Today’s lunch was bright and cheery- a tropical getaway if you will! :mrgreen:
I had a yellow pepper with freshly ground pepper and black bean dip on the side. (Sorry, I just realized how unappetizing that bean dip looks- LOL).
I continued my tater addiction with mashed potatoes! I made these a couple nights ago and they include almond milk, garlic, sea salt, and vegan margarine. I heated them up with a pat of vegan margarine and parsley flakes.
Two words: COMFORT FOOD.
With an Amy’s Texas veggie burger, a high protein pita, Fontaine Santa hummus, salsa, and tomato paste. I like Amy’s burgers, but I really need to make more of the In A Jiffy Spelt Veggie Burgers. They are much, much tastier (and cheaper).
Dessert was a WRINKLY peach! It was now or never so I took one for the team…and ate it wrinkles and all. ;) It did look more ‘distinguished’ I must admit. :mrgreen:
Two exciting things:
1) Michael Pollan + Alicia Silverstone + Food Inc + Whole Foods on Oprah today. Loved it. Anyone else catch it? I thought it was funny how careful Oprah was about everything she said. I must have heard the line, ‘This is only my opinion, you must make the choice for yourself.’ a million times. I guess she is avoiding another lawsuit…
2) 5:30pm and still light out. Can I hear a woot woot for Spring on its’ way??
Do You Feel Pressured To Be Thin At Your Job?
This week I was chatting with a reader who is in school to become a Registered Dietitian. She told me that there is a lot of competition among the RD students at her school. Of course there is competition over grades, but she told me there is also competition over weight and appearance.
Because the focus of the program is so health oriented and it is so competitive to get internships, there is a lot of pressure to appear as that perfect picture of health. You know the saying: practice what you preach.
I instantly thought about my previous jobs and whether I have felt any pressure to maintain a low weight. Most of them were office jobs, so there wasn’t much pressure there. However, I worked in retail for many years and had to wear the store’s clothing. At times, I remember wanting to look thin in the clothing so I could represent it well to potential buyers. However, I never felt pressure from my boss. It was internal pressure I placed on myself.
With my current job, owning a bakery, I don’t really feel much pressure about my weight because baker’s tend to have the stereotype of being heavy. However, owning a healthy bakery, I do think it is important to show that a healthy weight can be maintained with balance and moderation. It is not about being thin as it is just overall healthy though.
Then there is my OSG gig. Given my past eating disorder, I had to think very long and carefully about how I wanted to approach my blog. I knew immediately that it might not be healthy for me to be a 3x a day food blogger just due to the sensitivity I have around it all. It works great for many people, but I had to chose the right path for myself. I decided to blog about a variety of topics that I am passionate about, throw some hot topics and recipes in there, and try to have a nice balance for myself. This approach has worked for me because I have not felt overly scrutinized or pressured to live up to some ideal. I just try to be healthy for myself and not think too much about what other people think or expect of me.
Whether I had OSG or not, I would still want to maintain my weight and be a healthy person, so the blog really doesn’t change anything. At times I have fallen into the comparison trap, like many of us do, but I just try my best to work with what I have and never expect perfection from myself because it does not exist. [For a great discussion see Part 1 and Part 2 on Social Comparison Trap.]
So that was my long-winded way of leading into today’s question…
Do you or have you ever had a job (or school career) where you felt the pressure to be thin? What is it/was it and why do you feel that way? Are there things that you do to reduce the pressure?
You have to stay in shape. My grandmother, she started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She’s 97 today and we don’t know where the hell she is. ~Ellen
Mmm that lunch looks great!
And this is a great topic to bring up. I definitely feel the pressure be thin, or at least “attractive” in college. Girls all around me are going to extremes just so they can binge drink in mini skirts on the weekends, and I’m just trying to find a healthy balance. I feel like right now we live in a world of mixed messages most of all.
I’m studying dietetics and used to work as a diet tech at a hospital. I don’t necessarily feel pressure to be thin, but I do think there is judgment regarding what RDs and RDs to be eat, both from those inside and outside the profession.
I definitely feel pressure to be thin in my career. I am a hairstylist and our industry is ALL about external beauty. Not only do we have to look appealing to clients, but working with so many stylish people there is a pressure to “keep up”. Being overweight makes it harder to wear the latest trends and feel as stylish as my co-workers. There are a lot of overweight hairstylists, but most are on the thinner side of the spectrum. The pressure is self-induced for sure, but it’s always there!
I am in nursing school and I definitely feel the pressure to be thin, a.k.a “healthy.” Nurses are expected to promote health, and how can we promote health when we are not healthy ourselves? I can’t say I am not guilty of believing this, too. I see “healthy” nurses walk in to class with an extra-large bagel, slather on their cream cheese and wash it all down with a 2.5 serving bottle of chocolate milk. Being vegan, this simply grosses me out. However, that sure is not a healthy meal– vegan or not. Nurses know how diseases develop and what to do to prevent them, and here they are not doing it themselves! Still, all of the nurses that I see not practicing healthy lifestyle choices are some of the most compassionate people I have ever met, and I would love them to be my nurse someday!
