Did you hear about that Ralph Lauren model who was allegedly fired for getting too fat (bla bla bla ... it's a dog bites man story).
The important point is this. Some people are screaming about it. They can't stand that many men are attracted to slim women and many women like to be as slim as they can to attract those men.
Until the day we all become cyborgs, that's likely to continue.
OK... so far I am fine with it. You have a right to like or dislike anything you want for whatever reason you want.
But where it gets nasty is when they start calling for legislation to try to legislate peoples' natural preferences. They do this in Europe -- the socialist wet-dream world of American liberals. They actually have laws about what you can and cannot put on a magazine cover. If the model looks too thin, you go to jail. That's the compassionate hand of liberalism/socialism at work.
As their justification they point to women who have behavioral eating disorders like anorexia. It's a good enough excuse to infringe on freedom of speech for a public that has been lobotomized by the fog of socialism.
And make no mistake. Liberals in this country are using the same tactics -- using thinly veiled excuses to impose their repressive socialist agendas on the public -- to enact legislation that is designed to take away YOUR liberties.
The patient is anesthetized here. There is still time to stop the lobotomy, but it is underway as you read this.
Returning to this specific example, I have but one question.
Obesity is the number one health problem in America today.
If the thought police are right, and viewing images leads to behavioral changes, wouldn't banning pictures of fat people do a lot more good for our society than banning pictures of thin ones?
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| Ban Pictures Of Fat People? |
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Tiramisu4u
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Oct 14 @ 9:15PM
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The problem is...in the modeling world, someone that is 5' 8" and 110 lbs is considered *fat* if, God Forbid, she gains 15 lbs and becomes a bulbulous 125 lbs!!
This had nothing to do with being *obese*!!!! 
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DiamondRain
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Oct 14 @ 9:24PM
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OK, but whose business is that but hers and the people who hire her?
Obviously that is what their readers want to look at. That's why it sells.
She benefits, the magazine benefits and their readers benefit.
So why is it a "problem?"
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BionicCouple
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Oct 14 @ 9:34PM
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> The article < ... For those who might not have read it (and assuming this comment is approved).
The number one health problem in America is obesity combined with undernourishment mainly due to the terrible choice of reasonably priced food. It stands to reason those on a low income will only buy what they can afford and it doesn't take a huge amount of food to cause obesity, just the wrong kind.
I was appalled by the amount of fat and sugar in just about everything on the supermarket shelves when I visited the States. Fresh fruit and vegetables were ridiculously expensive and it was almost impossible to get a decent nutritious meal anywhere unless you could afford to pay top dollar.
In my opinion, it's not about people gorging because they don't care about themselves it's lack of choice. The fast food chains have a lot to answer for, they're cheap and constantly advertised on TV. When it's a choice between putting nutritious food on the table and making the money go further there's virtually no choice. Of course I only have experienced one State but presumably the obesity problem is everywhere.
I'm lucky I live in a country where we have a lot more choice in our supermarkets, it's possible to feed a whole family relatively cheaply and easily and even the main supermarket advertisements encourage this.
I'm also lucky to live in a country which accepts the average size of a normal, healthy woman is a 14, a 12 in America!
> Example < ... She doesn't look "fat" to me
What is more important is women have personalities ... they're not just about the packaging ... or perhaps these men you refer to aren't interested in that. Her figure might get the hormones racing but what happens after that? What if she's as boring as hell, high maintenance or a complete nag? I expect the hormones will be running for the hills then.
I accept initial attraction can stem from looks alone but it's also possible to find ourselves attracted to someone we thought would never be our physical ideal (whether large or skinny) simply through actually getting to know them.
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beckyiv42000
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Oct 14 @ 9:38PM
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The problem people are seeing is that they photoshopped her pic to make her look skeletal and promoted that as a role model .. in this country where little girls are force fed with these types of pics in the media of an ideal that can only be obtained through starvation , I agree that promoting that kind of role model is insane...and has caused a multitude of eating disorders ranging from bulimia to anorexia to binge causing obesity because the ideal portrayed in those photoshopped pictures is unobtainable .. what ever happened to the role model being a healthy looking being?? Marylin ..Sophia.. Tina Louise.. Dawn Wells.. all healthy and downright sexy without being overly thin...and how about not overly muscular men with the bulgin veins etc that were still able to make a womans heart race??? Ron Ely...Errol Flynn...Clark Gable.. all handsome men manly men that could still tie their own shoes because their muscles did not prevent them from doing so.. Yes the designer has a right to fire her because she doesnt fit into his clothes... but to call her obese or even fat?? Ludicrous!!
