Glory sometimes talks about checking out of cultural norms for maintanence. Many of us eat veggies, avoid fast food, plan our meals, etc., in ways that others who embrace the Standard American Diet/Lifestyle might find odd or uncomfortable. I have no problems not following along with cultural norms, but 2 recent media events make me wonder if I have lost touch altogether with cultural norms.

Without going into politics, I was confused by the kerfluffle over Sarah Palin's Newsweek cover. The headline was rude I thought, but I had no problem with the picture. I own the Runners World magazine that the picture was originally published in. Again, politics aside, I thought she looked great and healthy and any time a mother in the public eye can pull off a healthy lifestyle, I am pleased by that. It never even occured to me that the picture was sexist and then it was all over the news that it was....am I THAT out of touch with reality? I usually have a pretty good eye on women's issues.

Second, there was a small news piece on the Internet yesterday about Kate Moss embracing a "pro-ana" slogan.....I clicked on it to see what horrible words she could possibly be spouting....ummm "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels." Pro-ana??? That's one of my mottos, and I guarantee I am NOT anorexic. I believe in healthy food---and plenty of it! I use it to mean that being fit and healthy feels far better than falling face first into cheesecake. I don't know if Moss is anorexic or not, but surely that motto is not a pro-ana motto???

I think that the "media" (in general) is becoming more and more absurd and irrelevant to my life, and I wonder is it that the media has changed, or that I have changed?

Have any of you been taken aback by media judegments regarding healthy lifestyle issues or philosophies that you embrace?

I heard that about Kate Moss yesterday as well. That's one of my mantras and just as you I'm not anorexic nor do I believe in that either. I think the media likes to sensationalize anything they can get their hands on.

About the same time I started my weight loss journey, I turned off the Television. It is never on during the day and I like it that way. Of course as soon as the family gets home it is on til bed. I get very frustrated at almost every aspect of the media. It's a pushing, pulling, all out war between the fit and the fat, the left and the right. I hate the mixed messages it gives my kids.

You know, I think Sarah Palin is a very beautiful woman. She looks great and is very fit. In my humble opinion I see much of the problem as jealousy and envy in her case.

Agree with you, midwife. I think (if this wanders, forgive me - I'm still trying to figure this out for myself) that we're sliding into a "de-evolution". I'm noticing that emotional marketing is gradually replacing intellectual thought - that if a piece of news doesn't make us "feel", and the more extreme, the better - it isn't worthy. They want outrage, they want tears of joy, or sadness, but there's no market for impartial, critical thinking. I began to see this in education, when there was a slide toward "How do you FEEL about this?", as opposed to "What do you THINK?" There is a major difference! An old Bloom County cartoon (dating myself again) refers to a rise of "offensensitivity" where PC, self-esteem, and undeserved praise run amuck, and you can basically now sue somebody if they hurt your feelings (emotional distress). Have we forgotten that what separates us from animals is the ability to analyze and to think ... and not just react? To be health-conscious in especially current America - you have to disconnect from the plays on emotion, and really THINK about choices. Media forces seem to be trying very, very hard to unplug us from thinking.

Exactly how I feel!

I also feel the American media has done a FANTASTIC job brainwashing the American population and always has--for at least as long as I have been alive.

As far as the Palin cover, she posed for that picture for a running magazine, in that place it was wonderfully in context and yes, she's a beautiful, fit woman. I thought it was sexist of Newsweek to use it as their cover picture for a story discussing her position in politics. I don't think Newsweek would ever use a posed hottie running picture of Obama or McCain for a cover story on their political merit.

I think Palin has gotten a lot of mileage out of being so beautiful, but I thought Newsweek was tacky. Still, it is a great picture. I hope that Palin looks at the picture, admires her lovely legs, listens to the kerfuffle and says "suck it, Newsweek, damn I look good!"

I now ignore most media because of what you said. They are ridiculous.

Not ALL media. I've been in the newspaper business for 11 years already, and a newspaper editor for six. I don't sensationalize anything.

But a LOT of news networks will do so. They'll get a hot-button issue, like weight/models and Palin now, and blow things out of proportion. It's all about viewers and ad sales. Right now the media is TOTALLY suffering because of lower ad revenue, and they're looking to pull in viewers/readers, and therefore more advertisers, to stay afloat (or at least NOT close). They KNOW they're blowing it out of proportion too in a lot of instances, and they do it so people buy it.

