Advertisers plump for fat children (their headline - not mine!)

[schneebly]

what you you think of this ?

[suejonez]

hmmm tricky one Scheebly. Being overweight I'm all in favour of positive images of overweight people. However it is not healthy to be overweight at my age and even less healthy to be overweight so young. I think given that the range of clothes they're advertising is for larger kids, its prefectly normal to use larger kids, but shouldn't they include a leaflet near these clothes saying "If your child needs this range then they are overweight and you should consult your GP"? The comment was that so many kids are overwieght now that mothers don't notice it. If so there should be something pointing out that kids shouldn;t need to have outsize clothes.

[Freckle]

I think this should be extended across the board in advertising. What percentage of adverts involving women have any women in them above a size 6 or 8? Even ones for bloated tummies have thin women with perfectly flat tummies in them! How crass is that?

The advertising industry needs to get away from constantly promoting everything by using skinny models, etc.

[suejonez]

I agree about the adult advertising. I feel slightly less comfortable with the idea of portraying to childrne that its OK to be fat but then I don't think kids aspire to be like kids in the adverts but like the teenage models. I would love to see the ads with teenage skinny models replaced with normal healthy looking teenagers.

[WigWamBam]

Mmm, definitely a tricky one. On the one hand it's good to see positive images of fat people of all ages; we do exist, and it's nice not to feel marginalised. It's also good that it's getting easier to buy clothes for children who need larger sizes - heaven knows the manufacturers are thin on the ground for larger adults, it's a positive step that clothes are available for larger children and they're not being made to feel like freaks by having to have their clothes specially made.

But. But. There are so many buts.

It's not healthy, and while I can't talk being the size I am, with a child it's a lot different. Weight and size is usually (I realise not always) about over-eating, and that's firmly under the control of the parents. It's miserable being an overweight adult; I can only imagine how awful it is to be an overweight child.

The claims that childhood obesity is a common problem, and that so many children are overweight that their parents don't notice it, tends to suggest that it's becoming seen as the norm, which is worrying if it's true. The kind of illnesses that are associated with weight are just as bad in a child as in an adult - worse in some respects because it's so much more unnecessary.

Everyone should be entitled to feel comfortable about themselves whatever their size - but when we're talking about children it's so much harder to feel that we should just accept obesity.

[Dior]

Message withdrawn

[Freckle]

I think there's a difference, though, between childhood chubbiness and obesity. There are a lot of children who are naturally plump - not overweight necessarily, just much more rounded than others. I should imagine it is these children they will be using rather than those who have a potentially serious weight problem.

[Dior]

Message withdrawn

[suejonez]

But freckle - looking at the boy in the advert (Schneebly's link) I would say he is defintely fat not chubby. I do agree that we should try not to make children feel self conscious chubby or overweight and emphasize the health aspects of a weight problem rather than the image aspects.

I beleive the issue with children is often exercise not food , I seem to remember that if every adult and child exercised (or played actively) for 1 hour a day there would be far fewer weight problems in this country even with the amount we currently eat.

[WigWamBam]

Freckle, the boy in the link is definitely more than chubby. Tyhe article also states that Bhs are making school uniform in sizes up to a 40" waist. That's the same size as my 17 stone dh. The articule isn't talking about children being a little chubby, it's talking about them being obese.

[Freckle]

Obviously more should be done to tackle why children get fat in the first place, but, in the short term, where are these children supposed to get their school uniform from? And, if a store is providing uniform to fit the "fuller figure", it doesn't make sense to use skinny models.

I'm not excusing the implication that, if stores are specifically targetting larger children, it is a sort of tactic acceptance/approval of that, but neither should these children be ignored simply because they don't fit the socially acceptable thin template.

[Freckle]

Sorry, that should be "tacit", not tactic.

[WigWamBam]

That's exactly what we've all been saying, Freckle. Yes, it's good that the clothes are available - there is obviously a need for them.

