"Maggie Goes on a Diet" - Diet Book for 6-Year-Olds - Don't Buy!!!!

[hamstergeisha76]

It's not just the "it's o.k. to tease fat kids" theme in this book that disturbs me, but also the part where she gets more attention from boys when she looses weight. This book is geared towards girls ages 4 and up, and NO girl of those ages especially should be thinking you have to look a certain way to get the attention of men. This book is just as bad that one about the girl whose mother gets plastic surgery, especially a boob job.

[shrinerspark]

A child with autism is a special case, whatever the challenge, because children with autism don't understand social conventions and won't be able to really understand why they're picked on, and may not be able to understand that they are FINE when people are constantly after them and saying otherwise. However, a normal child is capable of understanding this message. We shouldn't be reinforcing a bully's POV b/c we are a weight biased society. Disgusting!!

[shrinerspark]

I know you made a response video (haven't watched it yet), but what I have to say is... people should teach their children not to bully people about their weight, and we shouldn't have to write books like this to "help" our children "get through" being fat because they get picked on all the time.

I was a short nerd with big glasses who was teased all the time for being a nerd and being smart. It DID affect me. But there is nothing w/ with being nerdy, having glasses, OR being bigger!!

[rdavis46]

For kids with special needs there thinking is black and white so they would not think like regular teens. She will understand it because she can see that this girl was like her and now she is healthy and has friends and can play sports. I think one that is tailor to girls is going to help my daughter. She likes the freddy fights fat but she needs to have a girl version so she can relate to the story. If you don't like the book you don't have to buy it! But why ban it for others who want to buy

[jennfriedman]

@rdavis46 That is a very interesting point. I haven't thought about how this book would apply to special-needs kids and I don't have the backing to accurately comment on that. I don't know if the author had this in mind when writing it, or what he would say about it. But I encourage you to write to him and find out. Thanks so much for your feedback. All the best to you and your daughter. <3

[rdavis46]

@jennfriedman How would get in contact of him?

[jennfriedman]

@rdavis46 You might try here: alohapublishers(dot)com(slash)­index(dot)php?page=contact

[rdavis46]

I believe this would be a good book for kids with special needs. I have one called Freddy fights fat so how is that one different from Maggie goes on diet. It is the same concept except it is a girl. I think what scares parents is the word DIET for the book. I will be buying it because my daughter is going to be 14 soon and she has autism. She really enjoys freddy fights fight that she even takes it to school. She gets bullied at school because she is over weight. I use be morbid obese myself

[rainbowheydrich]

You should write the follow-up book, Paul Kramer goes on a diet! =)

[isacloboz]

how can you say so much on a book you havent read. We are banning books before they are published, is this the middle ages again? I was fat when i was a kid and althoug is sad the truth is youre merciless bullied when you are a fat kid. The book may be a good mensage to kids to relate to this problems.

[jennfriedman]

@isacloboz Thanks for your comment, Isacloboz. I can appreciate what you're saying and I made a response video to some similar comments if you'd like to take a look. Its just the next one on my channel. Take care. :)

[AnaGirlEmpath]

@jennfriedman: Thank you so much for making this video! I am going to make one too. Be well, sweet spirit! Xoxox

[jennfriedman]

@AnaGirlEmpath Thanks for your comment! I'm excited to see your video. :)

[amihungrydoctor]

In med school, we took an oath: First, do no harm. Maggie Goes on a Diet is harmful - and the comments below prove that. I wrote a little picture book about my experiences as a cautionary tale. Search for the youtube video "Michelle Goes on a Diet...That Lasts for 20 Years."

[jennfriedman]

@amihungrydoctor Thank you SO much for your comment "AmIhungrydoctor" - it came at a very fitting time!!! I will be watching your video today (can't atm, but definitely later today). Please stay in touch, and stay present on the web with your message. It is needed to combat the ever-present influx of opposition. One day, soon I hope, it will be in the majority.

[jennfriedman]

@jennfriedman I've made a follow-up video and included your video and webiste in it. :)

[jennfriedman]

@amihungrydoctor I watched it - so powerful and touching. Thank you!!!

[MultiFilf]

you gay whore, there is nothing wrong with the book. it helps children eat right so they can live a healthier better life

[rashedly]

@MultiFilfBecause clearly an individual who spews something like "you gay whore" is someone we should all learn from in living a better life. A positive self-image is not conditional on a restrictive diet. Body projects to correct insecurity are a dangerous game. The fact is, this is a subtle issue. It's especially delicate aimed at kids- not masters of subtlety. This isn't "Maggie Gets Healthy" - this is "Maggie wishes she were skinnier, and then she is, and then all her problems are solved."

[MultiFilf]

@rashedly

You gullible faggot.

[useyourheadidiot]

@MultiFilf How is it that bullying is legally not to be tolerated for races, religious beliefs, race, sexual orientation, color, etc but it is always open season on overweight people? You could go to jail for bullying anyone in other categories.

[useyourheadidiot]

@MultiFilf You're the perfect example of the unintelligent moronic bullies that make the world a terrible place. Abuse is against the law you know? Hope you end up in jail for your evil drivel!

