Valtteri Bottas Believes That Formula 1 Caused Him to Develop an Eating Disorder

Valtteri Bottas, a Formula 1 driver on the Alfa Romeo team, believes Formula 1 caused him to develop an eating disorder

Three points related to this include: he went to extremes to keep his body weight low early in his career, he is of the firm belief he developed an eating disorder that has gone undiagnosed and the limits on drivers' weights have been strict, but have relaxed in years past

Valtteri Bottas is a happier, and also healthier driver in Formula 1. In his home country of Finland, Bottas did a recent interview where he stated that, early in his career, he pushed himself to extreme limits to keep his weight down. Because of this, he developed an undiagnosed eating disorder. "I trained myself to pain, physically and mentally. It got out of hand, and became an addiction. No eating disorder was officially diagnosed, but it was definitely there." Between long workouts, he would only eat steamed broccoli and other diet choices from the team he was on. "It wasn't very healthy. I wanted to be the best, and I thought I had to do that. If the team says that I have to weigh 68 kilos (150 pounds) and I naturally weigh 73 kilos (161 pounds), then they will do everything for that."

Size and weight limits in Formula 1 are strict, but have been improved

Any extra weight slows the car down, so teams want their drivers lightweight and streamlined. That means the drivers have to train hard to keep their bodies in top condition, which means being at or below the 161 pound minimum. If they're under that, weights must be added to the cars to reach the required weight.

Bottas does not have the height of other drivers. He's only 5'8'' while Thai-British driver Alexander Albon is listed as 6'2''. Bottas has more bulky muscle behind him, though. Thankfully, F1 has made a change to the rule about weight. The minimum weight is now 80 kgs (171 pounds), including the fireproof gear they wear. The gear the drivers wear is 15 pounds (7 kgs) and this figures in with the drivers' weight

Bottas describes his second year in Formula 1, 2014, as being especially hard. That season had strict requirements on weight, meaning heavier drivers were even more under the gun to lose weight. That year saw Daniel Ricciardo being forced to lose weight to get his weight down by at least 4.5 pounds (2 kilos). Ricciardo was 5'10'' and weighed 143 pounds (65 kilos). The drivers had extreme pressure on them to keep their weight down otherwise their jobs were on the line. Because of his size, 6' and 165 pound (75 kg) driver Nico Hulkenberg was, supposedly, kept from a position on the McLaren team because of his size. Then McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh said in a 2013 Sky Sports interview "Heavier drivers will be less attractive. It has happened by accident. We have raised the minimum weight, but the new powertrains are heavier than people expected, and now have a situation where heavier drivers could be a disadvantage."

In his 2007 autobiography, former McLaren and Red Bull Racing driver David Coulthard said that what he put himself through as a teen trying to get into Formula 1, including conditions sounding too close to bulimia. "It was an essential part of being an oversized teenager in karting, making weight. I would have my dinner, weigh myself and if I was too heavy, I'd go swimming and exercise and try to control my weight by being sick."

Bottas said that the rule changes in 2019 helped immensely. He stated they helped his immune system because he was not cutting as much weight off. "I think the regulation is good, especially for the taller drivers. It makes life a bit easier. Many drivers had to be below our natural weight, and it is very easy to get ill or sick. This is the first winter for many years that I didn't get any flu or any sickness."

How the media damages women

I agree with this all the way!! Because of how the media portrays women having to be thin and have perfect bodies, this is why I don't read those gossip rags like People, Star, OK, etc. Seeing pictures of those famous actresses makes me feel insignificant, like no matter how much makeup I wear or weight I lose, I'll never be beautiful.

As a sort of experiment, 24 year old blogger Sarah Coffman wanted to motivate women and redefine how the media portrays women. Along with a few friends of hers and help from photographer Terence Smalls, each woman was given a Sharpie pen and told to draw on themselves, like a plastic surgeon would, highlighting what they would like to change about themselves.

1. "As women we try to fit inside of 'young enough,' 'thin enough,' 'pretty enough,' 'nice enough,' 'tough enough,' 'able enough,' without ever becoming 'too much,'" claims Coffman.

