'I Was So Ashamed'

[Naomi Hirahara]

I was channel-surfing last night and watched a host on one of those entertainment TV magazines (I think it was ET) talk about her tummy tuck that her plastic surgeon husband had done on her. She's a mother of two and had a slight tummy roll (yes, they shot it on camera). The program had some gratuitous "after" shots of her proudly baring her now flat midriff. She then expresses that she is so happy, that she was "so ashamed" before. Ashamed? What does having a slightly poofy belly after giving birth to two children a shameful experience? Heck, I haven't ever given birth and my stomach looked a lot like her "before" shots!

It makes me sad that young women are watching these shows and thinking that silly physical stuff like that is worth feeling shameful. What about developing our minds, our creativity, our compassion? TV segments like this remind me that we haven't come that far, baby. Sometimes I hate L.A.