Wow, Kaytee – It’s odd to me that you feel it’s okay to be “grossed out” by someone’s food in the midst of everyone here talking about what a drag it is to be derided for having a green monster for breakfast. Veganism is your choice! That’s awesome, let everyone make theirs too, and stop judging, man. That’s a real drag.
I saw the Oprah episode today! I noticed that about Oprah too about having to watch what she said. I felt sad for her that she couldn’t have an on-air honest opinion (on her OWN show might I add) about food without the worry of a lawsuit.
OMG, your lunch looks AMAZING. Seriously, it just made me sooo hungry.
I worked at a weight loss company, and there was a definite pressure to be thin there. One of my coworkers didn’t eat ANYTHING while at work or on her lunch break. I, on the other hand, ended up gaining like 5 pounds, haha. I don’t respond well to that kind of pressure!
In college I was Panhellenic president, which meant I was the representative for all the sorority women at my university. I attended a big university in the South, so you can only imagine the pressure on me to be thin and pretty and perfect 24/7…. how exhausting!
I am only a month out of college and now working for a major oil and gas company. Although you wouldn’t expect it, I still feel pressure to maintain a thin figure. The industry is male dominated and by maintaining a smaller size, in conjunction with busting my butt, I’ll go much further with my career.
While it all seems overwhelming, and it is at times for sure, I’m finally to the place in my life where I am focusing on eating healthy, enjoying sweets in moderation, and half marathon training to keep my size. I’m done with the days of obsessive calorie counting and fad diets!!
Did you hear about the whole foods weight goals they just announced? I would feel a lot of pressure if I worked there! How ridiculous.
Ok here we go…. first off I am still laughing at the Woot Woot for Spring! Love your writing!
Secondly – your lunch looks pretty darn wicked!
Thirdly – I don’t feel any pressure to look thin outside of myself getting on the scales every morning and saying damn… do you really think you should have snuck up on that bag doritos last night and ate no even announced you were coming and cleaned out the whole bag.
I absolutely relate to this. I work in PR and there is a perception of what “PR girls” look like. That said, I’ve always worked for companies who hire based on skill and not waist size, so I don’t feel pressure where I work.
you know, oddly enough, I get chastised for being skinny at my job. mostly because I’m the only one that exercises in my office, they think the concept of me running marathons and doing ironmen is beyond crazy. and because I’m in the south with all kinds of fried meat (which I dont eat), they all think I’m abnormal.
I came from being a lightweight rower where I had to be under a certain weight, and since then I CANNOT be in a situation like that again, my current job situation is better than the opposite.
Hmmm…as a college instructor who is also a young woman, I actually feel like physical attraction can work against me. I purposefully wear very conservative clothing (no short skirts, tight blouses, etc.), because I feel like the 18-19 year old boys that I teach would see that as indication that they don’t have to respect me or take me seriously as a teacher. I don’t know if that makes sense?
Fabulous post!! As a personal trainer, OF COURSE I have felt pressured to be in shape. Luckily I WANT to stay in shape, but I am not thin by any means . . . I tend to be a little thick. So it takes alot of work on my part.
I have worked with a 50 year old woman who is overweight and is a trainer. She is fairly good at what she does, but unfortunately, people don’t want to go to her since she is heavy. I can;t argue with them. If I was hiring a trainer, I would want them to be in shape too – not overly ripped or anything, but not 50lbs overweight like she is. It’s sad, but true.
Oh hell yes I have had that experience….
To make a very long story short, one summer during college I worked at Abercrombie and Fitch and found out about sooooo many horrendous things that went on.
Basically, managers sat in meetings with pictures of the employees on a projector and rated them an A, B, or C based on LOOKS… and this determined how many hours they got and whether or not they worked in the front or back of the store.
I actually contributed to a class action law suit against them because some Latina women in California faced a great deal of discrimination at their local store, and so I told my story in order to help them out.
Disgusting that people actually do that, right? Sadly I’m sure they aren’t the only retail company to do this…
I am a former “part-time” sports model, but I never really felt pressured to be thinner than I was. There were definitely taller and thinner models out there, but I didn’t feel like being thinner was going to get me more jobs. At the time, I was pretty serious about sports as well, so being healthy and strong was more important to me. I also always kept in mind that being a model is like being a piece of meat. You might not be the cut they want. And for me, that was okay.
Bummed I missed the Oprah episode- sounds so interesting!
I’m still in school, so the pressure to be thin isn’t job related, but being with a bunch of college girls (espescially in NYC) definitely makes you conscious of some things! There seem to be an endless supply of ten foot tall, 90 pound models on this island. That being said, I know that my way of life is way healthier than that of someone who subsists on cigarettes and coffee, and I’d rather be happy than starving!
We noticed the same thing on Oprah. Yes she needs to be careful I guess, but at least she had the important topic on her show. More people need to be aware of this topic.
MarathonVal – that is CRAZY! . . . honestly being a retail manager myself I cannot think of something so horrible. Appearance is important in any kind of sales but that is EXTREME. I wonder if they do that at the stores in Canada too . . .
I definitely feel the pressure to be thin and stylish and young in my profession. You wouldnt think so, but opera today is extremely superficial and famous opera singers are just as thin and gorgeous as Hollywood movie stars! I try to keep it in perspective, that as long as I sing well and stay healthy it shouldn’t matter… but the pressure is definitely always there.
um, acting. enough said.