Loulou's views

I recently sat down and had a difficult discussion with my children. I talked to my boys about how certain messages they are being exposed to—when they are online, reading magazines, or watching television—are unhealthy. The messages I'm talking about are the ones that say young people have to look a certain way to be accepted; how dieting is good; and how young people can lose weight, quickly, to attain the "perfect" body. These unhealthy, negative body messages affect both boys and girls, and these messages are everywhere—targeted to children under the age of 16. I'm so glad Multi-Grain Cheerios launched a campaign to raise awareness about unhealthy body image messages—which are disguised as "harmless entertainment"—because it's time we do something to stop these harmful messages. The ads we see in magazines, online, and on television are making young people lose confidence in themselves and in their healthy bodies. Dietainment is what I'm t...

As a child, I didn't worry very much about my appearance, what I weighed, or what I ate. Life was carefree and easy. The word "diet" wasn't part of my vocabulary until I turned 16, and looking back, I wish I hadn't started worrying about dieting at such a young age. (Especially because there was no reason to worry about losing weight—I was healthy, active, and ate well.) Growing up today is a totally different world than the one I grew up in. Our children are now constantly being exposed to unhealthy messages and images online, on television, and in print. These messages revolve around how young people can lose weight to attain the "perfect" body. These unhealthy body messages affect both boys and girls, and sadly, these messages are everywhere you look—and in the faces of children younger than 16 years old. Multi-Grain Cheerios has launched a campaign to raise awareness about the unhealthy body image messages disguised as harmless entertainment that...