2. "If you want to be socially acceptable you need to keep yourself inside the lines"

3. "If you look at the cover of any woman’s magazine there’s three main themes: what can you do for men, learn to love yourself, and how to lose 30 pounds in some ridiculously unhealthy amount of time"

4. "How can anyone be okay with these articles? Why do we have to care SO much about what HE thinks?"

5. "Every woman out there has those lines of insecurity, and they continue to grow because we allow them to"

6. "In a few of the photos you can see that the women are actually pointing out each other's 'shortcomings.' That may be a bigger problem than the media"

7. "Part of the reason that media has such a huge impact is because we let it"

8. "Often times you’ll hear women call each other fat or sticks or slutty"

9. "..which not only gives men the permission to treat us the same way we treat each other but it gives permission to the media to treat us that way too"

10. "We are so much more than the bodies we live in..."

11. "That's what true beauty is. Not afraid to be and show yourself for who you really are"

12. "Internalized misogyny is such a huge problem"

13. "There's a trend, it's been a trend for decades, to cram women into a certain ideal that for most people is simply unattainable. That's not fair to young girls"

14. "We live in a society where women are constantly being stripped down and evaluated, without physically being stripped down," Smalls said on his website"

15. Smalls adds: "What does it look like when we actually strip women down and evaluate their physical "shortcomings?"  How insane does it look? How uncomfortable does it make us feel?"

16. Be your true beautiful self

17. Beauty is everywhere

This is so cool

Isn't it amazing to think and know how swimsuits and body shapes have changed over the years? To think back in the early 1900s it was all the rage to cover as much as possible. Now, in the current years, it's all the rage for people to try to and show off as much as possible, not leaving much to the imagination, especially in the vein of showing off as much cleavage as they can. Let's take a look at the evolution of the bathing suit.

1910s

-"The Gibson Girl", referencing Evelyn Nesbitt, known as the world's first supermodel

-This decade was all about tiny waists in corsets, giving the wearer a vaguely Victorian look.

1920s

-"The Flapper"

-This decade was all about smaller busts and waists and highlighting the legs with short dresses

1930s

-"The Serene Siren"

-Hemlines make a dramatic comeback, along with curves

-Dances like the Samba and Rumba come back into action

1940s

-"Miss America"

-With WWII raging on everywhere, some patriotic spirit was in much needed demand. Broad shoulders and padded, pointy bras known as "bullet" and "torpedo" bras became fashionable because they looked like torpedoes or bullets

-Angles and curves are back on top. Screen legend Katharine Hepburn is the inspiration

1950s

-"The Hourglass"

-This figure is all about soft curves that evoke a soft, voluptuous feel

-Think "Leave It to Beaver" in terms of fashion

-Traditionally, the hourglass figure tends to be very beautiful

1960s

-"The Twig". This is a reference to British model Twiggy, who was known for her twig-thin figure

-Narrow hips are in, along with amphetamines becoming available for weight loss and slender hipped figures

1970s

-"The Disco Diva"

-The idea for fashion was tall, slim and slender

1980s

-"The Supermodel"

-Long legs dominated fashion in the 1980s. Sports bras also make their debut, to join in with the jogging and fitness craze

-To quote an Olivia Newton-John song, "Let's get physical"

1990s

-"The Waif", referencing models like Kate Moss

-The idea was apparently to look thin and wasted away, known as "heroin chic". Not exactly glamorous when your bones are peeking through your skin

-Small and thin is in

2000

-"The Buff Babe"

-Muscles and toned up bodies are in. Wearing skimpy tops showing off your stomachs are also in, as popularized by pop queen Britney Spears

2010

-"The Booty Babe"

-We live in a society where junk in the trunk is fashionable. Look at Kim Kardashian, who has so much junk in the trunk she's a freakin' SUV!

-But not everyone looks good with a big booty. This is probably the most UNATTRACTIVE thing ever!

Gene Simmons' daughter Sophie speaks out against body issues

Seems like Sophie has a thing or two to say about fashion. Especially about the idea of "thin being in". The now model and fashion designer and daughter of KISS bass player Gene Simmons is speaking out against body issues.

