Maggie Goes on a Diet... but why?

By Sarine Gulerian

Something in society needs to change when children’s books begin to convey the message that being skinny will bring you happiness and popularity.

According to the Indigo and Chapters website, the recommended audience for this book is six to 12, but it’s going to be hard to convince mothers to buy such a book for their children.

The book, titled Maggie Goes on a Diet, by Paul Kramer, will be in stores on Oct. 16.

The book is about Maggie, an overweight and insecure 14-year-old girl who goes on a diet and becomes the school’s soccer star. Of course, the title says it all, but the description on the Chapters website makes the book a bit easier to swallow. They wrote, “through time, exercise and hard work, Maggie becomes more and more confident and develops a positive self image.”

But most aren’t buying the sugarcoated description.

This book has sparked controversy all across Britain, Canada and the United States, but the most offended are mommy bloggers.

The mommy blogs are in an uproar and agree that this book is outrageous.

“It makes me sad that this book is being published. I can understand why mommy bloggers world wide have jumped on it. Our job is to protect our children and teach them not only right from wrong but how to feel better about themselves. Maggie Goes on a Diet does not convey that message, but rather caters to the notion that looking good on the outside will solve the problems we all face (with self-esteem) on the inside which just isn’t true and is an unhealthy message to send. I guess I’ll just come out and say it Paul you should be ashamed of yourself,” said Jodi Shaw in her article on rantsandrascals.com.

Its message may include hard work and exercise, but it’s not okay to send children, particularly girls, the message that dieting and being skinny will automatically help you make friends and help you become a star. Because it won’t.

Most women have a hard enough time after the age of 14 worrying about their calorie count and how many carbs they consume.

In an interview during ABC’s Good Morning America, Kramer argued that his intentions have been misinterpreted. “My intentions were just to write a story, to entice and to have children feel better about themselves, discover a new way of eating, learn to do exercise,” he said.

But instead of diets, we should be encouraging healthy eating habits, and our target audience shouldn’t be six to 12 year olds, it should be the parents who pack their children’s lunches and make them their dinner.

The book’s message may have been misinterpreted, but if Kramer wants any good parent to buy this book for their children, he’s going to have to make some changes, including the title. He also needs to eliminate of message that being skinny bring friends and fame.

Which means that, really, it’s not children who need to go on a diet and change their image, it’s the book, because according to its message, that’s the only way to find popularity.