More Good News
Aug 13 2008 | Comments 7
You know what grosses me out? When thin people slyly look at overweight people eating and get that look — you’ve seen it: the look that says they’re thinking to themselves, “You’re already fat. Why are you eating that candy bar?” This culture is so incredibly judgmental when it comes to body size, and there’s always the implication that ill-health and weight go together, which makes thin people even more punitive in their way of looking at things.
I don’t know if this article is likely to change anything, but you never know.
For Health, Body Size Can Be Misleading
[Pictured: plus-size model Tulin]
liz | 1:15 PM | Uncategorized
I was a beanpole before psyche meds rapidly moved me from that set point to one more ample. Adjusting to the loss of a hummingbird’s metabolism and my new body really was not helped by this narrow definition of what is “OK” — let alone what is beautiful.
Oh, and how early it starts.
I just read several articles tonight in a past issue of ‘Working Mother’ magazine (I didn’t catch the edition#, but it was the ‘legal careers for moms’ cover). All had something to do with children’s health and wellness with a focus on weight. Each of the articles, including a quick 10-point list of important things for grandparents to know about babysitting their grandbabies which spelled out the sentiment “chubby is not cute”.
I get that we have a national/global obesity epidemic, I really do. And yes, it is quickly spreading to our youngest. But I keep thinking there’s got to be SOME way to address the health management portion of the thing without demeaning the individual experiencing it.
I think it is so negative for those without “excessive weight” problems to make remarks about people just because they may not be petite-size. I think one should be judged by their attitude and mentality rather than their physical girth. All things considered, a skinny person with a poor attitude is more repulsive than someone who may be overweight. Finally, attractiveness is the eye of the beholder. It is probably beyond the understanding of many people, but soft fleshiness can be erotically arousing—if you happen to be neurologically hardwired that way. There is no such thing as “one-size-is-better-than-another,” only “whatever floats your boat.”
Bobby Richardson
Philadelphia, PA.
Focusing on a perceived prejudice against obese people misses the fact that, according to the article, a thin person is twice as likely to meet healthy criteria as is an overweight person. Perceptions of attractiveness aside, it is simply more healthy to be thin. Not more beautiful necessarily, but definitely more healthy.
Meet you at the gym.
On a completely unrelated note I found a very interesting article by the wonderful Ben Goldacre at Bad Science, that I thought you may be interested in. It covers the paucity of newspaper coverage of a study demonstrating a decrease in incidences of murder comitted by the mentally ill.
http://www.badscience.net/2008/08/the-news-you-didnt-read/#more-760
I’m one of those people. Too many people eating crap. Shopping at Greys Ferry Pathmark disgusts me!
I don’t think the problem is that the world is too judgmental when it comes to body size, I think the problem is that too many people have allowed their judgment to be usurped by media and advertising ‘visions’, and are incapable of making an independent judgment as to what they find attractive and why.
Reply: