“The Ironic Effects of Weight Stigma”

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Last week, while I was looking up research for our reflective tutorial paper, I came across an article. While I ended up not using that specific article fin my research, I found it very interesting. The article can be viewed here. The question asked in the article is if stigmatizing obesity leads to weight loss. What got me interested in the article in the first place was the study done on women who were in college, which was relatable to us. In the study, 93 female college students were researched. The participants were asked to read and discuss an article titled “lose weight or lose your job” which was considered weight stigmatizing and act as the experimental condition or they were asked to read a non-weight stigmatizing article called “quit smoking or lose your job.”  This was considered to be the control condition. They were then asked to wait in a room where they can help themselves to a snack.

According to the article, the results of the experiment showed that women who perceived themselves to be above-average weight consumed more calories than those who didn’t believe they weighed more than average. When I read the results, I realized that weight stigma did not lead to obesity. Instead, it made it worse, since those women consumed more calories instead of eating less. Those women who were considered overweight were also recorded to have felt les in control of their diet while the author described the other group to be “those who are not overweight and who have a hard time understanding what it is like to be overweight, stigma feels like it would help strengthen other people’s resolve to eat less because it strengthens their own.” This result leads to weight stigma.

Those who aren’t stigmatized, cannot understood how it feels and instead base their own experience and believe it’s that way for everyone when it isn’t the same at all. In conclusion, weight stigma does not encourage people with above average weight to lose it. Instead, it does the opposite. Those who consider themselves overweight feel much more out of control eating and have an increase in calorie consumption. This led to what my paper was about, which was that both the media and stigmatization can lead to negative effects (health and psychological) on those who consider themselves overweight.

Freshest Catch

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So I felt that it would be relevant to talk about what I’m eating for dinner tonight! You might be asking why, but I have my reasons. My Dad decided to go fishing yesterday, in hopes of catching black fish. Out on the water all day, he waited and waited and finally something caught his line. Little did we know, they would come home to be our dinner! He caught two plump black fish. He came home that day,  got his gloves on and began what soon would be our dinner! He gutted them, taking off their skin, removing their guts and picked away their bones! My dad being a butcher is used to the nauseating smells, slimy guts, and all of the other disgusting parts of the fish but I couldn’t handle it. I ran up the stairs like a kid who saw a ghost! I’m not sure how early Americans, or any humans in the past were able to butcher their meat and then hours later eat it! I found it repulsive and unappealing (although it tastes amazing).

He marinated the fish in some olive oil, picked some basil from his garden, chopped up onions and garlic that he purchased from his favorite New Jersey farmers’ market, and drizzled some olive oil on top. He also threw chives, scallions, salt, and pepper on top. He covered the fish in tin foil and put it in the fridgerator to soak in all of the delicious herbs.

I immediately felt a connection to what we have been learning this past semester. Our dinner tonight was made in our home. We went out and provided for ourselves our own fish, grew some of the herbs that would be atop our fish, or bought it at a farmers market. In a way, I am proud of my father for not using a supermarket to help make our dinner, or rely on the fish market to provide us with our fish. The connection I made with the Port Richmond garden, and the early American’s really struck me. It’s interesting how much work it takes to make one meal. The time it took colonial Americans to make their meals must have consumed hours in each of their days! I wonder now, what was at a loss, due to all of the time it took them to gather, clean, and make their food. I now understand the power of convenience a supermarket, fish market or oyster market has on people.

My dad always cooks his food from scratch, not relying on pre-made spice packs or dressings, but this was on a whole different level. I can’t wait to taste my Dad’s cooking tonight, I’m sure it will be delicious! IMG_6285IMG_6294IMG_6297

Weight Stigma and the Media

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For our Reflective Tutorial class we recently wrote a paper regarding weight stigma. I decided to focus my paper on the effects that arise from stigmatization. I was particularly interested in this paper because it truly fascinates me how society and the media portray what the “ideal” body type is. I read an article (that can be found here) that briefly spoke about the media and the effects it has on those who are overweight. It states that when someone who is overweight is depicted on television or in films, they are usually targets of ridicule, stereotyped as having maladaptive eating behaviors, and not featured as being a part of a romantic relationship. This article clearly states that “Weight bias in the media is not subtle”. I agree that the media, without remorse, instills these ideas of what the “perfect” body type is, making girls around the world (overweight or not) feel self-conscious about their own bodies. I constantly question “where did this all start?”, “who was the person who said that said “thin is in””? All around Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and many other social media applications, there are pictures of women who are sculpted with beautiful figures, glowing skin, and gorgeous healthy hair. Although I feel like we all know that these photos are not reality and they are edited with one and a million filters, it still has its affect on those who are overweight and even those who are not. When will society infiltrate individuals with positive messages and pictures of real everyday women. Women who do not wear pounds of makeup everyday or have a flat tummy with abs. The research process of this paper was one that I did learn a lot from. This paper really got me thinking about things that I never thought of before such as weight stigma, body image and the effects the media has on them. Topics like these really ignite a fire inside me because I just can not wait for the day that society stops choosing certain body and facial features and declaring them “beautiful”. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder not the eye of the media.

Greenpoint Farmers Market

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Today I visited Greenpoint, Brooklyn for my group neighborhood project with Anna and Cheryl. We took the ferry into Manhattan and the subway into Brooklyn. We dIMG_8290ecided to take a walk through McCarren Park. During our walk, we discovered a farmers market.This is the first time I have ever been to a farmers market.

The Greenpoint Farmers Market was filled with lots of fruits and vegetables. Milk and yogurt were packaged in bottles. Meat from grass fed animals such as beef, pork, chicken and rabbit were also available. Honey, jams and baked goods were plentiful. The different colors of foods and the aroma in the air was overwhelming. Farmers came from different places in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The market was packed with couples, families and dogs gathering groceries.

IMG_8292Not many people know but, food stamps were accepted! Every $5 spent in EBT spent, customers would receive a $2 coupon to purchase more fresh fruits and vegetables.

After visiting the farmers market, we walked into the park. There were many people having fun, playing sports and getting some exercise. Games of softball and soccer encouraged the community to get active. Overall, the Greenpoint Farmers Market encourages the community to outside  and enjoy the crisp fall days of October. 
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Port Richmond Visit

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This Friday some of my classmates and I took a visit to Port Richmond High School as part of our experiential learning mentor project. I sat in on my students cooking class and was totally amazed. We watched the final preparations of Chinese chicken fried rice. Mixing the chicken with the rice and the veggies, the students handled the assignment with ease. I was completely awed by how easily cooking was for them. As someone who is not very often found in the kitchen, I was taken back that even though they are younger than me, they were much more experienced in cooking. I went to the high school thinking I was going to be a mentor, be in fact I learned a lot from the students as well.
I was also glad to have gone on Friday, since it was the day that the meals that were prepared all week were tasted. The high school students gave the Wagner students samples of their chicken fried rice and it was very good! I had a great time at Port Richmond and look forward to going back again.

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My Port Richmond High School Experience.

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The Raiders is the mascot of Port Richmond High School

Being a native of Staten Island, I am shocked that I have never visited Port Richmond High School. About two weeks ago, I had my first chance to see Port Richmond High School when my classmates and I went to the school to introduce ourselves to the students that we would be mentoring who are in the school’s culinary program. I’m not going to lie and say that I was not nervous to meet the high school student that I would eventually have to form a relationship with. I always come across as a shy and quiet person and I thought that it would be difficult for me to talk to a person that I had never even met before. Luckily, I did not have to make the first move because a student named Erik came up to me and just started to talk to me. From that point I was able to talk to him non-stop and shockingly I learned that we both have a lot in common. One of the things that I learned about Erik is that he loves to play basketball; basketball is the sport that has been a huge part of my life ever since I was three years old and I found out that Erik is trying out for the school’s basketball team. The other aspect of our lives that we have in common is that we both want to work in the medical field when we are older. I told Erik that I was going to school to become a nurse and he told me that his dream was to get into John Hopkins University’s medical program; he also told me that if he could not achieve this, he would be satisfied going to a different school that would help him further his education and push him to strive for success. Even though he is just a sophomore, hopefully I will be able to give him advice about what it takes to get into college and how to manage his time once he is in college. I can not wait to see what my future visits to this school has in store for me.

This is the front of Port Richmond High School

 

 

Soho Loving

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On this past Saturday the soccer team took a trip to the city. One of our coach’s friends is a singer and was playing at a bar in soho. She had a chance of getting a record deal that day but the soccer girls took up too much space that the record label people couldn’t get in! Before we even got there though, we had to walk a little bit through soho and as we were walking I was noticing the shops around. Soho is this cute part of the city that has all brand new shops that are high end. You can see how new everything is just by looking inside and window shopping.

The shops in soho are so small and are not like any big department store. When you look in the shops that barely have any options which means the clothes are going to be extremely expensive and that it is going to be high end. Soho has been going through a  gentrification lately and is the new hot spot for hipsters in New York. Gentrification is when a deteriorating city is renovated and made new and attracts people that are hipsters. When you pass Soho shops you can tell exactly who their target audience is because of the mannequins that are in the window displays. The mannequins are dressed in the fashion of hipster and that attracts the type of people that live in Soho.

Also the restaurants in Soho are very modern and going through gentrification as well as the shops. We had stopped at Delicatessen a cute modern restaurant in Soho. It is a two floor restaurant with new modern decorative pieces and mirrors all around. While looking around at the different people in the restaurant you could tell the neighborhood that it was in is a home of the modern hipster who is chic and stylish. Delicatessen was a fun place for young people to hang out and get food in. The prices were not too bad which was shocking with all the shops around it.

In the early years Soho was a farmland for the Dutch West Indies Company’s freed slaves. It then in later years, 1800s, became a place for the wealthy to live in and then quickly became a place for the middle class. It was not till 1950s that Soho became a place for artists to live and that the shops succumbed to the people that lived there. But then industries started to pop up around that area driving out the artist and placing the worker class there. Now in present time Soho has gone back to its roots and become a place for artists to live again. It is now the Soho we all know of, the expensive hipster part of the city.

Get More for Four

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Recently, Wendy’s has released a new special, the “4 for $4.” In this combo customers can get fries, a sandwich, chicken nuggets and a drink all for just $4.  Prior to this special, customers, including myself, would only order 2 out of the 4 food options available in this special. Now, since all of these items are available in a package, ordering customers are urged to eat more because it is actually saving them money. Instead of saying, “I would like an order of french fries, chicken nuggets, a bacon cheeseburger, and a soda,” they simply have to say, “I would like the 4 for $4.” This shows that bundling orders promotes obesity because customers are encouraged to consume larger portion sizes. This leads customers to feel less self conscious about the amount of food they are actually receiving while simultaneously promoting sales because more people will order this as a bundle.

I had learned about this special through an advertisement on Facebook. Over 73,000 people “liked” it and over 8,000 shared it to their profiles. This is an effective strategy used by Wendy’s because they are targeting their customers through social media which promotes hunger and salivation by seeing pictures and videos of this food. This is promoting an obesogenic environment because in the 21st century, advertisements are everywhere. Now, since this is on Facebook; the advertisement can be “shared” to other people who don’t even follow Wendy’s, which is how I stumbled upon this advertisement.

 

This meal is also very portable which makes it easy to eat in non-traditional eating environments. Drive-Thru’s have created a shift in the social norm, making it acceptable for people to have full meals in their cars, or just snack on fries while driving. Companies are aware that people are more likely to overeat when the super sizing option is available, but they use this regardless to increase their sales.

Port Richmond Mentee Visit

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On Friday, I met up with my mentee for the first time since we had first been introduced to one another. We decided to go as a group and meet with out mentees, in order to avoid any awkward pauses and make everyone feel comfortable with one another. While we started off having discussions as a group, we all soon ended up having one on one conversations with our mentees. My mentee and I had a lot to talk about. We discussed everything possible under the time restraint that we had. From where we both lived, to family to different classes we’re both taking and which ones we like or dislike. We even spent a good amount of time even discussing pastries (my mentee wants to become a pastry chef) and which ones were our favorite. She told me how she had taken on the role of making pastries which she would do with her grandmother. We ended up talking about cupcakes and trading ideas on new ways to decorate them now that the holiday season is coming up. This week, the kids were cooking chicken stir fry. I still cannot get over how easy they’re able to make cooking seem, since I’m not much of a cook.  Since it was Friday, we were able to taste what the kids ended up making and it was delicious. Now that my mentee and I are comfortable around one another and enjoying each other’s company I can’t wait to go back!

Apple and Pumpkin Picking

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The fall season, during the months of September and October, is characterized by beautiful weather that is perfect for enjoying outdoor activities. This weekend I ventured out to the great outdoors and went pumpkin and apple picking with my friends and family. After waiting almost an hour in traffic to get to the orchard, we finally got to stroll around and pick some apples. The wait as totally worth it! As you walk up and down the apple orchards, you see apples of all sizes and colors. My personal favorite are the granny smith apples. I love eating the apples right off the tree. After we finished apple picking, we proceeded to pumpkin picking. To me, this is not as enjoyable because you cannot eat the pumpkins as you pick them. However, I love anything made from pumpkin.

As I walked around the orchards, it amazed me that the orchard centered itself around the food stands. Everywhere you turned, products from apples and pumpkins were being sold, such as apple pies, pumpkin butters, apple cider, apple donuts, pumpkin coffee, and so much more. Roasted corn and kettle corn were also being sold, which are always a favorite in my family. I noticed everyone focused on the food that they could buy at the orchard. The orchards use the apples and pumpkins grown there to produce all of the products sold. I realized that although all the people there were enjoying the beautiful weather and picking fresh apples and pumpkins, they were signaled from the moment they walked into the orchard, to buy food. The food cues were the huge signs on the road leading up to the orchards, or the signs by the food stands showing what products were sold there, or even the other customers walking around eating something they just bought.  Even after eating an apple, a roasted corn and some kettle corn, my mouth was watering for the apple cider donuts everyone was walking around with. This really opened my eyes to how much people base their activities around food and how much society places value on food.