Last week, I shared with you in a blog post a new initiative from Multi-Grain Cheerios that has parents signing a petition to stop harmful messaging to kids about their bodies.
While most people equate body image struggles to girls, I wanted to share and explore the topic from a boy’s perspective. It’s true that girls are bombarded with images and messages portrayed in the media to be thinner and prettier, but boys are also blasted with similar messages as well. And not just to be thin, but to be thin and muscular. That to measure up in today’s society, boys need to be fit and strong.
Where is this message coming from?
The answer is everywhere.
Right from little boyhood, our guys are surrounded with role models and heroes such as the Hulk, Thor, Superman, army men and pro athletes. To a child’s eyes, bigger is better. For most men those exaggerated physiques aren’t even achievable, even some of the biggest body builders don’t have measurements that match action figures slim waists and bulging biceps. So why are boys raised to believe that this is cool?
Let’s change the way we think and talk
- Focus your conversations about weight on being healthy and feeling good, instead of the number on the scale
- Show positive body image values by avoiding negative phrases like “I’m so fat”; instead, you can say things like “my goal is to be healthy”
- Model a healthy, active lifestyle by enjoying lots of physical activity and eating a balanced diet
When we walk the walk and talk the talk, kids have positive role models right at home!
Now it’s the media’s turn to initiate change.
JOIN THE CAUSE
Celebrity fad diets, weight-loss tricks and miracle foods that never work. Let’s stop unhealthy diet messages from reaching our kids.
Multi-Grain Cheerios has a goal is to create a world without dieting for the next generation. Sign the petition now and help them drive change within the Canadian media industry. They want media to take the first step and commit to stop exposing Dietainment to young girls.
I’m going to take that a step further and challenge media to stop harmful messaging to all CHILDREN. Negativity towards our bodies has no gender boundaries and girls are not the only targets when it comes to Dietainment and media’s drive to expose kids to harmful diet content. In fact the only way to attempt those abs of steel and big guns is often downright unhealthy, how many times have you seen an ad for proteins and powders to boost a boys body? Far too often.
It’s working though! We’ve caught the attention of Faze.ca and Divine.ca, both are actively supporting the pledge, taking us one step closer to stopping dietainment. Who’s next?
Disclosure: This post is in partnership with the #StopDietainment campaign from Multi-Grain Cheerios, all opinions belong to Mom vs the Boys.
I signed. This is so important.
Thanks Cheryl!
This is so very inportant,i have signed
So important for both boys & girls, I have signed it!
Thanks Judy
I signed and encourage others to do the same !
Thanks Kathy!
I signed and yes it’s just not girls that go through it, boys struggle just as much!!
I signed, and it’s true, it doesn’t just affect girls.
We raised our kids like described above and it worked. thanks
I try and teach our kids to eat healthy and not judge others for how they look.
Yes, unfortunately the image expected for boys is slim but muscular.
yup, and that’s tough to achieve!
I signed so important
definitely signed this petition!! whether boy or girl they/we always go through images issues because of everything put out there by the media
for sure boys and girls go through images issued in the media
Petition signed and shared!
This is so very important. I will sign the petition.
Being healthy and self confident is so important for our children.
This is amazing, it is such a great campaign and it is something that needs to be addressed for sure, So much pressure is put on kids and teenagers and no wonder they have depression issues, among other things!
Thanks for sharing. Signed up.
Thank you!
This is so important for both boys abd girls
Very very true (coming from someone who has a lot of weight to lose) we do focus on being healthy. It doesn’t always help though – I cannot carry our son any more – he’s too tall and heavy now. So then he said he needed to lose weight. Nearly broke my heart. Sigh.
oh noooo. Kids need to learn that growing bigger just means they are growing older!
It is true! I signed.
very important cause, i signed 🙂
I signed previously but hope others will do the same.
I signed the petition, it’s important that we teach our children healthy eating and exercise at an early age, so it’s their way of life and they won’t have to go on diets!
very important cause, so true
My 8 year old actually told me she wanted to go on a diet!!! WHAT!!!!
I have signed and shared
This site is very nice !
Negativity towards body image is so harmful! I didn’t realize it was such an issue with boys now too 🙁
I signed the pledge!
Signed, I have 3 young boys and they talk about being fat and exercising although they are not overweight.
Being Healthy and self confident are soooo important. Feeling good about who you are should start at a very early age. It starts at home I believe. If Mom and Dad eat well and are active and happy about it the kids will follow. Thank you Kathy 🙂
Truly important message. Love the pic.
Cheerios is doing a great thing with this campaign!
I signed it – I fully support this campaign. I had a friend in grade school that was always on a diet! Her parents helped her…it was really sad. She did it all, no carb, slim fast, 500 calorie a day…I felt so bad for her. It’s even worse now though, this movement is so important! I signed the petition!
oh that really is sad
I have signed. So imporant. Thanks so much for sharing this
I signed the petition and believe that this campaign carries a very important message.I hope it helps the cause.
I signed and this is a serious problem out there!!
It’s such a shame that the media (in all it’s forms) tends to present what they consider the perfect body. It’s affecting our children and that is bad! Being healthy is the most important thing for children to grasp and the fact that if we all had perfect bodies it would be a very boring world indeed. We are all different as are our bodies and that’s how it should be.
This is such an important issue!