Shame, blame, and guilt never motivate. And in some cases they destroy. No child deserves to be exploited in this way.
If you agree, you’ll be interested in this effort spearheaded by Ragen Chastain of Dances with Fat.
To quote Ragen, “For the last 9 months, every single day, children in Atlanta have seen billboards, commercials, and signs at bus stops like [the ones pictured here]. If you are thinking ‘it’s not that big a deal,’ I want to tell you that, as a former bullied fat kid, I think it is a very big deal. The messages couldn’t be clearer. If you’re fat – you should be ashamed. If you’re not fat – you should be terrified of becoming fat because fat people are diseased gluttons by choice and it’s ok to publicly shame them.”
Ragen has put together a campaign to raise money to sponsor billboards and print media campaigns that present the Health at Every Size® perspective, to “show kids of all sizes that they are valued and respected.”
The goal is to raise $10,000 TODAY and she’s already well on her way. There’s a matching grant of $5000 available if they have 1,000 people sign on to the effort. So if you can donate only $1, you’ll be helping in a big way to achieve that.
Click here to help the Support All Kids Billboard Project.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
On behalf of kids of all sizes everywhere, thanks for posting this, Karen!
I’d love to see one campaign — just one — that had pictures of kids that said, “This child is a bully. This child is abused at home.”
“This child is a bully. This child’s family has a history of mental illness.”
“This child is a bully. This child will be in jail by age 19.”
Not as a turn-the-tables ploy, but just to put the spotlight where it belongs — on the problem and not on those who suffer from it. As someone who has been thin her whole life and was bullied relentlessly in school, I can tell you that those kids are not responsible for someone else’s meanness. Bullies do it because they enjoy it, and if weight isn’t the excuse, they’ll find something else.
And I daresay that most times bullies themselves are victims of meanness…
A great campaign.. I feel bad for the kids BUT I also feel bad that they don’t get the support & info they need from the home where this starts! We have to educate the parents & caregivers. I want kids to love themselves no matter what BUT I also don’t want them burdened with health issues at a young age. We need to get that education in the home.
I saw this too and THANK YOU FOR LINKING IT
I have recently signed up for both Green Mountain” Facebook page and your newsletter. While I might not have thought of this program for me, after seeing the wonderful transformation in my friend Maggie, I would be most delighted for an opportunity to experience Green Mountain Fox Run for myself.
Thank you for doing this….
Sharon