Facebook may raise your self-esteem–but can it also make you fat?! | Source: ShutterStock

Apparently, interacting with your pals on Facebook can up your self-esteem, which is awesome, right? Right. Unfortunately, a side effect of that raised self-esteem is less self control, which can affect what you eat–and how much you eat of it.

A new study says that people who use Facebook most have a body mass index (BMI) of about 26, while people who log in less are at about 24. (A normal BMI is typically between 18 and 24.9, but BMI isn’t necessarily an indicator of health–it doesn’t account for muscle weight, which weighs more than fat, and there’s a lot more to the equation than this!) High Facebook use was also linked to binge eating, but again, correlation doesn’t mean causation. But it does make you think about those times you sort of plowed through a bag of Doritos without even realizing it while you were lurking your ex’s pictures. Ahem.

Further, the more time you spend on your newsfeed instead of reading the actual news appears to have an effect on your food choice: People in a study who read their Facebook feed for a while and people who read the news were each given the choice between a cookie and a granola bar. The Facebook users chose the cookie, while most of the news readers took the granola bar. Again, it may just be this particular panel–if you’re truly hungry, too, you’ll probably spring for a granola bar, too. There are a lot of different things at play here.

One of the researchers explained it like this: The self-esteem boost you get from Facebook is what may ultimately make you fat, not Facebook itself. “A bit of self-awareness can help you avoid engaging in this behavior. Facebook is not the problem. It’s the feeling of entitlement that’s the problem.”

That’s because it’s a self-esteem boost that is sort of artificial: It’s not the kind of feeling good about yourself that comes from actually doing things or accomplishing something, like, say, working out. And when you get the rush of 50 Facebook “likes” in a row, you’re more likely to want to hang around and surf your social network a bit more instead of heading out for a sprint, right? And when you’re vegging out, you’re also more prone to reach for junk food. When you feel good about yourself and cookies are nearby, you’re sort of like, “Hey, I earned it!” See the pattern here?

At the end of the day, Facebook can’t really make you fat. And if something improves your self-esteem, dude–we’re all for it, because we think you’re awesome, and we want you to know you’re rad, too. But just make sure you have a balance between your awesome digital life and your awesome real life–so your self-esteem isn’t dictated by comments on your Facebook status. You’re better than that!

Do you pick at junk food while you’re on Facebook? Does Facebook up your self-esteem or make you feel crappy? Do you think Facebook can really make you fat? Tell us in the comments!

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Source: Shutterstock

You know how sometimes you meeting one of your best friend’s new friends and they’re just kinda yuck? Yeah, well, that totally happened to me. Here’s the story.

There are three of us in the best friendship. So, my friend Jen and I went to visit our other friend Melissa, who just moved away. (By the way, all names have been changed to protect the innocent…and even the not so innocent.) Melissa introduced us to her new friend, Val.

At first, Val was really excited to meet us and we were pumped to meet her. And then she was like, “Are you two dating anyone?”

And Jen and I weren’t dating anyone at the time, so we both said no.

Then Val said, “Oh, I know what it’s like for you two. I used to be 80 pounds overweight.”

Um, WHAT? We just said we were single, nothing about our bodies. And we’re not 80 pounds overweight. If you add us together, we’re not 80 pounds overweight!

Even though we both know what our bodies look like, it’s hard not to take a fat comment to heart. Jen and I were shocked and bummed.

We spent the rest of the weekend trying to avoid Val and focused on keeping the girls trip to just the three of us.

Have you ever gotten a totally off the wall body comment like that? Did you handle it any better than Jen and I did? Tell me about it in the comments!

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Looking awesome, Lea! | Source: WENN.com/Fayes Vision

It turns out that Lea loves showing some cleavage when she’s on the red carpet, and in my book, I think that’s fine. I mean, why shouldn’t she? Sure, she plays a teenager on TV, but in real life, she’s 26-years-old–definitely not a child! Our bodies aren’t anything to be ashamed of (they’re beautiful!) and being a little sexy can be a whole lot of fun. The crazy thing is, that a lot of parents think it’s Lea’s responsibility to be a role model for little kids and that her sexy look is way too scandalous.

“I think Lea Michele is sending the wrong message,” said New York mom Kim Trefcer, “She plays such a ‘good girl’ on Glee and a lot of kids look up to her persona. Then she poses very provocatively on two magazine covers which makes my almost-13-year-old son very confused and offended.”