JMHO tho
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Tiramisu4u
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Oct 14 @ 9:45PM
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Like I replied...and this is just my opinion, it becomes a problem, when the modeling industry refers to a still slender woman, *just not emaciated as before*, as being fat, instead of just firing her because she did not stick to the weight requirements the agency had when they hired her.
We have young women in the world, who feel they are fat if they are 5 lbs over what society says is *proper* for their height...and then we have a problem.
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tentfire
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Oct 14 @ 10:58PM
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DiamondRain
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Oct 14 @ 11:01PM
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Obesity is a behavioral problem. It's one major health problem that is avoidable. I don't accept that it is the fault of "the restaurants," or the "supermarkets."
I have been so poor I was homeless, and I never weighed more than I did when I was in high school. I chose what went into my mouth wisely as I still do today.
Body weight is controlled by a simple law of physics. If you take in more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. According to what I learned in school, the laws of physics apply equally to both the rich and the poor.
No one puts a gun to anyone's head and makes them eat. If you don't put the food in your mouth, you don't gain weight.
There are no excuses. Unless you are being fed intravenously, if you are overweight, it is the result of your own behavior.
I don't believe it does a service to those who struggle to behave in a way that keeps them from being obese to provide convenient excuses and reasons why they should focus on anything other than the true cause of their problem -- their own behavior.
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DiamondRain
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Oct 14 @ 11:06PM
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I can confidently guarantee you that Ralph Lauren did not refer to her as "fat" at any time.
If you want to play football, you have to put on a lot of weight. If you want to play model you have to lose it.
She apparently no longer made the cut. No one complains when they let a football player go for not gaining enough weight. It happens all the time.
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DiamondRain
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Oct 14 @ 11:15PM
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BTW
tentfire's thumbs up above was about MY comments.
The reason I know this is that the comments made by others were not yet posted before she posted that. So she could not have read them before her post.
I am clarifying this for HER benefit so it is clear what she is and is not agreeing with.
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Tiramisu4u
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Oct 14 @ 11:18PM
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I read the article...at 5' 10" and 120 lbs, it still says a lot that she was *released*
because se went over their weight requirements. WTH???  She seems to be doing quite well
at her present weight, as the other European Mags have her on their covers.
An extremely beautiful woman, and so much more healthy looking than before. 
*Not referring to the photoshopped pic that was posted with her looking like death
warmed over*
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DiamondRain
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Oct 14 @ 11:31PM
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How she looks is an opinion. To one person she may be beautiful, to another ugly. To one thin and to one fat.
There is no right or wrong when it comes to opinions. Everyone is entitled to one.
But what I object to is when someone else tries to force me to do something, or prevent me from doing something because it doesn't conform to THEIR opinion.
That is where I draw the line.
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Tiramisu4u
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Oct 14 @ 11:48PM
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Now That statement I am in complete agreement with..go figure... 
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lovestobake
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Oct 14 @ 11:53PM
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Bionic, don't have to take my word for it, but; it is so, I can eat very healthy for 35$ a week. Some people take the easy lazy way out. A young lady did it, can't recall, google it.
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DiamondRain
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Oct 15 @ 12:01AM
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There is no poverty in America. Our poorest people are rich compared to the poor in many other countries.
This seems to be the only country where the "poor" people are fat.
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Sternfan69
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Oct 15 @ 5:40AM
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The problem people are seeing is that they photoshopped her pic to make her look skeletal and promoted that as a role model .. in this country where little girls are force fed with these types of pics in the media of an ideal that can only be obtained through starvation
so using this logic,,if i was to force feed them pictures of lemmings jumping off a bridge into a lake,,
then little girls all over the country would be diving into the nearest lake?
are they that stupid?
i think this is the more important question here,,,because you see something on television or in a magazine,,are you are so incapable of thinking for your self that in a robotic fashion you mimic all you see and base your life on some "model" you see instead of forming your own thoughts and ideas and attempting to live the best life you can based on your own strengths and weaknesses.
that's amazing to me and i have heard this reasoning before,,it is always someone else's fault ,,when the truth is,,,the fault lies with the person who is not intelligent enough to realize that those images you see on television are just trying to sell you clothes,,or make-up,,or perfume or whatever the product may be,,,
your not suppose to live your life trying to be the mannequin modeling the stuff,,,jeez,,,
be happy with yourself! stop letting yourself be so easily influenced!
ahhhhh wishful thinking on my part,,,,the stepford wives was actually a documentary,,,who am i kidding:)
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CHARLIgurl1
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Oct 15 @ 4:23PM
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The problem nowadays with fat kids in particular is that many now find their pastime with video games rather than sports, whilst munching on chips etc.
