'Can you imagine a similar message directed toward little boys?' Mother slams dangerous diet culture after finding a pink lunchbox with the words CHEAT DAY written on it in sequins

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An Orlando-based mommy blogger was 'sickened' when she was out shopping and found a girly pink lunch box with the words 'CHEAT DAY' written across the front.

Sonni Abatta was at a Nordstrom Rack when she stumbled upon the pink zip-up lunch tote, which is made by a brand called Slant Collections.

Furious and frustrated, she penned a now-viral post on Facebook, decrying diet culture and the fact that even young girls are now being targeted by such unhealthy messages about their bodies and eating habits.

What's this? Sonni Abatta was at a Nordstrom Rack when she saw this 'Cheat day' lunch tote

Sonni also posted her thoughts on her blog, adding a picture of the lunch tote hanging on a display. 

'See this? This is a picture I snapped today of a little girl's lunchbox that I saw for sale at a popular department store,' she wrote. 

'Why do I say it's marketed toward little girls? It's pink, it has sequins and it was surrounded by other girls' merchandise. So, safe to say that it's aimed at our daughters.'

'I am SICKENED that this phrase is on a lunch box.

Spotted it: Sonni is a mommy blogger from Orlando, Florida

'We scratch our heads when we see our little girls struggle with body image, with self worth, with confidence.

'We wonder, "Why do our girls worry so much about their bodies so young?" ... "Why does my five year old call herself 'fat?'" ... "Why does my middle schooler stand in front of the mirror and find all her flaws?"

'THIS. This is part of the reason why.

'Our world is telling our girls that it's "cheating" if they eat something that's not 100% fat-free and perfectly healthy. In turn, that tells them that self-control and denying herself is to be valued above all. 

'And that if she dares to step outside of the foods that will keep her perfectly slim and trim, then she is by default "cheating" and needs to feel some sense of remorse.

'Look, I'm not saying a diet of strictly sugar and chips is right either; but by God, why would a company ever pile onto our girls' already-fragile senses of self by making her feel as though she's "cheating" by eating something that's — gasp — not made of vegetables and air?'

Sonni anticipated that some people might not be totally convinced and would accuse her of overrating. 

Check your messaging1 The bag is by a brand called Slant Collections and seems to have been designed for adults, but Sonni was struck by how appealing the design would be to little girl

'No. We are not overreacting when we ask more of the world when it comes to how they treat our girls.

'Can you imagine a similar message directed toward little boys? For the record, I'd be equally offended... but I haven't seen anything that is aimed at making our boys feel bad about what they eat, or how they look.

'So here's what I want to say, and what I will tell my girls. Girls — you are not "cheating" when you enjoy good food. You are not "cheating" when you eat pizza. You are not "cheating" when you have a cookie, or two, on occasion. You are not "cheating" when you live in moderation and allow yourself things that make you happy.

'Girls — you are MORE than your bodies. More than your faces. More than your complexions. More than the clothes you wear and the things you buys and the other girls you hang out with.

'You are beautiful, worthy, intelligent, and whole beings--whole beings who are worthy of so much love and respect, no matter what anyone, or anyTHING, says.' 

The post has started to spread across the internet, and other women have weighed in.  

Not OK: She wrote a lengthy Facebook post about diet culture and the effect it has on young girls

'This is horrible!' wrote another mother named Melissa McClarren. 'It upsets me to no end! My 9 year old step daughter weighs herself at her moms all the time and wears a Fitbit and was constantly checking her steps because her mom told her she had to have so many in a day and she HAD to wear it to bed so her mom could track her sleep.'

'This is heartbreaking. And maddening. Thank you for sharing,' wrote Eliza Morrill.

'Ugh. How awful. Things like that jump out at me, and it just makes me wonder how anyone in that company could think it’s a good idea?!' Cara Moore asked.

'What in the actual heck? Who thought this would be a good idea?' added Amy Betters-Midtvedt.

Some commenters, however, pointed out that the $24 lunch tote was likely designed for grown women.

And in fact, the same brand also sells another lunch tote that reads 'Where's the vodka?'

To that, Sonni noted that that may have been the case — but at the end of the day, little girls who see it will likely want it thanks to the pink color and gold sequins.

'Even if the label doesn't explicitly say "girls," you're going to say that this isn't meant to appeal to them?' 

Plus, she added, 'Even if it was supposed to be marketed only toward women ... still kinda sucks. So to all my grown-up "girls," you aren't cheating either when you enjoy life a little.'