That's Fit

As she approaches turning 30, Jennifer Love Hewitt says there's one thing she would do if she could turn back the clock. She'd be naked more.

"I wish I had been nude from the time I was 12 until I was 28. I looked great!" says the Ghost Whisperer actress.

The 29-year-old had a rough year, defending her figure after being photographed in a bikini looking plumper than usual. She realizes now she should have appreciated what she had all those years ago, when she was 18 and complaining about feeling fat. If only she had realized how good she really looked, if only she'd known how her body would change and evolve and invite such public criticism.

Do you avoid the camera's lens? Do you avert your eyes when you walk past a full-length mirror? It's time to take a look and learn to love what you see.

Today's young girls are constantly barraged by images of "perfect" women. I don't know if you've gone shopping for a young girl lately, but the trends are a bit disturbing. It's hard to find trendy and cute clothes that are age-appropriate. Frankly it's hard to find clothes that are appropriate for anyone, much less for their age. With Bratz dolls and other questionable toys, it's no wonder some young girls want to dress provocatively. Heck, even Strawberry Shortcake and Holly Hobbie have received somewhat questionable makeovers; they look more like teens than innocent little girls now-a-days.

If you're the parent of an impressionable young girl, have her take a peek at this image manipulation quiz. Being able to spot the fact from the fiction in photos can help young girls maintain a positive self-image.

I read a news story the other day that bothered me. A Texas teenager had a custom "dress" made for prom (I use quotes because I'm not sure it had enough fabric to qualify as a dress). When she arrived at her prom, she was denied entrance because her dress was deemed inappropriate. An argument ensued, and the young girl ended up being escorted out of her prom -- in handcuffs -- by police.

Whether you agree with the school or with the young girl, I think the issue at the root of this is that many young girls feel a pressure to be sexy. From rail-thin models to red carpet actresses wearing super-sexy gowns, young girls are bombarded with unrealistic images. If you've shopped for young girls' clothing lately, you've probably noticed how it's difficult to find cute, but appropriate, clothing. A good friend of mine has a 10-year-old daughter, and finding clothes that her daughter doesn't deem "nerdy" and yet still cover everything that should be covered is more difficult than you might think.

From a young age, girls need to be reminded that beauty isn't just what's on the surface. Kindness, intelligence, empathy, a sense of humor ... these are all traits that contribute to real beauty. And, while it's important to stay fit and take good care of yourself, there's no need to wear jeans that ride halfway down your hips with the strings of a thong hanging out. Girls can be beautiful without inappropriately exposing themselves. Girl Power is a great site with self-esteem advice for young girls.

We're our own worst enemies. I think most of us are harder on ourselves and our appearances than anyone else is. I know that's how I am. With the exception of my mother (who would prefer I never wear another sweatshirt again), I know I'm more judgmental of my appearance than anyone else.

With a constant stream of media telling us how we should look and a culture fixated on looks over health, it's no wonder we stand in front of our mirrors and criticize. Having confidence in your own abilities is accepted -- even expected -- in today's culture. If you're interviewing for a job, confidence is a quality your interviewer is likely to look for. But confidence in your appearance isn't as widely accepted. In fact, some people think confidence in their appearance will be misconstrued as arrogance -- but that's not the case. Feeling good about yourself, having a positive body image, and being confident in your appearance can elevate your mood and benefit you in many ways.

AOL Body has an article that can help us all feel more comfortable in our own skin. It's high time we stop looking at ourselves with such a critical eye and start being a little more forgiving. Some tips:

Mariah Carey has never been one to hide her curves. Typically clad in a super tight gown and crazily high heels, Carey seems proud of her womanly frame. But Carey noticed she looked "bulky" in publicity photos and decided to take off the extra pounds. Through diet and a strict work out regime, Carey dropped the weight.

Carey still has her curves and is proud of it. She knew she needed to be fitter, but believes that people should feel good about their bodies. She stated that "people should be a size which they're comfortable with." She recently stated that she is considering doing a work out video to show how she lost the weight. Though she doesn't seem to be taking the idea terribly seriously. She's quoted as saying it "will be a big joke anyway, but I can show how I did it."

Want to hear more about celebrity diet and fitness? AOL Body has the scoop.

Last Wednesday, French fashion houses, advertising firms, and media houses banded together to declare super-skinny models out of style. With the support of the Minister of Health, they signed an agreement to stop using models whose appearance could contribute to an unhealthy body image for girls. The agreement doesn't exactly restrict the use of too-thin models, but it's a show of good faith.

France's National Assembly is also reviewing a project that could make the promotion of unhealthy body images punishable by law.

Young girls in particular are susceptible to low self-esteem and a flawed body image. The number of pro-anorexia web sites on the Internet is proof that body image is an ever increasing concern. It's high time we all learn to love ourselves a little more -- bumps and flaws included. Fitness and nutrition is for health and wellness -- super-skinny may look good in pair of size 0 jeans but it's far from healthy.

Adrian Grenier sprints and lets the paparazzi know that it's "a non-event." I wonder if the girls with him think it's a non-event ...

Julianne Moore told OK magazine that she's "hungry all the time. All actresses are hungry all the time." That seems like quite the generalization, especially considering Sarah Jessica Parker recently came out saying that she eats everything. Who do you believe? SJP might have a ridiculously high metabolism, but I think it's more likely (and really unfortunate) that Julianne probably speaks for more of Hollywood.

When the Today Show asked women on the street whether they'd rather be forty pounds overweight or "skinny and dumb," women -- at least those who made it past the edit room -- answered nearly unanimously. They'd rather be overweight and smart. (Many made the conclusion that if you're overweight, you can always lose it, but IQ points are forever.)

One woman was brave enough to stand alone with the...interesting...insight that if you "look good," people will give you the benefit of the doubt anyway, even if you have nothing intelligent to say. (Sure, maybe for the first five minutes!)

There's so much that's offensive about this game that I can't even start, but the purpose of it was to promote a new book called The Locker Room Diaries which focuses on women and body image. View the clip in its entirety here.

If you do a search for body image online, most of the results you see are geared towards females. It's necessary; positive body image is such an issue for girls these days. But males aren't immune from having a negative body image. And just like rail-thin models can set an impossible standard for impressionable girls, men's magazines can influence men in the same way.

Researchers surveyed 161 men between the ages of 18 and 36. Those who regularly read men's magazines were more likely to be influenced by the images and were more likely to use unhealthy measures (including anabolic steroids) to duplicate the overly-muscular physiques they saw on the glossy pages. Research also found that men who were single were more likely to have a negative body image.

Years ago, when I was a slightly chubby pre-pubescent, I met the deaf sister of the friend. She signed 'hello', looked me over and then said something in sign language to my friend that I didn't understand. After a but of prodding, my friend fessed up; 'I didn't want to tell you this, but she said you'd be really pretty if you lost weight.' Ouch, huh? A few years later, I grew tall in a hurry and lost the baby fat--and then some. I was eating pretty sparingly at the time and while I didn't have an eating disorder, I probably wasn't far off. And I'm sure the comment didn't help -- I'm over it now but I have to admit, I sometimes still think about it as I eye myself up in the dressing room mirrors.

A while ago, I asked if it was better to be honestly blunt when it comes to talking about someone's weight. The results were pretty clear -- being blunt is better than being sweet (and fake.) But there are limits. Think about what you're saying -- it can make a lasting impression on someone's self confidence. Here are some tips:

Washing my hands in a public restroom recently, I stood next to three young women observing themselves in the mirror. In the minute it took for me wash my hands and gather my things, I think I heard them say about 10 disparaging remarks about themselves.

"I hate my thighs."
"I wish my eyes were blue like yours. I should get contacts."
"Is this shirt too tight? I've got back fat."

I sighed quietly to myself, not because I was above their behavior -- I'd probably said a few silent, unkind words for myself when I took my turn at the mirror -- but because these were young, healthy, fit, beautiful girls. In their few short years on the planet, they'd somehow learned to be disgusted by their bodies.

A positive body image is a slippery thing to hold onto, but it's worth the effort. Take some time to test your body image knowledge; some of the answers may surprise you!

As fabulous as we at That's Fit think this blog is, the truth is there are hundreds of wonderful blogs on healthy living to be seen all over the blogosphere. So in this feature, Fit Links, we'll introduce you to some that have caught our eye.

Fat acceptance blogs are nothing if not controversial. They hold a strong stance that not every body is made to be thin and that loving and accepting your curves is the only way to find peace with yourself. But some experts think that accepting the skin you're in, when that skin falls into the category of obese, is dangerous thinking. The NYT recently wrote an article about fat acceptance bloggers, it's got people in the "fatosphere" (their word, not mine) talking.

Big Fat Deal, which I've read for years, focuses on weight in the media -- both good and bad. Big Fat Blog also covers media topics, but takes more of an activist stance, and readers can also join forums for further discussion. Kate Harding keeps things interesting at Shapely Prose, where it seems like there is always something brewing in the comments section. Red No. 3 tackles fat acceptance criticism with his cheeky Fat Hate Bingo.

Interesting reading, whether you agree with them or not. What do you think?

Have a blog you'd like to see featured in Fit Links? Leave a note for us in comments!

Dove, already well known for their Real Beauty ads, has another interesting project in the works. They asked women over the age of 45 to write letters to their body. The letters, those that made the cut anyway, will be included in a play called Body and Soul. The idea behind the ad is that beauty has no age limit.

So if you could write a letter to your body, what would you say? The first word that pops into my mind is grateful. I'm grateful my body carries me through each day, that it's strong and able. I also might be a bit apologetic, because my body keeps on trucking despite all the things I do wrong, like stay up too late, drink too much wine, and eat too much chocolate-covered caramel corn (something I've only recently discovered and wished that I hadn't).

What would you say if you could talk to your body? Read other people's thoughts here.

Christmas party season is here -- it's probably one of the only times each year that you can get all gussied up for a night out on the town. So you want to make sure you feel--and look--your best. Here are some tips on boosting your body image from WebMD:

• Wear your sexiest lingeries under your clothes. Maybe no one will see but you'll feel like a million bucks and it will show.
• Take a day for yourself beforehand to do a whole-body grooming session. Get a mani, a pedi, a wax, the works!
• Put on a touch more make-up than usual.
• Workout hard before -- it's easy to feel confident when you've tackled one of your fitness goals.
  
• Look at old photos of you with friends. It will bring back lots of positive memories.