False Idols

This summer, I am finishing up the last 3 classes for my MDiv. One of the classes is a Youth Ministries class, which despite the workload, I am enjoying. As I was reading this week for the class on the power of media in adolescents' lives, I came across a paragraph on "pro-ana" websites. Pro-ana, as in pro-anorexia. What??? My mouth fell open- I am disgusted that these websites exist. I went online and googled "pro ana" and within seconds, I had thousands of websites and videos at my disposable, all dedicated to the worship of "Ana."

It is scary to think that so many girls/ women are enslaved to their bodies in such a way where they stand in front of a mirror, skin and bones, and see flabby arms and thunder thighs. As this author was saying and as I have believed for a long time, things like pro-ana and pro-mia (pro bulimea) are a direct result of the media. The average model or actress on tv is 5'10, 110 pounds, and a size two. The average american woman is 5'4, 140 pounds, and a size ten. Is it any wonder that girls starve themselves. We are told everyday by several different media sources that to be thin is to be beautiful.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I went into one of my favorite clothing stores. When we came out, he asked me, "Did you notice how all the clothes were clipped onto the mannequins?" Actually, I had. All the mannequins were wearing the smallest sizes possible and furthermore, if you looked at the back of them, the shirts, pants, etc. had been clipped to snugly fit the mannequins. Why??? BECAUSE MOST WOMEN JUST AREN'T THAT SMALL, PEOPLE! To some extent, even the clothing companies realize that.

As someone who struggled with eating disorder tendencies in the past, todays marketing techniques scare me to no end. We need to embrace who God has created us to be. The Psalms tell us that we are "fearfully and wonderfully" made. 1 Corinthians tells us that our bodies are a temple. There is a balance between embracing the different shapes and sizes God has created us to be and being healthy and taking care of ourselves. Don't believe the media's lies- embrace God's TRUTH!

In His Mercy.