May be time for me to bow out here...media bashing gets to me for obvious reasons...

Agreed on the Sarah Palin/Newsweek cover. Completely aside from politics, that is a great photo of her and she is a beautiful woman who also seems to have a healthy lifestyle.

I've been told by a few people that I look like her... most recently was a guy who didn't want to tell me because he didn't know my political orientation and was worried about how I'd take it - but regardless, being compared to her in terms of looks is a great compliment for me!

I'm so far off the bus I didn't even hear about the Newsweek cover, so I had to go look. I agree that for Newsweek to use that photo on their cover is an attempt to demean Palin because she is an attractive woman. I am an old 1970s feminist, and the photo is a clear display of gender bias. Even Palin didn't like it. It's hard enough for a woman to be taken seriously without media bashing on the basis of gender. (And btw I am not a Sarah Palin fan.)

As for the slogan, I'm sorry to say it's true. It is associated with the Pro-Ana movement. I prefer to change it to "Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels."

But actually, I'm out of that level altogether. I suppose if I had a slogan, it would be "No food or food choice should be the driving force in your life."

Jay

Mindi, if I remember correctly, you are in a small town, and I have to say that small town newspapers are WAY different than say the NY Times, and the Wall Street Journal. One thing I find with our local small town newspapers is they HAVE to report the truth...lol The towns people know what is going on way before the field reporters, writers and editiors. Our citizens are very aware of what is going on and if the paper started sensationalizing the happenings, EVERYONE would boycott them and they would have to close shop.

Case in point; a local Doctor lost his medical licence because of a narcotics addiction. He was fired from the hospital, EVERYONE knew he was fired and why he was fired, but the newspaper printed a letter written by the Hospital Administrator stating he retired. BS. The paper received hundreds of phone calls and nasty letters, their sales dropped immediately for several months and they almost went under. They can't stretch the truth in small town Nebraska...lol

I'm with Jay . . . That slogan, "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels," has always been an uncomfortable one for me partially because I know it is associated with the pro-ana movement (and has been for years). It actually really bothers me. People use it to justify not eating in order to attain unhealthily low weights.

As for the Palin picture, I do agree it was inappropriate for the reason stated above -- because they would never use a picture of, say, Joe Biden in running shorts in an article about his political strengths/weaknesses. I do think that even people who hate Sarah Palin (I admit, I am one of them, but let's not get into that) will agree that she is an attractive woman with a healthy body and a healthy lifestyle.

I totally agree. TV news is so ridiculous these days. People have totally lost sense of the idea that news should be about stating facts and not opinions. I'm pretty sure I know what TV station was responsible for the initial allegations too! but i wont go there.

I have heard that it is associated with the pro-ana movement and I can certainly see how it could be interpreted and applied for that purpose.

I think it's like a lot of inspirational quotations or aphorisms though, people use them because they find something in them that works for them and JayEll I love your modification of it because it probably more accurately reflects what many 3FC users mean when they use the motto.

I always saw it as kind of a variation on "a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips": a motto designed to remind us that what we put into our bodies impacts them and would keep us from reaching for that second doughnut.

But I can also see that it could be used as a mantra by someone who is trying to eat as little as possible. It's unfortunate that words that can be so useful for someone who is trying to get healthy can also be useful to those who are doing great damage to themselves. I guess it's all about that elusive balance.

As for the Sarah Palin picture, I haven't seen it (clearly I'm way out of it) but I would say that a picture taken out of context is like a quotation taken out of context, it's no longer accurate.

I agree with most of the rest here. The large news networks and newspapers are all in it to make a buck right now - and some to support particular views. When I was growing up, I can remember my mom and dad not really caring which news show they watched because it was pretty much the same news on every station. Now, I watch different news shows to figure out whether this one is being biased or if that one is trying to put a political slant on something. It's no longer just watching the news to be informed - it's trying to sift through the garbage to find out the truth.

I also agree about small town newspapers, though.. they are far from biased, since they WILL get called out by the citizens. I live in a small town, too.

(BTW.. I gotta say to Lori Bell.. WOW.. your new avatar is fantastic! You look great, girl!)

PS: Jay - I like your version of that slogan much better!!