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Season 14 of The Biggest Loser premiered last weekend, featuring three teenagers for the first time ever, and critics are in an uproar. There’s so much controversy surrounding the decision to include teens on the show, and I’m finding myself kind of angry about the criticism.

Why is it so bad that there’s a show helping obese teens lose weight? It’s not like they have 100-pound cheerleaders competing. These are actual obese teens who can’t do normal teen things because they’re so overweight. These are teens who want to change their lifestyles.

Critics of the choice are saying that having teens on the show presents a confusing message and perpetuates body image issues. Huffington Post Teen Associate Editor Carolyn Gregoire said:

“You see adults on the show who are running until they fall, until they’re vomiting, and they’re being yelled at. We don’t want to be sending that message to a vulnerable young person who can be very triggered by seeing this kind of activity. I don’t think that shame and creating a fat-phobic culture is a motivating way to tell people they need to be healthy.”

It appears that most of the critics haven’t even seen the show. The teens aren’t doing the same tasks as the adults. The kids don’t even participate in weigh-ins, and they don’t get eliminated. Longtime trainer Bob Harper says:

“With the kids, we wanted to do exactly the opposite of when we work with the adults. We do no breaking down, just lifting up … It’s about getting kids to move around again and getting kids to be kids.“

Isn’t this better than shows like Teen Mom and 16 And Pregnant? I know those shows are controversial on their own, but why is there so much backlash about kids getting healthy? This theory that all teens who watch the show will get body dysmorphic disorder and become fat-phobic is absurd. I think if anything, seeing obese teens get their lives back will be inspiring and helpful.

Surely there are obese teens watching that will aim to make changes in their lives. I don’t think this is going to send teens into an eating-disorder frenzy. The show never encourages contestants to starve themselves. It encourages healthy ways to lose weight, healthy workouts, healthy everything.

It’s also kind of insulting to the teen population that these critics think so little of their intelligence. Y’all are smart. You’re not going to think you’re fat simply because three teens on a show are working out and losing weight to you know, not be obese anymore.

I think having teens on The Biggest Loser is great. I hope these teens have so much success on the show that producers decide to have an all-teen series.

What do you think about there being teen contestants? Do you think it will help other overweight teens? Do you think it will be harmful? Tell me what you think in the comments!

Since we’re talking about weight, Facebook could be the culprit for those extra pounds!

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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!

This 10-year-old made his own version of Facebook!

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That’s exactly why we found a few quotes that will help you love your body. We’re all about positive body image here at Gurl, and so are these awesome quotes. Read them if you’re feeling totally down in the dumps about your looks or you just need a healthy boost of confidence. These positive words will definitely remind you of just how awesome you are.

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Which of these quotes was your favorite? What did we miss? Do you think you could just more confidence, or do you love your body now? Tell us in the comments!

10 quotes that will help you get a fresh start

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Get moving and give your self-esteem a boost! | Source: Shutterstock

A survey was recently published that explores the connection between exercise and mental health in adolescents, focusing on athletics’ role and more than 7,000 students in the Netherlands (ranging in age from 11 to 16) participated in the survey. One of the researchers’ findings was that students who were active in organized sports reported being happier and felt better about themselves, including a boosted self-esteem and a more favorable self-image.

Teenagers who exercised also had lower rates than those who didn’t for things like acting aggressively and trouble-making. There were benefits socially too, as the students who participated on sports teams were found to have more friends.

Being on a sports team was the launching point for a lot of my friendships, and while it wasn’t the only thing going in my life that affected my self-esteem, I also defined a lot of my personality – and as a result, my self-image – around sports and exercise.

I switched schools right before ninth grade, and I think my high school experience would have been very different if I didn’t play on a sports team. In the last weeks of summer vacation during field hockey preseason I was able to make friends, and I started school feeling more comfortable than I may have otherwise.

Plus, combined with my accomplishment of making the team, all the training I’d put in had me feeling good about my body, and both of those gave me that boost of self-esteem to start powering through all the other parts of school. Sports teams and exercise weren’t a magic trick where I participated and POOF, suddenly I knew how to be happy! They were though essential ingredients to building up a solid self-image that made me happier with my life.

Team sports aren’t necessarily everyone’s jam, and that’s okay! There are so many types of options for exercise that run such a wide range of possibilities. If you try some things out, you’re likely to find something that works for your interests and lifestyle. Between the people you could meet to how you could feel about yourself, making physical activity a part of your life can have such awesome benefits, so it’s certainly worth giving a whirl!