“I have an idea,” Sophie Tweed-Simmons says when we meet for coffee on the Upper East Side in New York. “How about if I ask strangers on the street if they’d dance with me? I’ve always wanted to do that.”

It’s the first truly cold day in New York this winter. Outside the coffee shop, moms are pushing bundled-up babies, and older couples are strolling even more slowly. Among them, Tweed-Simmons, 22, who’s also an actress and a singer, stands out. She’s wearing what she calls her “pimp coat” — a long, bright floral jacket with a velvet collar that used to belong to her mom, actress and Playboy model Shannon Tweed.

She grabs a doorman. “Would it be OK if I danced with you?” she asks. He looks as psyched as if she’s suggested they run away to Ibiza. He spins her around and dips her before she scurries on, posing in front of a red door, bending over so she can fling her hair in the wind (“There’s always time for a hair flip,” she says.) and holding out her arms like Kate Winslet on the bow of the Titanic to make her pimp coat blow behind her. The whole time she’s smiling.

It makes sense that Tweed-Simmons is a lot of fun. Her dad is known for wearing studded codpieces and platform boots and sticking his tongue out with abandon (He did this long before Miley ever did.). Her mom was 1982’s Playmate of the Year and an erotic-thriller movie star — think KISS’s party anthem “Rock and Roll All Nite” and Cinemax as the building blocks of her childhood. But until recently, Tweed-Simmons wanted nothing to do with stardom. Fashion — in particular, making clothes that fit women who were average sized — is what made her want to use her famous name. “I felt like I really had the chance to give girls confidence with affordable clothing,” she tells Yahoo Style. “If you have a platform, you should use it.”

Being a designer is also a way for her TO work in her own space. “When I’m singing, I’m Gene Simmons’s daughter,” she says. “When I’m acting, I’m Shannon Tweed’s daughter. With fashion, I’m just me. I’m not just ‘daughter of blank.’” “I had avoided being part of the industry for so long,” she says. “I’d say ‘I’m a singer’ and people would be like, ‘Do you sing rock?’ I hated being compared to my family.”

I can’t see many of her “daughter of” counterparts being as honest as she is — Ivanka Trump probably wouldn’t say she hates being compared to her father. Tweed-Simmons says she learned to be so straightforward from her very direct dad (In an infamous interview with NPR’s Terry Gross, Gene Simmons said about his codpiece: “The notion is if you're going to welcome me with open arms, you also have to welcome me with open legs.”). “My dad’s a little crass,” Tweed-Simmons says. “When I was little, I’d think, ‘Can’t you just be nice?’ He taught me that there’s being nice and then there’s lying. It’s better to be blunt and un-liked than shade the truth. I appreciate people who are honest.”

She’s a big-time advocate of body positivity. “I’m not a high-fashion model, and I’m not plus size,” says Tweed-Simmons, who’s 5’8” and fluctuates between sizes 8 to 12. “Which is weird for fashion, but not for life. A lot of designers that I love don’t fit me. I wanted to do cuts that would be flattering to girls who have some shape.” Growing up, she was the same size as her mom (“We shared clothes,” she says.) and had to endure comments about her figure on tabloid covers. “We went on a family vacation, and I was wearing a thong bikini like my favorite celebrity, Sofîa Vergara,” she says, “and someone took my picture. As a 17-year-old girl, I had to see my butt on the cover of The Daily Mail with the headline ‘Gene Simmons plus-size daughter.’ It made the global news circuit. I grew up a chubby kid and into a curvy girl. I was OK with it, but the world wasn’t. I have cellulite, stretch marks, and freckles, and that’s fine with me.”

