This is the fourth time I’ve started this column over in an attempt to keep my objective voice out and leave the subjective to speak for itself. It’s not working very well.

I’ll start with the facts: A controversial ad campaign sponsored by the Strong4Life campaign and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is pointing the finger of fat shame directly at our children and getting plenty of tongues wagging. “Warning: It’s hard to be a little girl if you’re not” reads one message under the photo of a chubby girl. Her eyes, just like the eyes of the other children featured in the ads, are accusatory. More text included in the campaign reads "Being fat takes the fun out of being a kid" and "My fat may be funny to you, but it’s killing me.”

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie

For some of us, having a happy holiday season feels daunting or even close to impossible. It seems that no matter how hard we work to insulate ourselves against our issues around home and family, the tunnel from Thanksgiving to New Years is a minefield loaded with hidden traps, double agents and too many opportunities to self-destruct or rip open old wounds and old injuries.

My first response when I saw this sexy anorexia costume was complete and utter outrage. As a recovered bulimic who still battles with body image issues, it's still hard to get a firm grip on accepting the reflection in the mirror and ignoring what I see on the cover of celebrity magazines. But then I shared the story with a friend who I assumed would be just as mad as I was - due to her own struggles with body image - and her response was, essentially, "Lighten up. Humor is a good response to serious issues. It gets people talking..."

I grew up listening to stories about relatives pretending to bite my chunky baby thighs because they looked like drumsticks and my mother's constant reminders that she weighed 80 pounds when she got pregnant with me. As an eight-year-old I stood five feet tall and wore my mother's jeans because it was cheaper than taking me shopping in the women's petite section. I was binge eating while hiding in the pantry before I knew that the term even existed. And I was a full-fledged bulimic by the time I was 15.