By banning pictures of overweight people one could actually make these people feel more self concious about themselves and therefore begin to comfort eat and so the cycle continues.
It is true that some suffer from eating disorders and its not always about being thin, some overeat because of mental issues and dont even realise it.
Education of healthy eating is very poor, its amazing the number of people who have limited ideas of health food and general well being.
By some saying that people should get more exercise, this is easier than said for kids whose social structures are round afore said video games etc,
Its about cycles and social structures, both of which need to be changed/broken for people to be able to eat more healthily and gain more exercise.
Also not everyone's metabolisms are the same.
My friend can eat what she wants and when she wants and stays stick thin, I on the other hand have to be on a continual vigil of my weight.
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nnyrocksmysocks
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Oct 15 @ 4:49PM
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DiamondRain, I agreed with you until you got to the liberal bashing crap...I'm liberal, and I don't think anyone should legislate free speech...but whatever.
The problem is...in the modeling world, someone that is 5' 8" and 110 lbs is considered *fat* if, God Forbid, she gains 15 lbs and becomes a bulbulous 125 lbs!!
People don't seem to get that modeling has nothing to do with looking really really thin...it has to do with being a very tall size 2. It's as simple as that. If you don't fit a size 2 anymore, then you get fired, because then you cease to fit the sample sizes for fashion shows and shoots. Models come into the business knowing full well that if they don't fit the clothes, employers will find a girl who does instead of making new sample sizes. It's a business like any other...you meet the requirements for your job, or you get fired. There is a perfectly legitimate reason for it.
And btw, if that size 2 weren't appealing to people, then we would not see it in magazines. That is the body type that sells right now. It's that simple.
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DiamondRain
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Oct 15 @ 4:57PM
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Yes, some people naturally metabolize food more rapidly than others. This is true. Two people can eat the same number of calories, do the same exercises, and one can gain weight while the other does not.
But again, the answer is behavioral. If you don't want the significantly higher risk of health problems associated with being overweight, or you just want to be thinner for the aesthetic appeal, it's up to you to know enough about your own body to limit your food intake and increase your physical activity to an extent that you end up maintaining a healthy weight.
What I can't stand is all the excuses and politically correct platitudes about this subject. It is a purely behavioral issue, subject to, and in the control of the behavior of the person involved.
I hate saying this because some people interpret it as some kind of apology for my view on this subject (which it is not). But I understand that some people have a very difficult time controlling their behavior. Some people are addicted to drugs, some alcohol, some gambling, some eating excessively and some other things. I also understand that eating too much obsessively has it's own unique problems involved. Nothing I have ever said means that I don't have compassion for people who struggle with behavioral problems of any kind including being overweight.
My view is that brutal honesty and education is the most compassionate form of support. I think that making excuses for problems that are the result of someone's own behavior and blaming it on anything other than their own behavior makes their problem worse and not better.
I agree, education is an important part of the process. I also agree that many people simply don't seem to know enough about nutrition and exercise. Again, that is a result of their behavior. It's up to them to learn.
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beckyiv42000
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Oct 15 @ 5:49PM
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In reply to Sternfans post (sorry Diamond for highjacking your blog)
are they that stupid?
No... just THAT impressionable.. I was speaking of little girls as young as 4 being told that they are FAT and that the BRATZ DOLL physique is the way to be .. and it continues into elementary school and middle school and by then a pattern can be seen .. its called peer pressure... but Im sure ...that at say ,11 years old you had enough self esteem and were mature enough to ignore if someone called you a vile name huh?? Or if they harassed you as you ate or participated in PE?? HOW about if you had to CHANGE for PE?? Eating disorders can be brought about by numerous factors but if the medias ideal was not a size 2 but a healthy size say 7 would not the children change their goals?? From a shapely Barbie doll to a distorted Bratz Doll 
As an ADULT .. yes I can make my own choices .. but as a child we all try to FIT IN.. to be liked .. or even loved at any cost... even death at times 
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DiamondRain
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Oct 15 @ 6:23PM
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DiamondRain, I agreed with you until you got to the liberal bashing crap...I'm liberal, and I don't think anyone should legislate free speech...but whatever.
I consider myself to be a conservative libertarian. But that doesn't mean that I subscribe to every part of either the conservative or libertarian ideology.
As a liberal, you may or may not subscribe to this part of liberal ideology, but the ideology involved here is most certainly liberal "it takes a village," thinking.