Heavy Weights

Heavy Weights

Summary
-Gerald 'Gerry' Garner is an 11 year old who lives in Long Island, New York. He's overweight, and his parents, Maury and Mrs. Maury Garner, send him to Camp Hope, a camp for overweight boys. Harvey Bushkin is the kindly owner of the camp, along with his equally kindly wife Alice Bushkin. When they have to file for bankruptcy, the camp is sold and taken over by a crazy, health-obsessed wackjob named Tony Perkis. He intends to get the campers to lose as much weight as possible, so he can use this information in one of his commercials for slimming down. And on top of all that, the annual Apache Relay is coming up, and their rival is Camp MVP

Cast
-David Goldman: Nicholas
-Joseph Wayne Miller: Sam
-Cody Burger: Cody
-Allen Covert: Kenny
-Tim Blake Nelson: Roger Johnson
-Nancy Ringham: Mrs. Maury Garner
-Tom McGowan: Pat Finley
-Aaron Schwartz: Gerald 'Gerry' Garner
-Shaun Weiss: Josh Burnbalm
-Tom Hodges: Lars
-Leah Lail: Julie
-Paul Feig: Tim
-Kenan Thompson: Roy
-Jeffrey Tambor: Maury Garner
-Ben Stiller: Tony Perkis

Did You Know?

Day 8: 8 Things That Annoy You

Wow, this could mean anything. Here are 8 things that annoy me

Drama on Facebook
-Okay, everyone has those people they're friends with that tend to put whatever is on their mind onto Facebook, feeling that everyone should know what they did over the weekend, so on and so forth. But, sometimes it gets out of control, especially with issues like baby drama. Back then, when someone said "I'm pregnant", you were like "Oh my God, congratulations. When are you due? Are you having a boy or girl?" Nowadays, it's like "wow, she's pregnant too? Is there something going around making all these chicks knocked up?" Nobody needs to know about who's got a new baby daddy

Stupid people
-Here's what this means. People who act completely and utterly ignorant. I swear to God there must be a new layer above the Earth, that I call "The Bozone Layer", meaning that is what makes people stupid

Weirdoes talking to me
-For some God forsaken reason, every time I'm out, somehow a weirdo starts talking to me. When I'm waiting for the bus downtown to come home, I have some homeless guy trying to bum money off me. I think "Dude, I don't even have money for myself, and you want ME to give YOU money? No way, Jack!" Either that or I have a homeless woman trying to get me to buy her a hotdog. And it's worse on the bus! When I'm on the bus going to school or going somewhere, a weirdo starts talking to me. I must have a way with people...

Racism/Discrimination
-Well, from the various posts on stereotypes, racism and discrimination I've done over the past years, everyone knows my stand on this topic. I HATE RACISM AND DISCRIMINATION! I don't understand stereotypes; not everyone in England will be snooty and have bad teeth; not everyone of Asian descent owns a laundromat and knows martial arts; not every black person will be on welfare and be a pimp, drug dealer or some kind of criminal; not every Italian is going to be connected to the mob. I hate when people stereotype others

The Twilight Series
-I don't get why people like these movies. Disney/Pixar made a better love movie in the movie Up than that fugly chick Kristen Stewart did in all the Twilight movies. And nothing against that actor who plays the vampire dude, he is not that sexy. Alex O'Loughlin played one sexy vampire on Moonlight, strangely named Mick for some odd reason, Gerard Butler was a sexy Dracula in Dracula 2000.

Football
-I mean American football, by the way, for those who read this that are from Europe :D. I really don't get American football. What's so great about it? A bunch of guys in tight clothes running around trying to get a ball? Not my idea of sports. I may not play them, but I would rather play soccer than anything. The only thing holding me back is my lungs are not very strong. After years of living with my dad, who was a smoker, my lungs are probably as black as Gavin Rossdale's hair or as yellow as the sun, which is not good at all. I get out of breath quickly, even when I'm trying to work out to burn calories

Commercials showing skinny people
-Wow, as if these commercials don't already advertise eating disorders. Do these commercials even realize the effect they are having on young girls? These commercials for diet pills, saying things like "it's great to be thin" or showing women in skin tight clothing who are bone thin, that's not good. That is going to give young girls the idea that if they do not have the perfect body, with perfect boobs or a perfect rear, that if they are not tall, tan, skinny, with perfect hair, that they are nothing. And in order to look like that, they must starve or work out obsessively

Gossip Magazines
-Magazines like OK, People, Entertainment Weekly, etc. They all drive me bonkers because of the garbage they print on the front. They all seem to have the same things anymore. Stories of "he said, she said" arguments of who's cheating who, who got married, who got divorced, who's having a baby, etc. Anymore, it seems like Jennifer Aniston is making the mags cover more than anyone. I'm so glad I don't read them. Most of the time, the mags I read are the same ones my mom reads, Family Circle because they have good articles on different stuff, AllYou because they have healthy food recipes that sound freakin' awesome, and when it does come to entertainment, I'll read Rolling Stone because they always talk about the latest in music and pop culture history.

