The last three times I've run into a school mom, my two year old is doing something with a lollipop. 

The first time, this mom saw us at the paper store in town and kindly peeled the white sticky stick off of my daughter's bottom and brought it to me letting me know what she had found. She promised no judgement and said with a giggle that she could totally relate. 
Thank you, new friend. Classy. 

The second time, we were at CVS buying some (a very large bag) of lollipops to survive an upcoming airplane flight. My friend helped me find the econo size bag because apparently she makes pre-flight CVS stops, too. We had just enough to last the final leg of our trip.
Thank you, friend, sugar and CVS. 

Just last week, we bumped into each other at CVS (AGAIN) and my daughter was working two lollipops in her mouth even before we got to the checkout line. My friend and I laughed about our repeated lollipop adventures. This time I needed the lollipops...

Will Smith recently posted a full body selfie with the caption, “I’m gonna be real wit y’all. I’m in the worst shape of my life”. Let me first say that a) his “worst shape” picture looks like he’s a regular guy and b) you can NEVER assume a person’s health based on their physical appearance. 

Will Smith’s not the only one emerging from the pandemic cocoon with a different appearance. Not only have many our bodies changed, our attitudes have, too. In particular, our anxieties are up. What about my unvaccinated kids? Are the vaccines really safe? What about summer camp? What’s school going to look like next year? Can I really hang out unmasked with friends? Weren’t we just double masking a few weeks ago?

One industry in particular is thrilled with this combination of body dissatisfaction and peaked anxiety. You guessed it…the diet industry (aka the weight cycling industry). 

Even though many...