'Oh my gosh, I'm so fat, ugh!', 'I need to lose 10 pounds', and 'She should not be wearing that', are all examples of fat talk. Statements like these are what girls engage in that perpetuate the opposite of what's being vocalized. 

Fat talk phrases don't encourage us to lose weight, nor do they demonstrate having a healthy body image. If we use phrases like 'You look good girl' and 'Don't you look beautiful' on a regular basis, we can eliminate fat talk. Only 9% of the 90% of females who engage in fat talk are clinically overweight. 

The pressure of being beautiful based on what the media portrays can be hard to deal with, especially if we compare ourselves to those figures. It's so easy to call ourselves fat, believe we are not small enough, or feel as though we don't look as good as the next girl. Comparing ourselves to others contributes to a negative body image. Lets continue to enhance our positive body image by:

Although fat talk is a girl phenomenon, guys engage in body image talk a little bit differently. Guys' version of fat talk may consist of talking about being more muscular or being too thin. We want you to participate in encouraging other young men saying, 'Hey bro let's go to the gym' or 'Let's hit the track or play basketball after school'. These are all ways to promote a healthy body image and self-confidence. Come on Westside, lets continue with positive ways to engage with each other!