Stuff My Buddies Post on Facebook

I was inspired to do this post by a fellow blogger called 'SummerBaby'. Who I think is the coolest person ever! She is, from what I've read on her posts, is a student attending the London College of Fashion. Pretty awesome!

And because of her awesome sense in this stuff, I was inspired to post about things my friends post on Facebook

Amanda Ackerson posted this

Adam Hegge posted this about his truck

Jane Hlad, my high school art teacher, posted this

A girl nnamed Ann Papaneri posted this

My high school music teacher Tim Kennedy posted this

Robyn Meyer posted this

Hug Pugs. One of my favorite Facebook pages

Body Issues: Is the Media to Blame?

Eating Disorders

-Refers to a group of conditions that are defined by eating habits that involve either insufficient or excessive food.
-The most common ones are Bulimia Nervosa, Anorexia Nervosa, binge eating. They primarily affect women, approximately 5-10 million in the US. They also affect males, only about 1 million in the US.
-The cause of eating disorders is not really known, but there is medical evidence of it being linked to other stuff. One case study showed that girls with ADHD were at a higher risk for eating disorders than girls without ADHD. Another one shows that girls in foster care are more likely to develop an eating disorder, such as bulimia nervosa.
-And it's also thought that peer pressure and the media are to blame for the high number of eating disorders because the media places high importance on being skinny, being beautiful, being tall, tan and gorgeous. This can send all the wrong signals.
-The consequences of these can be fatal, with death being the likely end to it, or from comorbid(more than 1 disorder present) conditions, such as suicidal thinking.

Clasification
Anorexia Nervosa(AN):
-Characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight, an obsessive fear of gaining weight, and a VERY unrealistic perception of body weight. Anorexia can cause menstrual cycles to stop, and leads to bone loss, loss of skin integrity. It puts great stress on the heart, increasing the risk of heart attacks, and other heart problems. The risk of death is severely increased in people with this disease.


Now tell me: Is this beautiful? Because I think it's hideous!

Bulimia Nervosa(BN):
-Characterized by recurrent binge eating following by behaviors like self induced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives/diuretics, excessive exercise.


This kind of stuff can wear down your teeth's enamel, causing cavities

Binge Eating Disorder(BED):
-Aka compulsive overeating(COE).


This can cause all kinds of health problems, and increased stress on the heart

Purging Disorder:
-Characterized by repeated vomiting to maintain weight

Rumination
-Characterized by involving the repeatedly painless vomiting of food following a meal which is either chewed or discarded

Diabulimia
-Characterized by intentional control of insulin levels by diabetics in an effort to control weight.

Eating disorders not otherwise specified(EDNOS)
-Refers to a number of disorders. In females, it can refer to a woman who suffers from anorexia but still has her period, someone who may be at a healthy weight, but who ahs anorexic thoughts and behaviors.

Pica
-Characterized by compulsive craving for eating, chewing or licking non-food items containing no nutrition. These can include things like chalk, paper, plaster, paint chips, baking soda, starch, glue, rust, ice, coffee grounds, cigarette ashes. The people suffering from this can't distinguish between food and non food items.

Night Eating Syndrome
-Characterized by morning anorexia, evening polyphagia(abnormally increased appetite for food)

Orthorexia nervosa
-Characterized by a person with an obsession with a pure diet to the point where it interferes with everyday activities.

