I saw a Tyra show recently that really rattled me. It was about trying to shame friends and family members of overweight (actually probably obese) people. The friends and family were insulting and nasty about the weight of their friends/family, and so Tyra confronted them about it. Her whole premise was ''every time you insult someone you show your insecurity, these people are happy with themselves, and you are not. Your attitude shows you hate yourself, not them''.
Now, the thing is, I don t think you should ever insult someone because they are fat/thin/etc, but I think Tyra forgot to mention that being overweight is unhealthy, and friends and family are obliged to help people change their lifestyle to be healthier.
When I was young I ''flirted'' with anorexia. It never became so bad I had to be hospitalized, but it came close. My brother started by insulting me, saying I was too thin. When that did nt work, he tried to guilt me into eating ''I had an obligation to my family, etc etc''. When that did nt work he threatened to hospitalize me. In the end, through his hard work, I came to realize I had a problem.
Eating disorders are horrible. As far as I am concerned being clinically obese is an eating disorder. Deamonizing anorexia (yes, that models picture is horrendous) while promoting obesity is not helpful. A healthy BMI (taking into account that it is not always a perfect measure) is a more helpful measure. So, what if you don t have a health BMI? Well, I don t think it is ever OK to insult someone because of their appearance. Especially a stranger on a message board. But I DO think it is necessary for family and friends to try and help, in whatever way they can, to make people with an unhealthy BMI realize they have a problem, and to help them overcome that problem. And I think its important to work towards a society where a healthy BMI is seen as the ideal in feminine beauty.
As far as I am concerned, real women may have curves, bones, big/small breasts, long legs/small legs/no legs, etc (you get my point). A real woman is a healthy woman. A society which promotes an ideal that is so small a woman who instantiates it regularly faints, has no immunity, etc, has to be fixed. Also, a society which promotes the idea that it is unPC to criticize obesity should likewise be fixed.
sorry for the long post.
Now, the thing is, I don t think you should ever insult someone because they are fat/thin/etc, but I think Tyra forgot to mention that being overweight is unhealthy, and friends and family are obliged to help people change their lifestyle to be healthier.
When I was young I ''flirted'' with anorexia. It never became so bad I had to be hospitalized, but it came close. My brother started by insulting me, saying I was too thin. When that did nt work, he tried to guilt me into eating ''I had an obligation to my family, etc etc''. When that did nt work he threatened to hospitalize me. In the end, through his hard work, I came to realize I had a problem.
Eating disorders are horrible. As far as I am concerned being clinically obese is an eating disorder. Deamonizing anorexia (yes, that models picture is horrendous) while promoting obesity is not helpful. A healthy BMI (taking into account that it is not always a perfect measure) is a more helpful measure. So, what if you don t have a health BMI? Well, I don t think it is ever OK to insult someone because of their appearance. Especially a stranger on a message board. But I DO think it is necessary for family and friends to try and help, in whatever way they can, to make people with an unhealthy BMI realize they have a problem, and to help them overcome that problem. And I think its important to work towards a society where a healthy BMI is seen as the ideal in feminine beauty.
As far as I am concerned, real women may have curves, bones, big/small breasts, long legs/small legs/no legs, etc (you get my point). A real woman is a healthy woman. A society which promotes an ideal that is so small a woman who instantiates it regularly faints, has no immunity, etc, has to be fixed. Also, a society which promotes the idea that it is unPC to criticize obesity should likewise be fixed.
sorry for the long post.