Do you play sports? Do you prefer team sports or individual forms of exercise? Do you find that when you exercise you feel better about yourself? Tell us in the comments!

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This just might be the sweetest thing I’ll read this week: Pennsylvania State University has become the newest college to create a compliments page on Facebook. What exactly is a compliments page? Well, it’s a Facebook page full of compliments, obviously! Is there any other Facebook page that sounds as happy and loving as this one? I don’t think so.

This Penn State compliments page is totally anonymous – students send private messages to the Facebook page with their compliment and the name of the person they’re complimenting. The sweet words then get posted onto the page, where students can check out if anything was said about them or their friends. How awesome is this? Imagine a day you’re feeling totally down and bummed out, but then you log onto your school’s compliments page and find out that someone said something super sweet about you. If that doesn’t lift your spirits, I don’t know what will.

I love this idea because it’s such a simple way to make people smile. Everyone obviously loves hearing compliments – even if it’s something small, like, “I love that shirt!”, it still has the power to cheer you up and lift your confidence for at least a little while. Not only that, but giving out compliments can make you happier also. The other really cool thing is the anonymous factor – you don’t know who said that nice thing about you, and it’s cool to feel like you might have a secret admirer wandering around out there. Dedicating an entire page to love and good feelings might sound a little corny to some people, but I think it can bring some much-needed kindness to a world that can sometimes be scary and mean.

Penn State isn’t the first college to do this, though – Time recently posted about the trend, which started in Queen’s University in Ontario, and a few other colleges have followed in those footsteps. Who else agrees that high schools need to get in on this trend?

So, could compliment pages be the end of online bullying? I don’t think they have the power to squash online meanies for good (although I wish they did), but I do think it’s an awesome step in the right direction. A huge pro to this site is that you can’t just post whatever you want on the wall, since it’s moderated. That means that there’s very little chance of nasty messages making their way on there.

One thing we can take from this? A compliment can seriously improve someone’s day – so start giving them out more often!

Do you think this is a great idea? Do you wish your school had one of these? Who would you compliment if they did? Tell us in the comments!

10 super fun ways to get rid of stress

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You’re a lot more likely to be looking at girls for a longer time than he is! | Source: ShutterStock

If your boyfriend were looking at girls in front of you, you’d probably be pissed, right? But here’s the thing–you’re actually a lot more likely to be looking at girls than he is–and we bet you spend more time looking at girls than he does, too. Really!

A new study says that we women and gals spend more time looking at girls than we do looking at men. And it’s not because we want to date girls or anything–it’s because we’re comparing ourselves to them. While that’s not great (everyone is different and awesome and gorgeous in her own way!), it does make sense: When we’re looking at guys, we can tell pretty quickly if we want to keep looking at them if they’re cute, and a lot of times we look away to avoid seeming creepy (ahem). On the other hand, when we’re looking at girls, we’re actually assessing things: “Is she cuter than me? Those shoes are cute, I wonder where she got them! Crap, did she just look at my boyfriend?”

When girls are looking at girls, there are a few specific things that we tend to focus on: what they’re wearing, how thin they are, how much cellulite they have, and what her hair looks like. We’re basically scoping out our competition to see how we measure up and if we should be worried. And according to the study, half of us actually enjoy doing that–and 10 percent of us feel the need to always be better looking than “the competition.” Dude, why?!

First off, that’s exhausting. There are zillions of women and girls around, and each and every one of us has something (often a few things!) uniquely beautiful about us. Men in trucks like to yell out that I have a nice butt. One of my BFFs has amazing hazel eyes and perfect skin, while another has blue eyes and legs that go on for days. We all look totally different, but, not to brag, we’re all cute as hell. And so are you.

Comparing yourself to anyone else isn’t just a waste of time, but it’s also damaging to your body image and ultimately to your spirit. You’ve heard it a million times, but only because it’s true: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Instead of comparing yourself to others and silently judging each other, work together. The good news is, the study says about half of us are already onto this. If you’re envious of the girl with the awesome Ariel-red hair, ask her what dye she uses and tell her it looks awesome, and if the mood strikes, try it out yourself. See a girl with amazing eyelashes on the bus? Tell her how pretty they are and ask what she uses. Trust us–they’ll be flattered, and you’ll feel better.

