How do we help kids and teens when social media is fueling a resurgence of body image issues and eating disorders? In this special conversation, Lia’s daughter, Julia Parzyck shares her personal and professional journey navigating the tumultuous landscape of body acceptance in a world obsessed with appearance. The episode explores the influence of social media platforms, like TikTok and Instagram, and the impact they have on pediatric mental health and body positivity. Listeners will discover practical parenting strategies rooted in empathy, compassion, and my own past mistakes. Body acceptance is an ongoing journey, not a destination. Are we ready to support the next generation in building resilience against the ever-present pressures of body image issues?

[00:01 - 06:22]  The Shifting Landscape of Body Image and Social Media

• Explores how diet culture and body expectations have worsened for teenagers in the age of TikTok and “skinny talk,” surpassing early 2000s pressures.
• The proliferation of pro-eating disorder content, now openly accessible through social media, and how it’s masked as harmless tips.
• Contrasts curated body-positive environments with the harsher realities faced by today’s youth on unchecked platforms.
• Highlights the rise of the “skinny talk” hashtag/movement and its troubling normalization of disordered behaviors and comparison.

[06:23 - 11:39]Owning Softness: From Childhood Stories to Social Advocacy

• Julia redefines “softness” as a source of strength, both in body and emotions, coining the phrase “soft body baddie” for her community.
• Childhood anecdotes—ranging from fashion flair to forming the hilariously named "labia band"—remind listeners of the roots of self-expression.
• Explores how embracing personal quirks and struggles, like anxiety and neurodivergence, leads to greater empathy in work with children and coaching.
• Reflects on how family dynamics and navigating outspoken personalities shape resilience, communication, and mutual growth.

[11:40 -19:47]Healing, Boundaries, and Building a Modern Identity

• Discusses the transformative impact of family therapy, learning emotional independence, and accepting that parents can’t always “fix” pain.
• Julia’s journey through heartbreak (a called-off wedding) reveals the non-linear, ongoing process of healing and redefining self-worth.
• Explores the leap of faith required to pursue a career in body-positive coaching and online content, with all its uncertainties.
• Highlights the value of embracing risk, letting go of the need to “do it all over,” and recognizing how adversity can fuel growth and new purpose.

[19:48 - 29:22]  Compassion, Societal Pressures, and Looking Forward

• Shares insights on how political landscapes influence fashion, body ideals, and the subtle ways women are controlled through image and expectation.
• Resist setting rigid future goals, focus instead on finding joy, balance, and meaning in work and life, post-trauma.
• Stresses that body image work is lifelong, and that society will likely never “fix” its obsessions—progress is about grace, not perfection.
• Leaves listeners with the message that taking up space, nurturing empathy, and living for personal fulfillment, not external approval, is an act of quiet revolution.

[29:23 - 35:21]   Dr. G’s TakeAways

Connect with Julia Parzyck 

Instagram: Fit Fat and All That 

Here are some more episodes you may like

https://pediatricmeltdown.com/episodes

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186.  Immigrant Children and Families 

158.  Preventing Youth Suicide 

100. The Art of Medicine 

Tweetable Quotes:

“I see the term, soft body baddie as, I have all the softness, and I'm a baddie. And it's just this, you know, owning the space that I'm in, allowing my body to exist as it is...”...Julia Parzyck on owning the phrase “Soft Body Baddie”

“I've recently started doing inclusive wardrobe styling, so a lot of my followers like to see just how I style my body without feeling like I need to make everything look, quote, unquote, flattering...”Julia Parzyck on styling for a full figure

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