Truth be told, I’ve always found the word diet to be a bit annoying. I feel like it’s a particularly anti-feminist word — especially in the way that it’s used nowadays. It’s almost always about depriving yourself in order to get skinny and fit the media’s view of what’s ‘sexy’.
You’ve seen the headlines. “The Bikini Diet You Must Try”, and “The Diet That’ll Get You Looking Sexy in Two Weeks”, etc. It’s pretty much always next to a photo of a woman in a swimsuit or skimpy clothing, and a tagline that reads something like this: “You’re not good enough the way you are. Stick to this deprivation diet and you may get the chance to be what every woman wants to be — skinny! Then, thanks to this diet, you can snag a hot man and have people envy you.” Ok, well maybe I’m reading into it a bit too much. But the message is certainly always superficial and never empowering.
Wondering what you can do about it? We’ve found a way for you to take a stand. Lean Cuisine has started an initiative to help women break free from the word diet. They want women to define their self worth not by what they weigh, but by the accomplishments they’re most proud of. To wit, they filmed a wonderful video asking women what they’re proud of. It made my cry. Seriously. Check it out:
Touching, right? They’re asking women to share what really matters to them, with the hashtag #WeighThis. I’ve done it, and I’d encourage you to not only check out what others are posting, but post what you want the be “weighed on” — ie. what really motivates you — with the hashtag #WeighThis. Because it’s up to us, as women, to stand up and tell the world that we’re not defined by our bodies or our weight. That we’re defined by our actions. Our love. Our personality.
Stand up and tell the world that you will not be defined by external superficialities!
Not sure what to post? Lean Cuisine was so overwhelmed by the outpouring of response from their video that they decided to take the #WeighThis submissions, all the things that people are proud of, and celebrate by creating a massive art installation in Grand Central Station. Scales were used to showcase each #WeighThis submission because it sends a powerful message about valuing the amazing things women do over the number on the scale. Check out the video for some touching inspiration:
To further their initiative to promote healthy self-esteem and remove the word diet from our vocabulary, Lean Cuisine has made a TV plugin (which is currently being beta tested by influencers) and a Chrome browser extension (which you can download now) that will block the word diet from whatever you’re watching or reading. When you filter the word “diet” using the Chrome extension, Lean Cuisine will give back to Girls Leadership, an organization that teaches girls the skills to know who they are, what they believe, and how to express it — empowering them (and us) to create change in their world.
Here’s more about that:
Imagine never having to see or hear the word diet again. Would that make you feel empowered? Stronger? Sexier? Would you start weighing yourself based on what matters, instead of your appearance? Comment below and let me know how it makes you feel!
Disclosure: Although this post is sponsored by Lean Cuisine,
all words are my own and I fully support their initiative.
The way I see Lean Cuisine is that they’re trying to promote muscle build up. From the name itself, it says it all.
I know that I’m a very strong person and my weight doesn’t define me. I agree that most of us have achieved and have done something in life that can’t be measured by just a weighing scale. The problem is that not all women will see this message and not all of them will fully understand that it’s important that we value ourselves more than the numbers on the weighing scale. We have talents and everything! We shouldn’t forget about the talents that we have as well.
This post has made me emotional. I’ve always truggled w/ body image and even if people tell me that I look okay, there’s this voice inside of me that nags me about how bad my weight is.
Is this Chrome extension still available? I want to try!
A lot of women should participate in campaigns like this. If more women do it, the more each and everyone’s voices will be heard. Let it go viral and let’s see how many women can appreciate their bodies despite their imperfections.
I seriously cried when I watched the video. I definitely felt like I was living in the wrong side of life before this. I was constantly being told of how I should be more conscious about my weight and what I eat. I wanted to take drastic measures about maintaining my weight but I didn’t want to be taking tons of supplements and buying so much equipment or undergoing medical procedure just for that. Now that this video asked about what my achievements are and the things that I’m proud about, I realized that I was worth more than my physical appearance.
I was very inspired by this. Thank goodness I found this video over the sea of body shaming.
You can’t weigh your aspirations and achievements. Your diplomas and your degrees. When you think of it, there are far better things in life that you should actually mind instead of your weight.
Great article. Lean Cuisine did a really great job in handling this message.
I may not be as sexy as all the girls in these magazines, but I’m a great mother to my kids. I’ve raised them well and I’m worthy of a happy life. Who cares if I’m not sexy?!!
Lean Cuisine — if you’re listening: Please introduce some vegan options. I can’t find anything in your list of meals that doesn’t have tons of factory farmed cheese, dairy and meat. The vegan movement is growing fast, and it’s getting known as the best diet for losing weight, so don’t get left behind!