Causes

Biological
Genetic: numerous cases have stated that there is a possible genetic reasoning for eating disorders
Biochemical: eating behavior is a complex process controlled by the hypothalmus-pituary gland in the brain.
-Serotonin: a chemical in the brain that has an inhibitory effect on eating, also involved in depression
-Norepinephrine: hormone and chemical, if it is in high amounts, it can affect eating behavior
-Dopamine: regulates the rewarding feeling of food

Models
See, this is the reason that so many girls have eating disorders. They look up to these models hoping to be as beautiful as them one day, but if they see these women obsessing with skinniness, these girls are going to be under the impression that in order to be liked, you gotta be skinny. BAD IDEA!

Body Issues

I've noticed that over the years, eating disorders are starting to be a big issue. I think the reason for that is the media. They spread this idea that if you don't have perfect boobs, a perfect butt, a perfect body, aren't tall, tan and gorgeous, aren't big and muscular and good looking, that you're nothing. That's not the kind of image that magazines like People, OK, Entertainment, Cosmo, Vogue need to be saying. I mean, yeah, people like reading those magazines to see what's going on in the exciting world of entertainment [sarcasm there, by the way], but they need to realize there are eating disorders out there!

I admit that when I was younger, I was always worried about how people would see me, I'm still worried about how people would see me. When I was younger, I was bullied alot, because of my glasses and my body type. I was always told it was called 'big boned', but my classmates had other terms for it, usually called things like fat a--, bubble butt, thunder thighs, fatso, blimpie, etc. I was also called names because I wear glasses, things like 4 eyes, coke bottles, which is stupid because that's not offensive, it's just a nickname for glasses with really thick lenses, but you certainly don't want to call anyone who wear glasses that, it's mean! But the thing about me now is I lost weight, 26 pounds, woo-hoo! yay me!!!!!!! But I'm also 'big boned', not fat, I'm no skinny mini, but I'm no fatso either. I'm kind of monkey in the middle I guess.

Because when girls and guys get to be teens, they start worrying about how they look so they can attract members of the opposite sex. And if all they worry about is how they look, asking questions like "Am I fat?", they'll never have time for anyone or anything else. It absolutely burns me up to see how some of these magazines glorify skinniness as if it's the new "in thing". It's not glamorous to be rail thin, come on, eww! To be rail thin is disgusting because you can see your bones sticking out through your skin.

And sometimes bullying can lead to eating disorders, mean classmates bullying someone because of their weight can be enough to drive someone into an eating disorder. Quite frankly, I think there needs to be something done about the issue of bullying, and I mean something like, maybe I don't know, something like actually putting a stop to it?

I proudly admit that I've been a bully victim, ever since grade school, people have made it their mission to make my life a living, miserable hell! And it got worse in middle and high school. People would break into my locker and steal things from me, and they would write offensive things on my locker, they would steal from me while I was out of the room and when I came back, they'd deny it, like I was some kind of ignorant dumb-ass or something, and they would insult everything about me. Like in my Art class in 11th grade, my final assignment for that class was to draw a picture of someone that we liked so the teacher could hang them up and remember us all when we moved onto 12th grade and graduated. And so I drew a pic of The Beatles, because in 11th grade I started sort of liking these guys, and when I got up to show my picture, people said "Gay!" Yeah, that's how you say stupid now, can u believe that? People use the term 'gay' to describe stupidity. As far as I'm concerned, it makes them sound all the stupider when they do that!

Bullying

Ah yes, the topic of bullying. It seems to be a growing problem, everywhere you hear about some kid getting bullied for some God forsaken reason. Well, I'm pretty sure everyone might have been bullied at one point in their lives or other, for me, it was since grade school.

Since grade school, I was bullied. I was bullied because of my appearance. You see, I wear glasses alot, mainly because I need them to read and to work on the computer. People would often call me things like 4 eyes, coke bottles, which is actually quite stupid because coke bottles is a nickname for glasses with really thick lenses. People would also call me fatso, thunder thighs, bubble butt, fat a-- and other highly colorful names, mainly because I'm no skinny mini, yet I'm not fat either, I'm sort of in the middle with my body weight. I've actually been losing weight, so they can't call me fat, I just lost like 10 pounds, yay me!

