Yo

can have y yor

MANY PEOPLE believe that you have to

be thin to be beautiful,

and, as @ result,

many teenage girls — and some even younger — are on a diet even though it tends to make them less healthy. Have you ever dicted? How old were you when you went on your first dict? Do you think it's

important to be thin?

~» Health issues lose out in pursuit of society’s ill-conceived perfect woman

WHAT IS the perfeci girl?

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By Teya Mathias ZAP! Contributor

Many of us would think the perfect girl is tall, thin and beautiful; someone you'd sce on the cover of Vogue.

Many young girls are. neither tall nor thin, but they are all - beautiful in their own way. ;

Often young girls de not see their own special beauty. They may only see what other people see — their outer shell.

Society and the media are

‘sending mixed messages to. young

women. They want us to be smart,

_well- educated and beautiful;

-is increased to 20%.

- beautiful meaning thin.

Roughly 80% -of young girls .

have been on their first diet by the “tender age of 10. Why would a / young girl go on a diet? They are ‘already feeling the pressure that is put on women-by the media and society.

Among. adolescent girls, 5% to , 10% are anorexic. In college this Anorexia

means the extreme loss of one's

“appetite.

Anorexia nervosa is what causes the loss of appetite. ‘A friend .of mine . was once

‘-anorexic and she told me she used

to eat one grecn apple combined |

- with one packet of low calorie in-

stant hot chocolate. This was her * food intake for one day.

‘She was very proud of herself for keeping so thin. She went to

,an aerobics class five to six days a week,

Now she. has recovered, eats

., healthy and exercises regularly.

She now sees that she didn’t need to put herself through all that, but she has learned’ a lot about herself. It takes a lot to admit you “havea problem.

Bulimia is an eating disorder

where huge amounts of food are

consumed, but the person will in- duce vomiting or.take laxatives to get rid of the food. This mainly affects young wonien. The bulimic is often a person who is obsessed

_ with. weight loss.

Bulimia is“ a. binge-purge syn- _ drome, with a 10% to 15% rate among: women’ in college. An old

friend of mine: was bulimic. She’ -was my age and very beautiful. I

thought she had it. all; she had it

all and much more. |

CONTEMPORARY

EDUCATORS recognize three, primary learning styles: auditory’ (hearing), visual (secing) and tactile (feeling). While every. stu- dent absorbs information using all three senses, each has a primary sense that shapes how he or she learns best.

By Robert O. Minor Contributing Writer

For example, auditory learners understand information best by hearing. They prefer to talk, listen and express emotion.

She used to make herself throw up after meals. She was afraid of getting fat. She once said to me,

“T can’t be fat! Guys don’t like ©

girls who are fat.” This is. not always true, yet she was Jed to believe it was,

Why would someone make themself throw up, or deprive themself of the essential basic needs such as food? Are they try- ing to torture themself?

Did someone say. something to them that made them feel fat or not good enough for society? Or

_is eating the only thing they have

control of in ‘their lives? Maybe they just want to be thin and look

‘good. Maybe they want to look

like the models in the magazines that the media’ pushes in our faces every day.

Twenty-nine years ago, the

Visual learners process infor- mation best when they can see it. For example, they remember faces, demonstrations, charts or graphs.

Tactile learners remember best what they’ve learned if they can touch objects of associate an ac- tivity with the subject.

You can determine your learning style by using the fol- lowing quiz. Circle letters that apply, then total all As, Vs and Ts to see which is most frequent.

If you’re not sure about an item, leave it blank.

@ Prefer hearing or listening. (A)

weight of the average model was 8% less than the weight of the average woman. Now, the average weight of most models is 23% less than the norm.

Our ‘bodies have sot changed; only the preference of society and the media.

It is said that only about 5% of

women could actually be as thin’

as the models you see on TV-and in magazines.

Someone who has knowledge of anorexia will notice that most models in general show signs of anorexia. Many people see the ef- fects of this disease to be attrac- tive.

Studies show that 80% of high school girls have been on, or are still on, a diet. This shocked and upset researchers, not to mention doctors.

@ Doodle. (V)

@ Move lips when reading. (A)

@ Like to hear yourself and others talk. (A)

@ Express yourself with gestures and body movement. (T) @ Are quiet; do not length, (V) ;

@ Fidget when reading. (T)

@ Prefer to have ideas demon- strated. (V)

@ Remember names. (V)

@ Try things out by touching or feeling. (T)

@ Need frequent breaks when studying. (T)

@ Study well with friends. (A) _

talk at

faces but not

You could imagine how upset ‘they were a few years later when they found out that 80% of fourth grade. girls had. already dieted, ‘too. Out of the 80% that were dieting, 45% were actually below their recommended weight to begin with.

For the average female standing 5’8’', most experts say her weight should be roughly .144. pounds. This varies depending on muscle, bone structure and water.

1 think what is healthy is what’s.

best for:you. You are only going to have’ one body and keeping it nourished and in proper working order is so important. -

As women, right from puberty, our’ bodies are preparing for bearing children.

All you see on. TV are thin models, but remember it’s all just

e Study well alone. (V)

@ Remember physical events or activities (“1 did...’’). {T)

@ Remember visual events (‘'I saw...”’}. (V)

To confirm your suspicions, recall an experience. Do you close your eyes for a moment or focus on the sounds (A)? Bo you momentarily look off in the distance and descrbe the sights (V)? Or, do you use gestures, or your whole body, to tell the story (T)?

Do you show a clear auditory, visual or tactile preference?

Once you know your learning style, you can maximize your

advertising. People are all out to make a buck with all the miracle. diets. Everyone tries to. sell you’ something you don’t need.

Many of the commercial diets that they advertise on TV are not so successful and are often the > first step to an eating disorder.

Most of the initial rapid weight loss from these programs is your body running on water and salt. Most people experience byperten- . sion or fatigue. You shouldn’t have to suffer to lose weight. *

1 can’t tell you how to eat.and. exercise, but if you go to your* family ‘doctor I’m sure he or ‘she -- will. have some advice on -eating .- and exercises that. will help keep - you healthy. |

Many.» think that’ comes from being beautiful. You could be as weak as a jellyfish in- side and look good on the cutside, but that doesn’t change the way you feel inside.

It may make others think. ‘you: are mighty, but who are. you living | your fife for. — you. or the next guy?

A girlfriend of mine told me » she * had never felt so good about herself until she began to work. out.

She just finished a 6.8 mile ran. :

and the way she was talking about . it made it sound like the best high in the world. I have noticed an increase in her energy and cone, fidence. -.-

I feel that many people : are in- fluenced by things that are not very - realistic. My. sister had a baby just over .a year ago and I. see how happy and carefree that little girl is now.

I fear one day that she will feel - that she should be living up to society’s ideal. I just. hope socie- ty’s ideal is a little more realistic. .

My niece is one of the most cre-

ative, smartest and prettiest little

- girls in the world.’ Mot only ’ because she is my niece but for the | simple reason that she is learning how important she is and how. much she is loved just the way she ©: is.

Young people tend to be a little hard on themselves. | really hope her generation is taught and in- fluenced with humanity, ‘not ine agery,.

,

Teya Mathias is 17 years: old, .

and in Grade 12 at. Sutherland

secondary school..She’s interested in photography.

~ tearning potential whether at school or on the job.

For auditory learners: @ Study with friends and discuss the material.

For visual learners: @ Sit near the fron, away from distractions, and take good notes.

For tactile fearners: @ Draw timelines, maps, il- lustrations and diagrams of ideas to organize information man- ually.

Robert O. Minor is vice-presi- dent of education for Sylvan Learning Centres.

confidence » *