size zero

one of the things I have been thinking about over the last week or so is the connection between Lent and giving up food and our cultural obsession with body-consciousness. Lent is completely subverted if it's taken as an opportunity to lose weight for fashion or image reasons. Lent is supposed to simplify and free you from self-obsession and focus you on GOd. But dieting for fashion consciousness focuses you on yourself, not in a healthy way, but in a way that pressurises you to become something you think someone else thinks you should be.

Last week someone said on the Radio that Size Zero was a very strange concept. What Size Zero says, the commentator pointed out, is that the idea of disappearing altogether is something to celebrate. The disappearance of women, the disallowance of them to take up space in the world, is made to seem virtuous by the label Size Zero. It's a sick idea. And anyone who is using Lent to feed the idea that they should be disappearing is certainly not hearing the liberation of the Christian Gospel, which is supposed to save us holistically, body and soul. Emphatically it does not denigrate the body in favour of the soul, although the way some people interpret the gospel you'd be forgiven for thinking so.

Maybe, if you are a person who has got caught up in the obsession with body size and regular dieting and weight control, the smartest thing you could do for Lent is not give up chocolate or cake or dairy or whatever, but give up dieting. 

Comments

[jody]

Hi

the issue of what men and women do to their bodies has been going this way for years.

men try to make themselves bigger, bulking up, taking up more room in the world

women try to make themselves smaller, losing weight, taking up less room in the world.

Size Zero is the outcome of this type of 'complementarity' - very different of course to what is defined as the male female relationship in Scripture.

So, it was a while ago that I decided I would never ever count one more calorie ever again - and you wouldn't believe how hard that is after over 20 years of doing just that. So, I think you're definitely on to something Maggi :-)

[PamBG]

I agree with the original post, but also think that there is something about "size zero" that hints at genuine evil. It is somehow connected with the values around "disappearing altogether" and jody puts in well in her response - especially the insight about "complimentarity" in scare-quote. I shall give more thought about how to articulate my intuition.

Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread. Would someone aspiring to size zero be tempted to turn bread into rocks?

[ashley]

What a refreshing take on Lent. I wondered why I felt so uncomfortable with the hidden motive of weight loss I often I see in giving up some sort of fatty, sugary food, and your discussions reflect this well for me. Of course, fasting can be beautiful and spiritual, but only a greater struggle if you have a history of body-unhappiness. Thank you!

[Lorna]

give up dieting :) what a novel idea Maggi!

[Stephanie]

Wise words, but talk to any overweight teenager and you will find someone who really doesn't feel that she has anything to lose, she is already invisible.
She is often perceived as lazy,stupid, lacking in self discpline, sexless, and fair game for unkind humour. She has everything to gain by losing weight...most of all self esteem.

[jody]

Hi Stephanie

I have been an overweight teenager. I know that pain. Also, I'm not advocating not doing anything about being healthy. Simply, for me, the healthiness of my mind and body are linked - I would suggest this is the same for others. I can crash diet with the best of them, but my self-esteem is then wholly defined by what I weigh on the scales. I choose it not to be so.

It has taken me over 20 years to figure this out, it is still a struggle, I'm still overweight, I still want to be healthy. I was put on a diet when I was 8 and it hasn't stopped since until recently. Some things, that are hard wired are hard to break free from. (Maybe violent struggle with chains of oppression is valid? Thinking of the Angry Monday postings)

I live in hope that my eating has become 'healthy' in oh so many ways. But the self-esteem had to come first, the eating followed. It will take some time for it to affect the way I look, but suddenly it doesn't seem to matter so much.

oops sorry Maggi, long post, feel free to reject....

x jody

[maggi]

I agree, Stephanie, that's why I think the size zero thing is so pernicious. It's one thing to reject the size thing from a fairly healthy mental attitude (even if overweight) it's a different problem altogether for someone with body amorphism, or with low self-esteem. I've done a lot of work with individuals who have to re-learn their whole relationship to their bodies, and it takes them serious time and effort to love themeselves and believe in themselves.