The connection between me, Margaret Thatcher and my grandmother

I can imagine the pressure one must feel, being under intense scrutiny, to look as society wants you to look. But it dismays me that my grandmother and Margaret Thatcher — who were beyond successful in their achievements and accomplishments and who pushed themselves further than most women or men did in their day — still could not escape the grasp of our world's obsession with image. If even the smallest part of their self-confidence was affected by the size of their hips, what hope do the rest of us have?

As it turns out, the popular "Mayo Clinic" diet that my grandmother and Margaret Thatcher had was a hoax. The Mayo Clinic didn't actually endorse a diet until 2009, and the real diet doesn't prescribe eating two eggs and grapefruit at every meal. But next time I'll tell you about the last diet I know my grandmother tried — maybe what she ate wasn't just about weight, after all.

Amy Choate-Nielsen is a full-time mom and part-time writer. She spends her days at the park and her nights at the computer. She writes about family history and her quest to understand life while learning about her deceased grandmother, Fleeta.