Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:they look like they are in their thirties, complete with muffin tops, cankles, saddle bags, potbellies.
When I was young, teens had flat stomachs and cute hips. We looked good in tight jeans and bikinis.
These poor kids aren't even going through that phase of having a nice figure. They go straight from tween years to chubby.
I thought that everyone could remember a time when they blossomed and looked great.

completely agree OP. I know you're being hung out to dry for your comment, but its the truth. FWIW, they also know its the truth but political correctness being what it is....

Unfortunately, it is the truth. But I'd add that teenage boys are pretty chubby too - it's not just the girls.

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that kids don't play outside much anymore. Parents are too afraid to let their kids go outside by themselves and play like they did back in the 70s/80s.

Also, the unbelievable amount of junk food which kids seem to eat these days.

It's sad for those kids. And this is not fat-shaming - just a fact that if you start out obese in childhood your health prospects later in life are not good.

Oh goody, another thread about the bodies of teenage girls. That subject doesn't get enough attention.

(I am not being sincere.)

We used to not see chubby brides either 20 years ago. Brides looked like young girls, now they look like mom of two!

As a pp noted - plastics, environmental pollution, chemicals in our food sources, junk foods and artificial foods - all of these things are harming our kids.

I agree. I have noticed this for a few years. I am 46 and very few girls in my high school class were overweight. Now, I look around and see so many chubby and fat gals and they dress like they look great. I am sort of shocked. If I was a size 14 plus in high school, I would not be wearing the tiny clothes they are wearing. I was petite in high school and so were all my friends. We didn't try to stay thin; we never even discussed it. Everyone was just normal or thin.

Anonymous wrote:they look like they are in their thirties, complete with muffin tops, cankles, saddle bags, potbellies.
When I was young, teens had flat stomachs and cute hips. We looked good in tight jeans and bikinis.
These poor kids aren't even going through that phase of having a nice figure. They go straight from tween years to chubby.
I thought that everyone could remember a time when they blossomed and looked great.

completely agree OP. I know you're being hung out to dry for your comment, but its the truth. FWIW, they also know its the truth but political correctness being what it is....

Unfortunately, what you are saying is true. Since my DD started HS she has ballooned because of lack of exercise.

She eats fairly healthy, but the lack of exercise (she is not sporty at all), the chronic lack of sleep and the stress that competitive HS in DMV area brings- has meant that she now has a belly and muffin top. She needs to lose at least 15 pounds, and I really do not know where to start!

Anonymous wrote:DC museums are full of chubby teens during summer break.Sorry, but it was hard to not notice them.

Insane discussion topic but it's true. It's the problem Of affluence and over eating, stuck with computers and indoor activity. Just heard two teenage girls yesterday complaining how hard it is to walk the a 1/2mile mall stretch downtown??!! And how they wish they could have their mother drive them!!!

OP is correct. And it is a shame. A lot of girls just sit too much now cramming for tests and doing homework. Schools keep cutting back on physical education. All time is spent prepping for those SATs and ACTs. I looked at a recent photo of the graduating class in my SLAC. Most of the girls were obese to morbidly obese.

It's the plastics, the chemicals, the endocrine disruptors.

Teenage bodies are not exhibits for public consumption! This is insane.

DC museums are full of chubby teens during summer break.Sorry, but it was hard to not notice them.

Seriously new low. DD - who is 12 - and all her friends are bigger than I was at their age ... taller and heavier, but so gorgeous. The size is athletic - they are all really good athletes. No Twiggies (thank goodness, because that is such a grotesque look, particularly as women age - they start looking skeletal, wrinkly and just blech). I am happy that the new generation is comfortable in their skin and in strong, muscular, athletic bodies.

I cannot believe this is an actual top being discussed. New low people. New low.

I think it is due to an increase in convenience/processed foods and decrease in activity.

However I teach high schoolers and the eating disorders are still very much alive and well. Totally agree with PP who said these girls are faced with way more pressure than we ever were.

Really? My DD goes to an all-girls school and the vast majority of girls I see look fantastic - and they're certainly more confident in their bodies than I ever was at that age.

And yes, a quick run through a teenage girl's Instagram during the summer is like looking at a bikini catalog!