Oh, honey! I hate to break it to you there, mom, but um, your teenage son is probably anything but offended by Lea Michele’s sexy cleavage (or anyone else’s!). I have a lot of guy friends, and although they don’t get too graphic with me (thank heavens), they’ve all hinted at special TV and movie crushes that they, achem, spent special time with as young adolescents and teenagers. Of course not all guys are straight, but if he’s telling his mom he finds sexy cleavage offensive, he’s probably just trying to make excuses for why he gets all fidgety whenever he sees her looking so smoking hot!

Plus, by being confident in her skin, Lea Michele is being a kick ass role model. She’s not shooting up drugs or showing up wasted to big events. She’s just wearing a low-cut dress and showing young girls and women that it’s awesome to love your body and feel gorgeous as you are.

What do you think? Is it inappropriate for Lea Michele to show so much cleavage? Do you like to rock a sexy look, or do you think it’s too scandalous? Tell us in the comments!

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Amber Riley from Glee made a name for herself by maintaining a healthy body image despite Hollywood pressure to conform. Go, girl! | Source: YouTube

Dealing with pressure to be perfect can be tough on anyone’s body image–even the most cookie-cutter beautiful girl you can think of. But dealing with body image pressures in Hollywood is even harder. Just ask Glee starlet Amber Riley.

Amber, who at a size 16 looks amazing, told MTV, “Hollywood is a very hard place to be in. It really is. Being the person I am, you know, the size I am, being a woman, being a black woman, there’s not a lot of roles for us.” Don’t believe her? Think: When’s the last time you saw a girl who looked anything like Amber in a role other than the sassy best friend, the depressed token “fat girl,” or the title part in Precious? (Though one can argue that The Help gave a lot of black actresses an outlet, they weren’t in Amber’s younger age bracket.)

Thankfully, Amber didn’t give in. “After I did St. Sass, I kept on auditioning,” she said. “I was being offered the girl who sits in the corner and eats all day, the girl who committed suicide because she was fat. I never wanted to play a character that hated herself. I wanted people to know that those aren’t the only roles for people like me, normal girls.” Can we get a hell yes? Please?

She continued: ‘Going to the auditions and having the casting director say, ‘You need to lose a little weight,’ I didn’t understand why people couldn’t accept me for who I was. And the rejection started wearing on my self-esteem.” As a result, Amber actually stopped acting for a while to focus on school. “I’m not going to conform, and hurt myself, and do something crazy to be a size 2. My parents always instilled knowing that your beautiful, that you’re fearfully and wonderfully made, and that you know who you are.” And then an amen? Thank you.

Amber offered advice that she learned from her folks about the issue. “I’m a healthy person. have great friends around me that are positive. That’s the key to life, is make your own path, set your own rules. There is no set rule, no set look, no set anything! You make your own rules in life, and your own decisions.”

The fact is, not everyone who isn’t a size 2 is upset about it, nor are they unhealthy, and it’s a shame that Hollywood sees anyone who deviates from the “ideal” as being so one-dimensional. Think about it: The “fat” parts are almost all the same, and they’re almost all completely undeveloped, in that the one characteristic those characters have is, well, their weight. Replace “fat” with any other physical attribute–brunette, curly-haired, tall, big eared, rosy-cheeked–and that probably wouldn’t happen. And if it did, it’d be a pretty crappy movie or show.

We’re sending a million high-fives Amber’s way. Glee wouldn’t be Glee without her as Mercedes!

Do you think Hollywood puts too much pressure on stars to be thin? Do you agree that Amber Riley was right to not conform? Who’s your favorite Glee star? Tell us in the comments!

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If you say “I feel fat” after hanging out, you need to talk about other stuff! | Source: ShutterStock

Everyone utters the dreaded “I feel fat” every now and then. But could your girls be the reason you sometimes feel down on yourself and have a negative body image?

A new study looked at 75 pairs of female BFFs and asked how often the pals chat about things like weight, exercising, weight loss, their appearances, and their relationships with food. Researchers also made a point to check if the gals had a healthy body image overall and what kind of pressures they felt from their friends about their sizes.

It turns out that the more time we spent talking to friends about things like weight, weight loss, or what we wish we looked like, the crappier we feel about ourselves–and the more likely we are to grumble, “I feel fat” later on. The research also indicated that our body image concerns are often mirrored in our friends’ own worries–so if you tell your bestie, “I feel fat,” she may wind up saying it right back to you. That’s no fun!

