I agree with Renee Engeln’s article when discussing the problem with how people negatively talk about themselves.
The first topic Renee Engeln talks about is how often people express how large or in this case fat they feel. She writes about why should that matter? Why do we have the urge to tell people how we feel about ourselves and throw it out there in the open? In my opinion people do this for the sympathy of others. As people we want to feel a connection between one another. On the other hand we crave the attention of others and crave for that grey common area we all share. The common grey area each of us share acts as our buffer to make us all feel accepted in some shape or form. For example, a major social gathering for women is lunch or coffee. Typically when women come together it is a nonstop chatterbox were they share all of life’s festivities just to catch one another up on each other’s lives. Of course the most important part comes to play, lunch.
The menus glide across the linen table cloth, like a glass runs down the bar table, perfectly into their freshly manicured hands. The laminated plastic bubbles up from the protected paper incased within the plastic’s boundaries. The women’s fingertips force the plastic to concave as if it were an abnormally large section of bubble wrap. The lighting from the lamp reflects off of the slick material and each of the women blinds the other woman across from each other. The women scan the menus, searching for the most delectable dish, something satisfyingly scrumptious, yet the perfect combination of low in calorie and light on the stomach. The fat feeling is not on today’s menu. Several silent moments pass on, their eyes still looking hungrily over the cheesy plastic coated paper menus. …show more content…
finally one of them looks up and quickly pushes out that she will be ordering a salad since she was bad yesterday, referring to her eating habits. She snaps the menu shut, as if saying ‘take that’ to the greasy burgers, crunchy and salty French friends, the ooey gooey molten lava cakes with that amazing half melted soft serve scooped on top that ends up in a beautiful marble pool on the plate. The other women know exactly what the snapping sound is referring to and unisonly flip their menus over to look at the scrumptious sponge cake abosribing the marble pool underneath it’s gorgeous, warm, chocolate volcano body. Small sighs are shared among the group, like dominos one after another. Their once collected, brightly, pursed together lips have now sunk down in the corners. The various shades of crayloa named lipsticks, which used to glisten and stand out on their porcelain, baby doll faces, have turned to a matte, dusty color. Finally the elephant in the room is let out, just how Engeln said it’s be brought up. After a few moments of despair are exchanged, a frail petite woman pipes out, “I’m so fat”! Once again the table is silent. The clinking of ice at the bottom of their water glasses is heard. The fumbling of silverware on empty plates echoes around them. The molasses bread in the center of the white table cloth stands, already cut into slices, and now cold and untouched. Pretty soon the conversation at the table is completely surrounded by how fat the women feel. Each of the women reassures ne another that they are not fat, they are beautiful, inside and out. Yet, they never take their own words of comfort and disregard them, as if they are unable to give themselves a peptalk. After a short moment of sweet, wise words exchanged the mood of the table once again brightens up. The sparkles in their crystal eyes shine again, their lipsticks more vibrant than ever, and the expensive pearls are put on diplay from their clam mouths. The conversation has taken an one-eighty. Positive words, and ‘you’re right’s’ and ‘I was foolish to think that’ float amoung the women, then wrap around the café. The ‘Heathers’ have once again, comforted one another in the never ending battle of a negative self image and low self esteem to where they are finally ready for
The first topic Renee Engeln talks about is how often people express how large or in this case fat they feel. She writes about why should that matter? Why do we have the urge to tell people how we feel about ourselves and throw it out there in the open? In my opinion people do this for the sympathy of others. As people we want to feel a connection between one another. On the other hand we crave the attention of others and crave for that grey common area we all share. The common grey area each of us share acts as our buffer to make us all feel accepted in some shape or form. For example, a major social gathering for women is lunch or coffee. Typically when women come together it is a nonstop chatterbox were they share all of life’s festivities just to catch one another up on each other’s lives. Of course the most important part comes to play, lunch.
The menus glide across the linen table cloth, like a glass runs down the bar table, perfectly into their freshly manicured hands. The laminated plastic bubbles up from the protected paper incased within the plastic’s boundaries. The women’s fingertips force the plastic to concave as if it were an abnormally large section of bubble wrap. The lighting from the lamp reflects off of the slick material and each of the women blinds the other woman across from each other. The women scan the menus, searching for the most delectable dish, something satisfyingly scrumptious, yet the perfect combination of low in calorie and light on the stomach. The fat feeling is not on today’s menu. Several silent moments pass on, their eyes still looking hungrily over the cheesy plastic coated paper menus. …show more content…
finally one of them looks up and quickly pushes out that she will be ordering a salad since she was bad yesterday, referring to her eating habits. She snaps the menu shut, as if saying ‘take that’ to the greasy burgers, crunchy and salty French friends, the ooey gooey molten lava cakes with that amazing half melted soft serve scooped on top that ends up in a beautiful marble pool on the plate. The other women know exactly what the snapping sound is referring to and unisonly flip their menus over to look at the scrumptious sponge cake abosribing the marble pool underneath it’s gorgeous, warm, chocolate volcano body. Small sighs are shared among the group, like dominos one after another. Their once collected, brightly, pursed together lips have now sunk down in the corners. The various shades of crayloa named lipsticks, which used to glisten and stand out on their porcelain, baby doll faces, have turned to a matte, dusty color. Finally the elephant in the room is let out, just how Engeln said it’s be brought up. After a few moments of despair are exchanged, a frail petite woman pipes out, “I’m so fat”! Once again the table is silent. The clinking of ice at the bottom of their water glasses is heard. The fumbling of silverware on empty plates echoes around them. The molasses bread in the center of the white table cloth stands, already cut into slices, and now cold and untouched. Pretty soon the conversation at the table is completely surrounded by how fat the women feel. Each of the women reassures ne another that they are not fat, they are beautiful, inside and out. Yet, they never take their own words of comfort and disregard them, as if they are unable to give themselves a peptalk. After a short moment of sweet, wise words exchanged the mood of the table once again brightens up. The sparkles in their crystal eyes shine again, their lipsticks more vibrant than ever, and the expensive pearls are put on diplay from their clam mouths. The conversation has taken an one-eighty. Positive words, and ‘you’re right’s’ and ‘I was foolish to think that’ float amoung the women, then wrap around the café. The ‘Heathers’ have once again, comforted one another in the never ending battle of a negative self image and low self esteem to where they are finally ready for