Doesn't make it right that children are being allowed to get to the stage where a teenage girl needs a blouse to fit a 50" chest, and a boy needs trousers in a 40" waist - both of which are available at Bhs.

Do you not think this is something that needs addressing, before we end up with a generation of children who have the health problems of adults? It really worries me that children are starting to get Type 2 diabetes - the type that usually only affects middle-aged overweight people - and heart disease.

This issue is about more than whether children can get clothes to fit them.

[Freckle]

Sorry, I was responding more to the thread title.

Certainly there needs to be some sort of government campaign (or would that be the kiss of death) to address the underlying issues of why children are becoming so overweight.

Perhaps they need to look at the emphasis (or lack of it) placed on physical education in the National Curriculum, the dearth of school playing fields, since they were sold off by whichever government it was, the cost of out-of-school sports, etc.; the vending machines which are still everywhere despite lip service to healthy eating, pappy school dinners being bussed into schools rather than being cooked from fresh ingredients on school premises, the lack of lessons covering nutrition and how to cook which means that many of today's parents have no idea how to provide a healthy regime for their children, etc.

[schneebly]

It is a difficult one really (I am very overweight BTW) - Obviously is is good that parents can now get clothes to fit their children rather than squishing the poor mites into ill fitting things that make them look even bigger (which is what often happens!) but it is bad that childhood obesity is so common and so severe that stores are resorting to making such sizes - 40in waist?? My DH has a 40in waist and he is 6ft 3in and overweight - 50in chest?? I am a size 20 and my (more than ample) chest is 'only' 44in! I agree with sue that the main problem is exercise - children simply don't get the same amount of exercise now than they did - add that to a diet of processed food and readily available snack foods and childhood obesity is the result. More does need to be done in schools to educate children on healthy foods and exercise and maybe they need more PE? But it doesn't just lie with the schools - parents need to take responsibilty too. My DS1 is of a chunky build which is only to be expected as so are myself and DH but lately I though he was getting a bit too 'chunky' so I have kept a closer tab on what he eats between meals and have been taking him out to get more exercise - he is my child and my responibility and I don't want him to go through life with the same problems I had because I was overweight. I need to adjust my lifestyle too because the best way to teach a healthy lifestyle is to lead by example.

[schneebly]

bump

[rustybear]

"socially acceptable thin template" Freckle? Tell that to my DS who he was bullied for years for being small & skinny

[longwaytogo]

mmm to bhs having school uniform we have a huge out of town BHS that have taken all childrens clothes except for tammy girl out of the store, loads of furniture lighting etc but no kids clothes

[Freckle]

I suspect more children are bullied for being fat than are for being thin. It was a generalisation and there are always going to be exceptions.

[threebob]

My problem with the Bhs ad is that the fat kid is laughing and has his tie around his head like the class clown. The thin child is reading a book and wearing his uniform properly.

So they deliberately asked for a fat kid so they could make him look like a bit of a dill - his mum must be so proud.

[krabbiepatty]

Professor Lean, tee hee [sorry nothing sensible to add to this thread]...

[rustybear]

I know you're right, Freckle, that more fat children are bullied, but DS was actually told by his teacher that it was OK for a boy to call him 'stick insect', but not OK for DS to call the other boy fat "because most people want to be thin"

[Freckle]

Bullying will exist because the bullies want it to. They will find anything to hang it onto. If you're the victim and you're thin, they'll bully you for being thin. If fat, then they'll bully you for that. It's horrible in any form.

Has your ds filled out a bit more and taken karate classes so that he can kick the sht out of their presumably larger rses??

[rustybear]

This was quite a long time ago actually - in primary school & he's now 18. He's still thin, but has got a bit taller. Luckily the real bully moved away and he now has a good circle of friends, but he is still very touchy on the whole question of size - height and weight. He didn't want to do karate classes because his sister (2 years younger but bigger than him) was doing it.
tbh I would rather he was skinny than fat, but it did annoy me that it wasn't seen as bullying by the school, but "just a joke", but he got in trouble for the fat comment - even though it was just one retaliation after endless teasing.