It’s NOT the last supper
July 10, 2010
Six ounces of milk, one boiled egg, two pieces of toast, a bowl of cereal, fruit yogurt, and a
Six ounces of milk, one boiled egg, two pieces of toast, a bowl of cereal, fruit yogurt, and a
I’m a 5’8” Bengali woman, which in most parts of India makes me an Amazon. Couple that with the fact that I’m generally an American size 10 (which in most haute couture boutiques might as well be a size 80,000) and you’ve got a case of body image issues just waiting to happen.
You know you’ve said it. Out loud. And in front of your children. It is more than just one word however, and these obscenities hide in our conversations every day, affecting the way our children grow up, think, and feel about themselves.
As a Pride Parade virgin, this year’s attendance on my part was a revelation. I was surprised to see only a handful of South Asian faces dotted randomly throughout the multicultural crowd. They were shall we say, mute spectators?
When I saw myself in the mirror I would perceive my size two or three times more than it actually was. Having gone through this phase in life I am prepared that my daughter in some form or other may face body image distortion.
We don’t mind leaning on our third cousin’s family friend’s brother’s wife, but we will absolutely not walk into a support group and tell people our secrets. But the more time I spend there, the more it reminds me of my grandmother’s house in India.
How do I tell my family and them not feel like it’s their fault? Julie Notto talks to South Asian Parent about how eating disorders specifically affect South Asian women.
It does bother me not to know whether my kids will ever read their language. Will Bengali just become a collection of gibberish words they will gradually forget as they move on with their assimilated lives in North America?
It might not seem like it fits. It’s too long, it’s too short; it doesn’t quite look right. I’m
Zahra was 85 pounds (38 kilos) when she developed the eating disorder bulimia nervosa. She was 15 years old at the time. “You just convince yourself that if you become skinny and thin maybe people will like you.”
The parent’s responsibility is to teach their child to think critically about what they see and hear, whatever it is. To teach values of substance over image.
I had just gotten my first period. My mother’s words ended after the diaper instructions. I still had no clue what was happening.