It is not only part of liberal ideology, but indeed a central theme of liberal ideology to point the finger at others rather than at an individual for their own behavioral issues.
It's society's fault, it's their parent's fault, it's rich people's fault, it's big business' fault: these are all common excuses for diverting the blame from the individual involved to something (anything) else, whether it is based on reason and fact or not. In liberal ideology, the responsibility of the individual is deemphasized and transferred to something or someone else. And in this case, the blame for body image problems is transferred to advertisers, publishers and the media. That's liberal thinking.
This is certainly not conservative or libertarian thinking. It is the opposite of that.
So while you may not agree with this particular aspect of liberalism, it is in fact squarely in the realm of liberal ideology.
Maybe you're actually a closet conservative. It's OK to come out of the closet... we won't bite ... really. 
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Loren62
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Oct 15 @ 7:26PM
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And btw, if that size 2 weren't appealing to people, then we would not see it in magazines. That is the body type that sells right now. It's that simple.
Yeah...words of wisdom from a 5'8 100 lb Lib that looks like she hugs the toilet every evening with her finger down her throat! The thinly emaciated starving look is the problem here. This look is disgusting and creates many problems with younger girls that feel they need to look this way also....
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LipGlossQueen9
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Oct 15 @ 8:24PM
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Obesity is the number one health problem in America today.
I'm sorry, but this is an unfair thing to say.
Whether health problems are CAUSED by obesity, I don't know, but some obese people have health problems. Diabetes, high cholesterol/high blood pressure, etc...but to say obesity itself is a "health problem" is unfair. I have been morbidly obese myself, and even then I had ridiculously good cholesterol. My blood pressure was always pretty good. Yes I was out of shape and would get winded when walking, but that was curable. I never really got chest pains or anything either. Keep in mind, a 4'10" body carrying 200 pounds is the equivalent of you carrying 400. I was relatively healthy while carrying that much weight, I just didn't LOOK my best.
However, I was never single for long...and even you used to compliment my looks when I was that heavy....
I get why models are fired for gaining weight. You are wrong. It's not because it's "what people want to look at". Their targets are women, not men, at least in fashion magazines. The women in men's magazines are usually thicker than the ones in fashion magazines. Women complain a lot about the size of models. Models are so thin because of the sample sizes of the clothes that are made. Read the one girl's blog....she just wrote it. She's a model. She'd know better than you would, honestly....
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DiamondRain
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Oct 15 @ 8:37PM
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I don't know if I agree or disagree with most of what you said.
I'll expand and clarify my phrase on obesity. Maybe that will align our thinking.
Obesity is the number one leading cause of health problems in America today.
How's that?
Regarding thin models not being what people want to look at...
I don't know about that one. They could make samples in any size they want. Obviously it's not what EVERYONE wants to look at. But judging by the number of skinny models publishers and advertisers choose to print, I'd say that they think it's what many if not most people want to look at. And since they spend millions studying things like that, I'd say it's pretty convincing.
Publishers want to sell magazines. They put things on the cover to try to attract people to look inside and promote sales. So if they put thin models on the cover, they clearly think that their target customers want to look at that.
If you had say, a plus size magazine, they might want to put a plus size model on the cover because that is what their customers want to look at.
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LipGlossQueen9
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Oct 15 @ 8:42PM
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Actually, they make the sample sizes that size because they want to use as little fabric as possible in case the designs are a flop =) They only use more fabric unless it's a plus size campaign.
And if you look at runway models....they're really not that pretty or sexy, because they're not supposed to be. Print models, though, yes....they are made to be more attractive. I wasn't talking about attractiveness though, I was talking about why they have to be the sizes they have to be, which if you read the young lady's blog I referred you to (who is a model, as I said), she will agree with.
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Fr8rain
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Oct 15 @ 9:24PM
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Hmm. Let's see. We ban pictures of people that in our opinion are too "skinny", too "fat", too "blond", too "dumb" too something or other.
If someone's children are swayed by a magazine picture then the parents haven't done their job by instilling self-worth into the child.
Once you let the government take over freedom of speech you might as well shut up as you won't be "allowed" to say anything and whatever is in magazines, on TV, in books and on the internet will be government propaganda of what they want you to think and how you're supposed to act.
Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder whether it be a magazine cover, a book, someone's backyard or the paint on your car.
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beckyiv42000
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Oct 15 @ 10:15PM
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If someone's children are swayed by a magazine picture then the parents haven't done their job by instilling self-worth into the child. Says the person who has no children.. 
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