I turned the page of Sunday’s (7/24/2011) New York Times and almost couldn’t believe what I was reading. An ad for New York Sports Clubs (of which I am a member) that screamed: your sexual orientation can’t stop you from getting married but your body can.
Yes, it was the first day that gay couples could marry legally in New York State. That is something to shout about! But to suggest that the way your body looks could make you undesirable and/or unworthy of marriage is a terrible message to send to millions of people.
Individuals who suffer from body image issues and eating disorders already feel trapped by their beliefs. The ad published by New York Sports Clubs perpetuates their low self-esteem and says, “If you don’t have a great body you aren’t lovable.” I remember feeling that way when many of my friends were getting married and I was single. However ridiculous the thought might have seemed to others, I wondered if it was because I wasn’t “skinny enough” to find the “right” guy.
I submitted a comment to Town Sports International /New York Sports in the Contact Us section of its website. Recently, Yoplait stopped airing a commercial after the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) contacted General Mills about a commercial that was suggestive of thoughts and habits associated with disordered eating. Tom Forsythe, VP of Corporate Communications for General Mills, explained that the company didn’t see the ad in the way it was taken by NEDA and those who had complained, but out of concern for the population that is challenged with eating disorders the company decided to stop running the ad.
As a New Yorker, I am very happy that, finally, individuals in love, regardless of their sexual orientation, can get married legally. However, I don’t want to celebrate that at the expense of others who are suffering because of unreasonable societal standards.
