BeautiFULLer

Surrounded by light up plastic snowflakes with the smell of popcorn lingering in the air, my kids and I sat in anticipation of the Disney on Ice (Frozen & Encanto) debut. Kids clad in Elsa, Anna and Mirabel costumes waved excitedly as Olaf took the ice. The Frozen story was underway when Elsa and Anna popped up on a side platform as they got ready for Elsa's coronation.  

“Anna, you look beautiful” Elsa proclaimed. 

A giddy Anna said, “You look beautifuller….I mean you don’t look FULLER…..you just look very beautiful”. 

An awkward moment of silence just long enough for kids to understand that looking FULLER is not a good thing cut right through the popcorn haze. 

Damn you, Disney on Ice. I’m disappointed to say the least, especially amidst the absolutely awful new AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) guidelines that recommend medication, weight loss through dieting and weight loss surgery for “overweight kids”. 

The new guidelines are something to be aware of because your trip to the pediatrician’s office might not be the same as doctors may be overtly telling you or your kid that their body is “wrong” and needs “fixing” through weight loss. 

Never mind that the authors of these recommendations all have financial ties to weight loss institutions or weight loss surgery centers. 

Never mind that the researchers didn’t tell the whole story and the research itself wasn’t high quality.  

Never mind that permanently shrinking bodies essentially never works in the long run and causes harm, including body hatred and risk for developing eating disorders in the process. 

Never mind that focusing on shaming someone for their body size inevitably leads to hurt and potential life long pain and suffering.

Never mind that the CDC recently reported record levels of sadness and depression in teen girls. 

Never mind that kids should be focusing on play, connecting with peers and exploring what they like about themselves vs what’s wrong with their bodies. 

If you want an in depth review of the recommendations, I highly recommended this read by Virginia Sole Smith from the NYT. 

Please remind your doctor in advance of your appointments that you'd like to keep conversations about weight and BMI out of your child's visit and to follow up with you if they have any concerns. 

Let’s let kids twirl their magical light up wands and eat their popcorn without worry that something largely outside of their control is a) a problem and b) up to them to fix.

Let it go, Disney, let the fatphobia go. 

I have more tips for handling doctor's appointments with your kids in my upcoming book, Raising Anti-Diet Kids.