[useyourheadidiot]

@MultiFilf Dimwitted losers like you need to find a rock to crawl under! And please don't slither out once under!

[jennfriedman]

@rashedly Thank you. I've actually made a follow-up video to this one if you'd like to check it out. I hope to clarify some things. Thanks so much for having a voice here.

[1ApertureRealist]

>Implying teaching our kids to eat right is wrong.

[TheSixelar7]

Who are you to say. Right now I'm 13 and when I was younger I used to be fat. When I lost the weight I didn't become popular but I did feel better about myself and in general. Kids teasing for being overweight is more damaging than this book. You need to STOP patting your child's head and telling them you're special and people will only see what's on the inside because it's not true.

[scatterbrainedfish]

@TheSixelar7 the most common age for an eating disorder to start is 9 to 14 years of age. Clearly you need to go to almost any proana sites and read what they think. Common thinking on a proana site is :The more thin you get the more people like you; you cant tell me for one sec that there wont be a lot of kids who read it who interpret it that way that if they get thinner they get more friends but gaining weight means losing them. Its one of the most common thought patterns in eds

[TheSixelar7]

@scatterbrainedfish

She becomes really good at soccer and makes new friends. She couldn't before because she was fat and physical activity was a challenge. That logic seems reasonable to me. The fact is if you're overweight (or underweight) your body becomes deformed. Kids are brutally honest and to put it bluntly there are no benefits of overeating, teasing and carrying around unnecessary lard. This book told the HARD truth and apparently no one likes that.

[jennfriedman]

@TheSixelar7 Can you elaborate on "deformed"? That sounds like such a cruel word to put on oneself. No one is deformed. I used to think I was deformed because of my stomach (I thought I would feel less deformed when it got smaller, but it didn't). But now instead of saying "deformed," i try to just use words that describe it that don't have ANY judgments attached. Your body is your own, nobody else gets to have the one you've got, you've got unique definition, unique contours, unique shape...

[jennfriedman]

@TheSixelar7 "Unnecessary lard" is an extremely harsh judgment. Everyone benefits from being healthy and balanced, but ppl of all weights are equal, and nothing about anyone is unnecessary, even if overweightness is a manifestation of being unhealthy. Its something that, if needed for better health, can change, but the unhealthiest part is when a person feels cornered into being changed bc they are made victim to it. Overweightness doesn't have to be a threat to one's confidence. Be kind to you.

[useyourheadidiot]

@TheSixelar7 So what happens if a child is deformed, as you say, by a severe burn, or a missing limb etc... What the hell is that child to do? NO! BULLYING IS JUST PLAIN EVIL AND WRONG!

[TheSixelar7]

@useyourheadidiot

That child couldn't help being burned. Bullying may be wrong, but it was, is and will be.

[jennfriedman]

@scatterbrainedfish Thanks for your response, Scatterbrainedfish. Well-said. :)

[jennfriedman]

@TheSixelar7 Thank you for your comment, Sixelar. Its good to hear it from someone who has been through it, who is at an age closer to the book's targetted readers. I really haven't seen that at all - I haven't seen much opposition, period, and I haven't heard from anyone who is not an adult. So, thank you for being brave enough to have a voice and speak your mind on this. That said, I feel that the effects of bullying (which I can relate to, as I was bullied for acne and early development) are

[TheSixelar7]

@jennfriedman

To put it simply, if this book doesn't 'destroy' your child's self-confidence(chances are it probably won't), other kids will and on top of that the child will remain overweight and unhealthy. So 1, they're being made fun of and 2, they're still unhealthy. It's a lose-lose situation for the kid. In a perfect world, people will only see the inside, but in reality they take notice of your guise instead. It's human nature that people want to be homogeneous, especially at this age.

[jennfriedman]

@TheSixelar7 No, people don't only see the inside, and they do judge, you are absolutely right. But conforming for the sake of not being hurt by them actually takes away your power more than it gives you power. It diminishes you, it weakens you, it makes you constantly question yourself, and ask "am I good enough yet? am I still good enough? am I still okay?" It puts you at the mercy of their words. This book tells ppl whose bodies are naturally heavier that they will never be ok, even if they

[jennfriedman]

@TheSixelar7 are healthy. so what will those people do? Are they screwed then? I would hope not! The goal is HEALTH. If someone is unnaturally overweight due an unhealthy lifestyle, they are free to change that lifestyle but with the goal being health and happiness and weight being secondary. I understand the need to fit in, but I would hope that not all kids desired homogeny, as that is some awful breeding for some very unhappy adults. Take care of YOU, and don't give them any power.

[jennfriedman]

@TheSixelar7 devastating. If I had a choice at the time, I would've just magically made my acne disappear and my breasts flatten. Kids' words hurt and if I had read a book on how to change my appearance with the incentive being the end of bullying, I might have followed it. But I have to ask myself, what would it have taught me: to do transform myself to avoid being hurt? Did that desire to look different come from inside or was it fear-based? I feel that as long as you a person makes any

[jennfriedman]

@TheSixelar7 changes to their looks based on the desire to be accepted, they are in danger. Because that acceptance becomes completely conditional. Its not "true" acceptance really, because acceptance in itself has no strings attached. I feel that this book teaches kids that being liked, fitting in, and doing things they enjoy (ie. soccer which I disagree with you about - I think overweight kids can play soccer and be in athletic shape) is conditional upon their looks, which I feel is....