One of the researchers explained it like this: “Our research demonstrates that friends influence each other through at least three processes: perceived pressure to be thin; body-related talk; and perceptions. Although these perceptions are somewhat grounded in reality, i.e. they are close to the truth, they are more influential than reality.”

What that basically means? The more you guys mope and say “I feel fat,” the fatter you’re both going to feel–even if and when you’re not fat at all. (We think you’re hot, btw.) How do you get around this?

Simple. Instead of saying “I feel fat,” catch yourself and instead just tell your BFF, “You look awesome.” You’ll be deflecting attention off of yourself and making your pal feel amazing–and chances are she’ll return the favor. If you guys start talking about food or dieting, instead of saying how fat you feel, talk about how amazing you felt after your last workout, how beautiful Harry Styles is, or how delish your new red velvet cake recipe is. Because friends are supposed to build one another up and make each other feel better–not feel fat!

How often do you say “I feel fat?” What’s your response when a friend says she feels fat? Do your friends affect your body image? Tell us in the comments!

Is your BFF making you feel crappy on purpose? Here’s how to tell!

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A tall hat or high heels are the only things that’ll add inches! | Source: Shutterstock

That said, I’m super annoyed that one fitness chain in the UK is claiming that their new workout program, A-Grow-Bics–in which people do yoga, hang upside down from their ankles, and get stretched out on something that looks like a crazy Medieval torture device–can add up to two inches to someone’s height.

The thing is, unless your bones actually grow more (which um, they’re not going to after you’re around 17 or 18), you’re not going to grow taller. Plus, whatever happened to workouts being about being the best YOU? Why do I need to be taller (other than the obvious benefit in the grocery aisle)?!

Frankly, it’s insulting that this A-Grow-Bics program even exists. The fact that there’s an exercise program designed only to make you grow taller means that they’re saying tall people are better; that it’s more desirable to be long and lanky. That short people suck.

Here’s hoping other shorties are seeing through this lame scheme and that this stupid workout will go the way of the dinosaur, fast. I’d hate to think that any petite princesses out there are wasting their dollars on a nasty looking torture rack when they could be spending it on ice cream instead.

What do you think? Would you grow taller if you could? Do you think this workout might work? Tell us in the comments!

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Cassandra Berkson shows how to cover up acne with makeup so it doesn’t take over your life! | Source: YouTube

It’s ballsy for anyone to show off a makeup-free face in an era where false perfection pervades just about everything we do, but it was extra brave of Cassandra Bankson. She suffered for a long time from a severe bout with cystic acne, and it got so bad that her classmates threw pizza at her (as in “pizzaface”–how lame and uncreative, let alone douchey) and called her “The Virus.” WTF is wrong with people? Eventually it got so bad that she actually became home schooled to avoid her bullies. “I used to sit back and let acne ruin my life, but it got to the point where I needed to do something to get myself out of the rut.” That’s where her vid comes in.

In her YouTube clip that shot her to stardom, Cassandra shows her step-by-step guide to having skin that looks pretty freakin’ flawless, despite the fact that her complexion was so problematic underneath. And she’s having the time of her life now, too. She’s got an encouraging boyfriend (get it, girl!), over 40 million YouTube views and she’s modeling at 2012 Fashion Week!

“It feels like a dream to be here during Fashion Week,” she told The New York Post. “I am a different person from who I used to be because I’ve got so much more confidence now.” Indeed–she’s also making bank, snagging modeling gigs for Bebe and Range Rover and an endorsement deal for Hourglass Cosmetics (she mentioned their primer being her fave in the famous video).

If you haven’t already, watch Cassandra Berkson’s tutorial on her she gets her own flaw-free face–the one that launched her to stardom–and get inspired. Acne isn’t the end of the world!

How much time do you spend covering up acne with makeup everyday? Do you have any tips on hiding acne with makeup? Do you think Cassandra Berkson was brave to show her acne online? Tell us in the comments!

No makeup, still gorgeous! | Source: ShutterStock

Check out what’s new on our boards! Right now, girls are talking about wearing (or not wearing) makeup:

peacelove123 said:

I never really got into wearing makeup or being girly at all. At the most, I wear some concealer. I’ve never worn mascara or eye liner or blush or lipstick or anything really. I feel like a tomboy sometimes and I feel like if I do wear makeup, it will be like I’m trying to be pretty and fail. Is it weird that I don’t wear makeup?

Got something to add to this convo? Then go for it, girl. Tell us what you think in the boards: does not wanting to wear makeup make you weird? Do you wear makeup every day? Can you relate to this?

Would you change how you look for your BF or GF?

