’t that nice after all.
What are we doing? It’s time to get it together. If women [...]
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Dr. Robyn Silverman
Well, it’s not like we didn’t know it. Reporter/writer Jeffrey Zaslow reminds us today in the Wall Street Journal that life ain’t what it used to be. It was 23 years ago that he interviewed some fourth graders in Chicago trying to determine if dieting and poor body image really was as big [...]
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SELF Magazine Warning Needed?
Subject on Cover is Bigger Than She Actually Appears
Dr. Robyn Silverman
When I was sitting in my Sassy Sisterhood Girl Circle showing how magazine editors photo-shop the hell out of every photo that comes their way, something clicked. Meaghan, age 13, looked right at me and said. “So what you’re saying is…the [...]
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Dr. Robyn Silverman, Dr. Pauline Wallin & host Craig Cohen on SmartTalk radio this AM talking about body image. Listen now!
This morning, I had the pleasure of being on WITF SmartTalk radio, a division of NPR, talking about body image. We discussed everything from the media’s influence, the parental influence, peer influence, and plastic [...]
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Disband the Clean the Plate Club?
Dr. Robyn Silverman
Thank you to all of you who have already submitted stories to my body image story website in preparation for my forthcoming book! It is very telling– so many stories have similar themes. This one, which came in recently, hits on a point I want to talk about [...]
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Dr. Robyn Silverman
I’ve been talking to a bunch of girls lately about how girls talk badly about their bodies…all…the…time. Why?
Here are some of the answers I’ve received:
“They think you’re all high and mighty if you don’t”
“Nobody’s happy with their body because we don’t look like the celebrities.”
“It’s just what girls do.”
“My friends and me talk [...]
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Dangerous Diet Doping: Being Thin at all Costs
Dr. Robyn Silverman
As we know, “feeling fat” has become a common part of everyday life for girls and women. Dieting is the norm. Complaining about weight is a expected and encourages. And doing anything you can to achieve the perfect thin body, accepted and supported.
A [...]
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Something is clearly screwed up. In the Boston paper today, the results of a survey tells us that almost half of the Boston teenagers interviewed in a poll by Boston Public Health Commission said pop star Rihanna was responsible for her own beating. Yuck. Perhaps you remember that Rihanna has granted Chris Brown continuance [...]
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Happy Birthday Barbie? Begrudgingly Giving our Nemesis Doll the Nod
Dr. Robyn Silverman
Today isn’t any old day. It’s Barbie’s birthday. But before you get out the paper streamers, party hats, and blow torch, let’s pause to reflect on the controversial yet ever present plastic bit of perfection in every girl’s life. Yes, you might not play [...]
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Is weighing children and teens at school a good idea?
Dr. Robyn Silverman
Massachusetts has jumped on the “free the obese” bandwagon. The ant-obesity plan goes before the Public Health Council next week, and broad support is expected.
The plan requires all major restaurant chains, including fast food restaurants, to prominently post all calorie counts on the [...]
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