Content Warning: eating disorders, body-shaming, fat-shaming
A lot of Gen-Xers and Millennials grew up in households that celebrated not health, but thinness. The smaller the clothing size and the more prominent the collar bone, the better.
Now, there are still so-called "almond moms" who push gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, and all processed-food-free diets on their children, but there are more people out there pointing out the drawbacks of that approach, as well as the disordered relationship with food that mindset can create.
At the end of the day, food is morally neutral. It's there to nourish our bodies, and often, it tastes good and does something to make us feel better. Eating some chips or pizza, while also eating fruits and vegetables, is fine in moderation.
That's the approach that Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham is taking with her 11-year-old daughter, Kitty, by pointing out to her regularly that, while she's in a healthy body, she is not "small" and is not attempting to be. Rather, she wants to eat a balanced diet that nourishes her body and is also appropriate and accommodating of her lifestyle.
Waddingham explained in an interview with Women's Health:
"The most important thing now for me is keeping comms open. I check in with her much more than I did, and I have always said that even if something shocks me in her life, even if I raise an eyebrow, I will always be in for all of it.”
"We haven’t quite tipped into body image talk yet, but I do wonder if that’s because she’s always observed me and my friends who are all, you know, healthy looking.”
"I’m not a small woman in any way, shape, or form. Do I like to look after myself? Yes."
"Am I obsessed with that? Absolutely not. [Kitty] sees me eating crisps, eating chips, [and] we will go for a burger."
"I will always make sure we do that.”
You can watch the video here:
Fans found Waddingham's take incredibly refreshing and important.
@womenshealthuk/Instagram
@womenshealthuk/Instagram
@womenshealthuk/Instagram
@womenshealthuk/Instagram
@womenshealthuk/Instagram
@womenshealthuk/Instagram
@womenshealthuk/Instagram
@womenshealthuk/Instagram
@womenshealthuk/Instagram
@womenshealthuk/Instagram
It might seem like a small thing, but Waddingham communicating this to her daughter by showing her that she eats healthy foods along with "fun" foods is a great way to demonstrate that no food is inherently "junk"—as long as we're getting the nourishment we need.