I've also fallen victim to what I call social bullying, things like rumors being started, things being said behind my back, things being written on my locker, people breaking into my locker and stealing things from me, people switching the lock around so I'd be late to class, etc. People would take every opportunity they could get to make me feel useless, like a waste of space, etc, they would insult me at every chance they got, sometimes I felt like committing suicide because of it, but I didn't. That certainly wouldn't help the situation. So I had to just grin and bear the people calling me slut, whore, even though I've never slept with a guy in my life. I'm normally not one to talk about others when I say that half of the girls I went to school with were the REAL whores and sluts. People would often ask me personal questions that I didn't feel comfortable answering.

But, thank God in college people don't bully you. In college, it feels like I died and went to heaven-- no bullying, no making fun of, no insults, yeah! Heaven on earth, I swear! And when I was in high school, there was this one guy who was bound and determined to make my life a miserable hell. He was once my friend, he was once upon a time nice and sweet, until he got older and started acting like a racist bully. Yeah, I said racist. He is. Somehow, with out me saying a thing, he found out that I had a step dad. Yeah, for those who don't know, I have a stepdad, his name is Greg and he's of Italian descent. He's totally awesome. Alot of the stuff he likes I like, and it's kind of sad that I share more in common with him than anyone in my own family. But somehow, this kid found out about him and when I went to my locker to get my stuff to go home one day, I saw Italian racial slurs written all over my locker in bright red magic marker. Normally stuff like this never happened in my small high school, this was like a first. But, yeah, he wrote Italian racial slurs on my locker. I almost knocked his lights out for that, but violence is not the answer. I simply went to the assistant principal and asked him about what to do. Later on, he called the guy in and gave him like a month of detention. Serves him right! This may sound more like something racial related, but you don't mess around with my family. When you do something like this, it's racial bullying and I don't like it!

Body Issues!

Yes, the title says it all. Yes, everyone probably has one part of their body that they are not fond of, for me, it's my entire body. I was completely inspired by Lisa's blog to chat about issues with image. I have noticed that when celebs get on TV, they talk about how "good" and "nice" their life is, it must be nice to have a good life when you have the money for it. What about the NORMAL people who have to get up every day and work a 9-5 job, worry about paying bills, making car payments, putting food on the table and supporting a family? You certainly don't see any of those celebs worrying about that, everything seems to come to them on a silver platter, whereas when it comes to me, everything comes on a plastic party tray platter.

I also noticed that on some of these diet pill commercials, they spread the idea that it's great to be thin, totally not right. There's this one commercial for a diet pill called Xanax 3, the motto is "It's great to be thin", that's going to send all the wrong signals. On the commercial you see this man and woman practically all over each other, practically having sex right there on TV, and it almost says you have to look like this to be loved.

The reason all these kids have eating disorders is because of these celebs getting on TV and almost coming out and saying how great it is to be thin. They spread this idea that if you don't have perfect boobs, a perfect butt or perfect bod, if you're not tall, tan , or gorgeous, you're nothing. I battled alot of body issues in high school, like people calling me fat a--, fatso, Casper the ghost because of my fair complexion, four eyes, you name it, kids in high school can be so cruel. But I never did anything because I figure karma will pay them back. What comes around goes around.

And what is sort of sad is that all these musicians and actors/actresses get look great because they have the money for it. If any non-celeb people want to lose weight, they do it the old fashioned way: going to a gym, exercise, eat right. It must be nice to have money and do what you please with it. Some of these celebs are in better shape than me, the only thing holding me back is my asthma. I'm told I'm not fat, that I'm just big boned, hard to know what that actually means.

But in high school, kids have eating disorders because they see these famous people looking thin as a rail and they are almost praised for it. Since when is it glamorous to look like a freakin' rail? Some celebs need to watch what they say/do. Because in high school, girls and guys worry about how they look so they can go on dates, but if they constantly worry about how they look, they won't have time for anyone else because they are so consumed with looking good. Sorry if it sounds like a rant, but I feel my opinion needs to be heard.

