Between exchanging recipes or chatting about the kids, women often engage in "fat talk."
Experts once thought fat talk was reserved for middle school girls, but studies have found that it is common among women of all ages, and even some men do it. Denise Martz of Appalachian State University, who co-authored a study on the subject, says, "Because women feel pressured to follow the fat talk norm, they are more likely to engage in fat talk with other females."
According to the study, fat talk lets women appear "modest," which is more socially acceptable in a society that shuns egotism. "We tend to dislike arrogance and especially dislike it in women," Martz explains. "Women are perceived as OK if they fat talk and acknowledge that their bodies are not perfect but they are working on it."
But fat talk isn't productive. Carolyn Becker, professor at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, says data show three to five minutes of fat talk "significantly worsens body dissatisfaction."
"And that's really problematic," Becker says, "because body dissatisfaction is associated with reduced consumption of fruits and vegetables, decreased exercise behaviors and, in fact, one study found that in adolescent girls that were somewhat overweight, those who liked their bodies gained less weight than those who disliked their bodies."
Operation Beautiful, brainchild of North Carolina-based Caitlin Boyle, is dedicated to ending fat talk. Her website slogan reads, "Transforming the way you see yourself one Post-it note at a time." The site encourages people to leave motivational sticky notes on the mirrors of public restrooms, at the gym, at work and even on random car windshields. Participants are asked to send in photos of their postings, which are featured on the site, www.operationbeautiful.com.
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