Monday, May 23, 2005
Lose Mind Now, Ask Me How
Aha! That 'intuition diet' book.
Look dis:
Secret 7: Live An Intuitive Life
Naturally thin people have truly fulfilling lives (and it’s not because they are thin). Thinness is part of their experience, but it is not the source of their fulfillment. They have meaningful relationships with others. They enjoy significant experiences in both their professional and personal lives. They focus far beyond the number on the scale. Their focus is on enjoying life, exactly as it is, and making the best of things, exactly as they are. With this attitude of gratitude, they seem to attract more good into their lives automatically, without having to chase after it.
I shouldn't be at all surprised, but what a statement. The trouble is that I can see what they mean. Only it skips over the stuff about people reacting to you more favourably if there's less of you.
'Thin' is a nasty word, anyway. If this woman really wanted to help people she'd get rid of that and substitute something about the Apt Self, or some pleasing cod-academic phrase.
I must admit that I look at Girls Aloud (especially Nadine, the Irish brunette one who isn't the boring one or the psychotic yet intensely charismatic Geordie one) and have this instant reaction, this violent jolt of inadequacy. But for the most part I'm very happy to goggle at perfection of whatever kind and not feel I'm supposed to live up to it - mostly it's all behind some electric fence which happily divides me from a place I would hate to be. Still, I've had to grapple with that misplaced yearning before and I can see how it could overshadow your entire life. I know there's a lot more to the development of eating disorders than simply seeing someone thin and deciding to actively aspire to their state and beyond, but there is some kind of genetic panic that you can't escape, surrounded by perfected women who would make better mates than you. I somehow don't think we've had chance to evolve to keep up with advances in photography - you might know intellectually that Nadine has been airbrushed to fuck, but all your subconscious grasps is that here is your natural competition and you are falling behind.
Never mind seven intuitive habits, it is just luck that ultimately this is not what I'm struggling with. Do I have an attitude of gratitude? Yes I do.
I don't begrudge Amerie at all though. Legs everywhere all spindlesome, and why make any pretence to wearing hot pants when you can just say fuck it and shoot a video in your gym knickers? She looks great and that single would have put me straight into hyperbolic spasm if I were still reviewing, but would I want to look like her? Actively not. People who are happy with their bodies may have more meaningful and fulfilling lives, but actual board-crossing irrefutable beauty is a curse. It is. You don't belong to yourself. Consider then the kind of regime you'd have to maintain to keep your record deal and you reach instinctively for a Viennese Whirl.
Mr Fat Manager did a backpedal recently and ordered GA to put some weight on because they'd got too thin. Surely not.
My chief bodily concern right now is insect bites. I'm sure the worst ones were sustained when I got back home, rather than at the barbecue, when by rights I should have been eaten alive by swarms of holidaying mosquitos. New insects attracted by the marks of recommendation left by others. Someone should do some research. Given that I react spectacularly to residual bug spit under my skin, and that the weather is appallingly cold and grey and grumpy, that might be the last time my legs see the sun for another year.
I just had to lock the back door which has started to blow open if merely pushed shut. Blow open. In the biting howling wind. I'm going to move to Florida and swallow my principles.
Look dis:
Secret 7: Live An Intuitive Life
Naturally thin people have truly fulfilling lives (and it’s not because they are thin). Thinness is part of their experience, but it is not the source of their fulfillment. They have meaningful relationships with others. They enjoy significant experiences in both their professional and personal lives. They focus far beyond the number on the scale. Their focus is on enjoying life, exactly as it is, and making the best of things, exactly as they are. With this attitude of gratitude, they seem to attract more good into their lives automatically, without having to chase after it.
I shouldn't be at all surprised, but what a statement. The trouble is that I can see what they mean. Only it skips over the stuff about people reacting to you more favourably if there's less of you.
'Thin' is a nasty word, anyway. If this woman really wanted to help people she'd get rid of that and substitute something about the Apt Self, or some pleasing cod-academic phrase.
I must admit that I look at Girls Aloud (especially Nadine, the Irish brunette one who isn't the boring one or the psychotic yet intensely charismatic Geordie one) and have this instant reaction, this violent jolt of inadequacy. But for the most part I'm very happy to goggle at perfection of whatever kind and not feel I'm supposed to live up to it - mostly it's all behind some electric fence which happily divides me from a place I would hate to be. Still, I've had to grapple with that misplaced yearning before and I can see how it could overshadow your entire life. I know there's a lot more to the development of eating disorders than simply seeing someone thin and deciding to actively aspire to their state and beyond, but there is some kind of genetic panic that you can't escape, surrounded by perfected women who would make better mates than you. I somehow don't think we've had chance to evolve to keep up with advances in photography - you might know intellectually that Nadine has been airbrushed to fuck, but all your subconscious grasps is that here is your natural competition and you are falling behind.
Never mind seven intuitive habits, it is just luck that ultimately this is not what I'm struggling with. Do I have an attitude of gratitude? Yes I do.
I don't begrudge Amerie at all though. Legs everywhere all spindlesome, and why make any pretence to wearing hot pants when you can just say fuck it and shoot a video in your gym knickers? She looks great and that single would have put me straight into hyperbolic spasm if I were still reviewing, but would I want to look like her? Actively not. People who are happy with their bodies may have more meaningful and fulfilling lives, but actual board-crossing irrefutable beauty is a curse. It is. You don't belong to yourself. Consider then the kind of regime you'd have to maintain to keep your record deal and you reach instinctively for a Viennese Whirl.
Mr Fat Manager did a backpedal recently and ordered GA to put some weight on because they'd got too thin. Surely not.
My chief bodily concern right now is insect bites. I'm sure the worst ones were sustained when I got back home, rather than at the barbecue, when by rights I should have been eaten alive by swarms of holidaying mosquitos. New insects attracted by the marks of recommendation left by others. Someone should do some research. Given that I react spectacularly to residual bug spit under my skin, and that the weather is appallingly cold and grey and grumpy, that might be the last time my legs see the sun for another year.
I just had to lock the back door which has started to blow open if merely pushed shut. Blow open. In the biting howling wind. I'm going to move to Florida and swallow my principles.