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Kim Kardashian has said that her big butt is a result of her Armenian (“ethnic”) blood. At least it keeps her relevant. | Source

Okay, so real talk: I’ve had a big butt pretty much since birth. In fact, I’m pretty sure if I weren’t born about a month early, it may well have gotten me stuck. It’s a bubble butt–it sticks out pretty far but isn’t necessarily wide (but my hips are). And I think it’s pretty friggin’ great.

However, the comments I’ve received on my behind are pretty bizarre. I once had a random guy on the street yell, “Damn girl! You’re built like a rick shaw!” It took me a while to piece together exactly what he meant by that statement, but I gathered it had to do with my rear end made me look a bit like a pedicab. Annoying and sexually harassing? Yes. But at least it makes some sense. And I can pretend it makes me look environmentally sound and energy-efficient.

What irks me most is being told that my butt is “ethnic.” Because I have no idea what that means. Isn’t everyone ethnic in one way or another? I was born and raised in the United States, but I doubt the comments about my badonkadonk(-donk) are a reflection on America.

The general idea behind an “ethnic” butt is just the idea of large butts being a trait of someone who isn’t white. This is pretty problematic. Calling one particular physical trait, in this case, junk in the trunk, “ethnic” creates an “other” that is so incredibly broad and generalized that it enables just about every race, color, and creed to feel insecure and out of place with the norm. And it’s also sexualizing that “other” in a damned creepy way.

Chances are no one who’s been told they look “ethnic” spawned thoughts of, “Oh. My. God. Becky, look at her butt. It looks so Lithuanian! I wonder if she knows any Lithuanian folk songs!” It’s more along the lines of, “Damn, she looks exotic. White girls don’t have big butts like that!” And that’s pretty ignorant.

For the record, though, my butt is pretty ethnic. But that ethnicity isn’t the kind most people are thinking, unless the notion of “That girl’s booty is straight up Italian, Roumanian, and Polish!” In which case, please, by all means, carry on, but keep it quiet. I’m busy trying to give my pedicab driver directions.

Has someone ever called your looks “ethnic?” What do you think they meant? Do you think your butt makes you look like one certain ethnicity over another? Tell us in the comments!

href=”http://www.gurl.com/2012/04/03/my-belly-is-sexy/”>This Girl’s Belly Makes Her Sexy!

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At least we’re still cute, right? | Source

A while ago when being unhealthily underweight was the norm in Hollywood, a lot of people compared starlets like Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan to Bobblehead dolls, because their heads were enormous next to their bony little bodies. This is an unfair assessment of Bobblehead dolls.

Most Bobblehead dolls actually have pretty sturdy little bodies, not lollipop sticks. And thus, I venture to say that I, dear reader, look like an actual Bobblehead.

See, I have an enormous head. Actually, let me rephrase that. I have an enormous head for someone my size. I’m short (roughly 5’0″, possibly a little bit less, but this is what I put on my driver’s license to feel good about myself) and have relatively long legs for my stature, so my head looks huge in comparison with my torso and height. If you look at me in photos with other people, most of whom are significantly taller than I am, you (or at least I) can see it. And if I’m wearing flat shoes it’s even more obvious that the skull to body ratio is completely whacked out.

That said, hats still fit me (and often look cute with my bone structure), but they just draw more attention to my noggin, so I avoid them unless it’s freezing. I think of wearing hats as putting a red-lipstick target over a zit. You’re not trying to draw attention to it, right? (Though more power to you if that’s your thing!)

So what do you do if you have a first world problem like having a really long, outsized head? If it bugs you as much as it bugged me, there’s a way to get around having a head that you think looks like the beginning stages of a balloon animal: Bangs.

This girl and I had the same idea. Great minds! | Source

My mom drilled into my long head that I should get bangs, and I had ‘em for a while in grade school and then grew them out. But I caved and got bangs again a few years ago, and I will never look back (though I’d never admit that my mom was right). My bangs are long enough for a side sweep but short and heavy enough for a slight shag if I want to look like a lost, gender-confused member of the Ramones. And not to toot my own horn, but they look pretty cute.

And on the bright side, the size of my literal head matches my figurative one (I really, really love myself), and having a relatively large head probably counterbalances me and keeps me from falling backwards onto (what some questionable strangers refer to as) my “ethnic” butt. But that’s a whole other post.

Are you self conscious about the size of your head? Have you ever gotten a haircut to offset your head or face shape? Tell us in the comments!

This Girl Grew To Love Her Nose (Without Surgery!)

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