Everyone knows that you have to be skinny to make friends and have a social life. Or, at least, that’s what Paul M. Kramer’s new children’s book entitled “Maggie Goes On A Diet” shows.
The book, set to be released this month, centers on a 14-year-old girl who starts out overweight and bullied at the beginning of the book, and ends up a thin soccer star with lots of friends by the end. What kind of message is this sending to young kids?
The media already fills children’s heads with images of skinny models (often Photoshopped for this result) on billboards, TV commercials and magazine ads. The TLC show Toddlers and Tiaras depicts child beauty pageant contestants striving for perfection at ages as young as 2 to 6 years old. These little girls are put on diets, spray tanned, and even dressed up as Julia Roberts’ prostitute character from Pretty Woman. Though the main character of “Maggie” is 14, Amazon.com recommends the book for children ages 4 to 8.
Critics argue that the youthful book inspires young girls especially to diet for popularity, rather than health. Kramer, father to one son, claims that it is intended to promote healthy living by showing positive outcomes.
A 2009 University of Central Florida study supports critics views. The study shows that nearly half of children 3 to 6 years old in the study thought they were fat. In addition, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported a 199% increase between 1999 and 2006 for hospitalizations related to eating disorders for children under the age of 12. While obesity is certainly an issue in this country, many kids become consumed with their weight unnecessarily. Six-year-old Taylor Hall was interviewed on ABC News believing that she was fat, despite her doctor’s claim that she was nowhere near at risk of being overweight.
With the constant pressure of the media, children are struggling with body issues at a far younger age than previous generations and “Maggie Goes On A Diet” has sparked a lot of strong opinions.