The best thing you can do to feel pretty and “suss out” the competition when you’re looking at girls is to be the best version of you that you can be. When you’re truly happy with yourself and comfortable in your own skin–even if your skin isn’t as flawless as my bestie’s–you will ultimately stop comparing and start complimenting. And happiness looks good on everyone.

What goes through your head when you’re looking at girls? Do you compare yourself to other girls? Does looking at girls make you feel inadequate or does it actually make you happy? Tell us in the comments!

We love looking at girls like Talia!

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I know you’re concerned about your boyfriend and I can completely understand that you feel like you need to help make him confident, but here’s the thing, girl: lifting your BF’s self-esteem is not your job or responsibility. It’s actually most likely not even possible – this is something your BF has to figure out on his own. No one can get him to be confident and love himself except for, well, himself.

Showering your boyfriend with compliments and always telling him he’s wrong when he complains about himself isn’t really going to help the situation. In fact, it could only be making it worse. I’m not saying your BF is doing this stuff intentionally (I’m sure he doesn’t want to feel this badly about himself all the time), but in a way he could be ragging on himself for attention. It probably feels good to hear you talk about wonderful he is – and he knows that you’re going to do that when he says certain things.

After a while, this will be your reaction | Source: ShutterStock

It’s also really unfair for you to have this burden on your shoulders of trying to make him more confident. Again, I’m not saying your boyfriend is doing this stuff on purpose. But he has unintentionally made you feel like you’re responsible for his self-esteem, and you’re not. You can’t spend your life trying to convince him he’s great, because all that’s going to do is make you focus more on him than yourself, and that’s never healthy.

Also, this is probably going to start majorly affecting your relationship, if it hasn’t already. When you constantly hear about how you’re too good for him, and about how much he sucks, a little voice in your head is probably going to start believing it. You’re probably going to start wondering, “what the heck am I doing with this guy?” I’m not saying you don’t love him, but hearing the same thing over and over will get to you after a while.

So what are you supposed to do? The next time your BF disses himself, don’t start complimenting him – tell him you’re sick of these negative words. Remind him that you love him for who he is and you don’t think there’s anything wrong with him, but he needs to start gaining more confidence. Let him know that you don’t like hearing him say this stuff and it may hurt your relationship. Be there for him, but don’t feel like you have to change him. Maybe suggest that he should go to a therapist or talk to a professional for more help. If he doesn’t start trying to be more confident, then give him an ultimatum: either he starts working on himself, or you’re outta there.

I know everything I’m saying may sound harsh, but being with a guy who hates himself can be really hard. The sooner you realize this isn’t your responsibility, the better.

take care,
Heather

What’s on your mind? Heather can help! Send her your question at heather@gurl.com

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Instant Pick Me Up? | ShutterStock.com

If you’ve ever seen a divaliscious, chica click-clacking in a pair of 6-inch stilletos and felt a tad bit intimidated (I am guilty as charged), there’s a reason for it. A study by footcare company Compeed has shown that British women wear heels (on average 3.3 inch heels) much higher than women of Spain, Denmark, Germany and France. They also found that the British women were generally more confident and assertive.

Here’s the kicker, “Research has suggested that a tall woman is considered more assertive, confident, richer, capable, successful, independent and even more intelligent than their shorter peers,” psychologist Emma Kenny said.

We know, we know, this makes absolutely NO SENSE. There are a ton of studies that illustrate how taller people get a lot more respect than shorter folks. We have no clue why but it must be some primitive, psychological response to a larger (scarier) species. You know, like how you have to stand real tall and make yourself look bigger when you see a bear. Bigger = Intimidating = Maybe I need to be nice so they won’t EAT me.

Ignoring the obvious short people prejudice (not cool!), think of it this way: when people perceive you as more confident and capable they start to treat you that way. When people show you respect (that you deserve regardless of what you look like!) you’ll start to feel a lot better about yourself. You’ll become more confident and in turn, people will perceive you that way, making you even more confident. It’s a not-so-vicious cycle of sweet, sweet self-esteem.

Personally, I don’t wear heels (I love cool shoes, but I cannot walk in heels!) and I wouldn’t advise anyone who didn’t want to wear them to do so. But if you wanted to give them a shot or if you want to conduct a little experiment and see if people do treat you better when you’re 4 inches taller–then I say go for it! Heels might be the little pick-me-up you need to get the courage to talk to your crush, go to that job interview or give that scary presentation!

Do you wear heels? Would you wear them to boost your confidence? Let us know in the comments!