What's so bad about bad self esteem?

I'm reposting this from a blog that is now defunct. It was posted about a year ago.

I was listening to a segment on NPR today titled "51% - The Women's Perspective," in which a group of new-age feminists discussed the problem of negative body image in America and contributing factors. The conversation focused primarily on anorexia and bulimia, punctuated with brief comments about obesity and emotional eating. As usual, the target of this discussion was none other than the usual suspect: American Culture vis-a-vis the media. The conclusion of these forums tends to be the same: we are thin because the media tells us to be thin, and we are fat because we over eat to compensate for our lack of self esteem as a result of those same media images.

This debate was happening even before my formative years, so I wonder why we haven't gotten in right by now. Moreover, I wonder if there is really anything wrong with our body image, and whether the problem stems more from our obsessive nature and inability to moderate. If there is any problem with American Culture, it is that we are more comfortable with extremes than the median. Limiting our food intake is only part of the problem. How much are we limiting the affect we let the media have on us? When do we just say "no" to the Twinkies AND the television, and say yes to a lifestyle dictated not by what we see, but our own personal health situations and feelings about our bodies?

Personally, I do not see a problem with a society that values trimness over adiposity. If one believes that culture is a venue through which we are able to execute biological necessities (among other things), it is understandable that we favor images of thinness. If the fattest among us tend to die younger from excessive weight-induced illnesses, does it not stand to reason that we will value the opposite trend? Close to two-thirds of our nation's population is obese. Programs like "51%" would have you believe that we are a nation of anorexic media-philes, pasting pictures of Calista Flockhart to our refrigerators. I believe that we are a nation too afraid to look in the mirror, that would instead jump to one extreme or another to avoid being responsible, normal human beings.

The solution? If I had one, I would surely write a book like some of the loudmouth women on "51%."

Sorry, I'm only kind of here right now

There are only a few moments in my day when I'm 100% available to the next person or thing that grabs my attention. For the most part, I'm either in the middle of working, pondering something I've been working on, absorbed in whatever music I'm listening to, or distracted by a personal issue. It is rare to get all of me at any given moment. I would argue that the same is true of many of us, and yet we still have a mindset that we should be available even when we're not.

Case in point: today while I was in the ladies room, I heard the phone of the person in the stall next to me ring. It rang about two times before she picked it up and said "Hello? Who is this? Oh hi! You could not have caught me at a worse time. I'm in the bathroom. Let me call you right back!" Why on earth did she answer her phone in the first place? We've developed these really advanced technologies called "voicemail" and "caller ID" that allow us to not only see who called us while we were busy, but figure out if we want to talk to them in the first place! It's brilliant!

The worst offenders are the people I call (I work in telesales) who pick up, ask who is calling, and say "You've caught me at a really bad time. I'm in a meeting right now!" First of all, either you're lying to me or you're extremely rude. I have a hard time believing that you would bother answering a call while you're in the middle of an important meeting, never mind that you would do so in front of your colleagues, or run out of the room to answer a call from an unknown number.

Do we think others will judge us if we don't make an attempt to be receptive at all times? I wonder. What are your thoughts, readers?