[jennfriedman]

@TheSixelar7 an extremely dangerous message to engrain in a child. Kids should be given the msg that they can be confident at any size. It is bc of the mgs that society has given us that makes kids judge and bully others. EVERYONE needs to learn self-acceptance - not just the bullied. Bc when you can accept and feel comfortable with yourself you are less likely to pick on others. People do that out of their own fear and insecurity. This book gives the bullies leverage too.Take care. Thx again.

[rashedly]

@TheSixelar7 I'm glad you're feeling better about yourself. I think as Jenn said it's important that living your life & enjoying yourself be the goal - I've not read the book - none of us has... it's just worrisome as people can interpret that if they modify their body that will improve their life as an end in itself... which is a terrible, obsessive trap. Living a healthy lifestyle is critical, it's great that you're enjoying life. a healthy body=the body of a person who behaves healthily.

[pf91rodman]

Haters gonna hate. Lazy parents need to take responsibility for their own kids and should stop blaming media, video games, books, and other art forms for their own kid's shitty behavior.

[jennfriedman]

@pf91rodman I agree with you that parents should take respnsibility, but part of that includes choosing to buy books for their children that will reinforce confidence-building - not books that reinforce society's message that you have to be thin to feel good, be successful and fit in. A parent can act responsibly by NOT choosing this book.

[useyourheadidiot]

@jennfriedman I agree! Responsible parents will NOT buy this book!

[1488slav]

people don't have to diet

you can eat what you want if you burn it off by getting up off your ass like a normal kid and going outside to play instead of watching tv and playing video games

[jennfriedman]

@1488slav I think you're right that people don't have to diet, but I don't agree that kids should "get off their ass" - this is harsh language to use when referring to children - and I do think there can be a balance between going out inside and watching tv / playing video games.

[stangeriam]

Just another BS book on the market regarding "health". Just for starts, they should

be teaching children "HOW TO EAT WHOLE HEALTHY NUTRIENT DENSE FOODS".

Our Fascist Corporate World instead markets fruit loops, pop tarts, soda pop and

generally everything processed.

Great video...tnx for posting : )

[jennfriedman]

@stangeriam You are welcome. :) I agree with you, but I think the author should go a step further and bring home the message that balance is key. Part of feeling good includes letting yourself have a healthy and balanced lifestyle, which can include some "crap" food from time to time. If a parent chooses not to buy certain brands because they don't want to support those corporations, that's okay, but their kids can still be exposed to less healthy foods, within reason, and learn balance....

[jennfriedman]

@stangeriam ...the message that I think should be driven home is that you are worthy, special and deserving of confidence even if you eat a less healthy food. Worth is not conditional upon food choice or body size. A body size that is healthy for their frame can be attained without a thought (seriously, no attachments, no obsessions, no "meaning", no "i'm better cause I'm thinner" messages) if the focus is on confidence-building, balance, and variety in meals.

[RetardedKid09]

hypersensitive douchebag

[msvioletsun24]

I feel so sad thinking about the possibility that these could be the books of the future! How messed up will the audience of children be after they read this at such a young age! Talk about the adults who don't honor the individuality and innocence of children :( IF only the author and publishers could be educated on the emotional and psychological damage this ONE book could cause young minds!

[jennfriedman]

@msvioletsun24 Exactly. I think it does come down to education. I really hope that if this book comes out, there are enough people with opposing viewpoints to counteract the message it gives to children. And I hope the author / publishers become educated and willing to admit to their poor judgment.

[jennfriedman]

how I took that as THE WAY IT WAS, the mold of teenager-dom. So I can just see a kid taking it as fact that when you're a teen, you diet, and if you don't fit a socially defined mold, you don't measure up. I was given msgs growing up that adolescence is "the time to start dieting." If I had an official "publication" to reinforce that, I'm scared to think of how much worse I would be now. Lets just hope this book doesn't make it to publication and if it does, that there is massive uproar. :(

[jennfriedman]

Thanks for your comment, Fran. How maddening that it is a children's book. When I was that age, I would look up to 14-year-olds as "cool" and just totally worth emulating. Or I would project into the future and imagine that this would be me in a few years, that this is what being a teenager is. I remember that because I didn't look like the cast of Saved by the Bell I didn't make the cut for being a teenager or something. Of course I had my own issues and they looked fairly normal but it just

[todreamisagift]

Oh Jenn, this whole subject makes me sick to my stomach... it's the most outrageous thing I've heard in regards of "healthy body image" this year.

It's actually a children's book, for girls 6-10, I believe... SICK!!!

Thanks for the video :)

<3 YOU...

[jennfriedman]

@todreamisagift Fran, thanks for clearing up the age-target here. Even sicker!!!! Kids desperately need to be shown something OTHER than this, times ten, to counteract the potential effect of this. Love you too, dear!!

[jennfriedman]

@jennfriedman oops, I replied to twice, Fran! Oh well, more love from me. <3