Pop culture/news

I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed, but does it seem like the media makes it out to seem that if you don't possess perfect boobs, a perfect bod, aren't tall, tan and gorgeous, that you're nothing? I do really hate this image that the media sends out. It's no wonder that so many young girls fall victim to eating disorders, like Anorexia nervosa or Bulimia nervosa. I mean, when girls get to be teens, they start worrying about their looks, they start worrying about attracting members of the opposite sex. But when they are constantly thinking "am I fat?" or " am I too ugly?", that's when they discover there's no room in their life for anyone else because they are convinced their not perfect.

That's when those eating disorders start setting in. I don't hope to sound like some raving moron airhead, but that's my opinion. I mean, in high school, so many girls are worried about peer pressure, rumors, bullying, it's sad! You got girls in high school pressuring girls and guys to have sexual intercourse at a young age, young girls dressing practically borderline prostitutes, teens getting pressured to try drugs/alcohol, it's sad! The media almost makes people grow up too fast. If people take a second to stop and notice, there are more teen moms coming out now than a few years ago. In fact, there were quite a few teen moms at my high school graduation. And I watch the news, and I hear about these moms out there leaving their kids in the car while they go in and rob places or leaving their kids in the car while they get their hair done and if it's hot out, the kids die of heat exhaustion. Did you hear about the mom who videotaped her kid smoking dope? I saw it on the news last night and I thought to myself, pardon my French, " What the h--- are you thinking, you stupid moron?" They showed her on the news and she was bawling! Yeah, she's crying only because she was caught!

That's one thing I don't like, it's when parents do bad things to their kids, I just don't like seeing bad things happening to good people. Another thing I don't like is when people are racist to one another, I may sound like some ranting person, but I feel my opinion needs to be heard. I'm growing quite tired of hearing about how people commit hate crimes and don't like people because of their skin color, race, gender, etc. It's not 1950's anymore! It's 2010! I recently visited some relatives in southern Kentucky, in a small town called Cynthiana, it's right outside of Falmouth. My uncle Justin, uncle Jeffrey, uncle Brud(Don't ask!), my aunt Lisa, my aunt Lois, aunt Robin all live down there! We went down there and I didn't think they would say anything because I had worn a t-shirt that said 'Italian fest, Newport, Ky' down there and the second they saw it, they started in on the insults. I'm sorry if I seem angry at this, it's just I was raised not to care about the color of skin or race. They started insulting Italians, Asians, Latinos, everybody, they didn't hold back on anyone. I just sat there, afraid to say anything, and my aunt Patty, don't even get me started!

You see, you have to realize that these relatives are pure country folks and that's supposedly their opinion. They had a radio playing out there and on the radio comes "Bailamos" by Enrique Iglesias, and I said I liked the song, they turned onto another station! How freakin ridiculous is that? Anymore, I hate going down there, I delightfully call it the 'Deliverance Family Reunion'. It may sound cruel, but they are my dad's family and I don't like them, I get so angry when they start badmouthing people. They start saying stuff like" Why do we have to learn how to speak Spanish? This is America, speak English!" Guess what I did? I didn't do anything bad, more funny than anything, I started speaking Spanish, but then my aunt gave me a dirty look and I had to sit there like I committed murder or something, most of the time when I visit them, my stupid aunt never shuts up! And P.S. If Mrs. Thomas is reading this, Hello, how are you today on this good day? Are you doing good? Are you having a good day?

And another thing: What is the big deal with this 'Jersey Shore' fad? All that show is about is a bunch of Italian teens growing up in Seaside Heights, NJ. If I'm going to watch anything out of Jersey, it'll be Cake Boss or The Sopranos. Either way, on either show, I have a favorite: on Cake Boss, my favorites are Joey, Buddy's brother, or Remy, his cousin. On The Sopranos, my 2 favorites are Silvio Dante, because the guy that plays him is Stevie Van Zandt, Bruce Springsteen's guitarist, and Michael Imperioli, aka Christopher Moltisanti, his character. He's my favorite because he is cute! But sorry this blog is long, I just see alot of injustices in the world and feel they need to be known and see if anyone else out in this big world agrees.