1. The ways in which your beliefs and add to the behaviours about your own body
and the bodies of others have been shaped by the forces of waiters and sexism.
Then educate your children about (a) the genetic basic of difference in body
types; and (b) the nature of the ugliness of prejudice.
2. Examine closely your dreams and goals for you children and loved ones. Are you
over emphasizing beauty and body shape, particularly for girls?
a. Avoid conveying an attitude which says in effect, “I would like you more if you
lose weight, don't eat so much, look more like a slender model, fit into more
sliver clothes, etc…”
b. Decide what you can do and stop doing to reduce teasing, criticism, blaming,
staring, etc… That reinforce the vilification of overweight and the glorification
of slenderness.
3. Learn about and discuss with your sons and daughters, (a) the dangers of trying to
alter one's body shape through dieting; (b) the value of moderate exercising
toward stamina and cardiovascular fitness; (c) the importance of eating a variety
of foods in well-balanced meals consumed at least three times a day.
4. Make a commitment to exercise for the joy of feeling your body move and
function effectively to purge fat from your body or compensate for calories eaten.
5. Make a commitment not to avoid activities (such as swimming, sunbathing,
dancing) simply because they call attention to your weight and shape. Similarly,
refused to wear clothes that are uncomfortable or that you dislike, simply because
they divert attention from weight and shape.
6. Practice taking people in general and women in particular, seriously for what they
say, feel, and do, not for how slender or “well put together” they appear.
7. Make a commitment to help children appreciate and resist the ways in which
television, magazines, movies, and other media distort the true diversity of human
body types and imply that a slender body means power, excitement, and sexuality.
8. Make a commitment to educating boys about the various forms of violence against
women, including weightism, and their responsibilities for preventing it.
9. Encourage your children to be active and do enjoy what their bodies can do and
feel like. Do not limit their caloric intake unless a physician requests that you do
this because of a medical problem.
10. Do whatever you can to promote the self respect of your daughters and nieces and
sisters in intellectual, athletic, and social endeavours. Give the the boys and girls
the same opportunities and encouragement. Be careful not to suggest that
females are less important than males, example, by exempting males from
housework and childcare. Oh well rounded self and solid self-esteem are perhaps
the best antidote to mindless dieting and distorted eating.