Weigh In: America and Weight

sigmagrrl · #1 08-11-2003, 02:38 PM

In you opinion, why is obesity an issue in the USA? Why do we worship the thin, while we see the not thin as morally deficient? Why do we suffer from rampant body hatred? Have you found a way to overcome the prevalant media msg of "fat people=evil and thin people=good"?

Discuss...

lovelyivy84 · #2 08-11-2003, 02:48 PM

I don't think it's so much fat people=evil as fat=unhealthy.

MOST adult Americans are overweight and every year the obesity figures go up. The extra weight puts you at risk for a variety of diseases. Short of anorexia or thinness associated with smoking, being small is not in and of itself a health risk.

We eat too much and we are inactive. That is not a lifestyle that I think should be celebrated quite frankly. That is not to say that all large people are unhealthy of course, some people ARE just big. But is that most Americans? I think not.

While it would definitely be good to see a wider variety of body images in the media, especially for women, I think our media is not prepared to handle the issues it brings up, so they ignore it. The bigger Americans get, the more we prize thinness, so I don't foresee it changing in the near future.

33girl · #3 08-11-2003, 02:50 PM

Wasn't always so...Lillian Russell was considered the most beautiful woman of her day (1890's) and she weighed like 200 pounds. Maybe it's because food was scarcer then.

sigmagrrl · #4 08-11-2003, 03:44 PM

Link to article about portion sizes

jonsagara · #5 08-11-2003, 04:38 PM

This book offers an interesting take on the subject, though it's more of an expos&eacute on the fast food industry than a study of obesity.

Rio_Kohitsuji · #6 08-11-2003, 06:45 PM

Ya know, my boyfriend and I was talking about this subject just the other day. It's either society is telling everyone to be the super skinny rib showing size....or to be completely happy by being severly overweight.
It's confusing!

Heck, I'm 5'5 and I weigh 160, yet if you look at my pics I don't look that heavy, they say I'm supposed to be 130-40 but guess what..I work w/weights..a lot of them.

Grr!! I hate it how it's only the weight of you that matters!

swissmiss04 · #7 08-11-2003, 08:59 PM

Jon I read that book not too long ago. It was such an eyeopener for me! I'm not much of a fast food type of person but after that book I was less so.
Ok, the issue at hand. I think that thinness is prized so much because it's increasingly rare. If indeed 60% of adults are overweight, that means that thin people are in a minority. Many of my friends are from other countries and the amount of driving we do as opposed to walking astounds them. Our suburban type towns aren't really designed to be pedestrian friendly, for one thing. Also the type and amount of food we eat is highly unhealthy. Think white bread, fried foods, red meat, white sugar, butter, processed food, ice cream etc. Eastern diets tend to be more veggie based and European diets tend to have smaller portions. That's why the French eat so richly yet stay pencil-slim. I try to model my diet after these two groups and even though I don't exercise nearly as much as I should I manage to stay fairly normal. (5'2" and around 118-123, depending). And as anyone who knows me can attest, I never dare miss a meal and I'm always hungry!

swissmiss04 · #8 08-11-2003, 09:02 PM

Oh one more thing; I just read a book called "Fat is a Feminist Issue" by Susie Orbach. It's a fairly old book (written in the 70s I believe) but it brings up issues that are still pertinent today. It discusses how some women gladly allow themselves to not fit the mold of the perfect thin girl as a way of giving the finger to the establishment (sort of your traditional feminist, in an extreme way). This is especially true of women who have been abused or raped, for they see their fat as a sort of shield. Some women (the book says) are actually afraid to be thin because it means that there is nothing physically in place to protect them from the world, hence they can no longer call the shots in a "man's world". It's deep reading but it's worth the read!

honeychile · #9 08-11-2003, 09:45 PM

I was talking with some people just the other day. One of the (older) ladies could remember when Cokes were a nickel, but they were 8 ounces. Now, you pay at least 75¢ for 16 ounces. Do we really need to have twice as much?

Same with the whole Supersizing, Biggie Sizing, MegaSizing bit. I've often wondered why I can't seem to get a large ice tea and a small french fries! The food industry - not just the fast food industry - just doesn't get it!

And, no, I'm not trying to rationalize the whole issue. I just think our society has become too polarized on it, and the food industry just pushes the poles further apart.

DolphinChicaDDD · #10 08-11-2003, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sigmagrrl
In you opinion, why is obesity an issue in the USA? Why do we worship the thin, while we see the not thin as morally deficient? Why do we suffer from rampant body hatred? Have you found a way to overcome the prevalant media msg of "fat people=evil and thin people=good"?

Discuss...

America has an obsession with obesity beacause as a society, we are lazy. We want things fast, we want it done immediately if not sooner. If you live in the NYC metro area, it needs to be done 20 minutes ago.
Personally, I think we worship the thin because there are so few thin people around anymore, which is why we celebrate it. Think about supply and demand.
Hating goes on both ends. Granted 'fat' people may get made fun of more publicly and often, but hating of thin people happens too.
Ok, I'm a college xc/track runner. I can't tell you how many people I hear in the gym (when I have my head phones on) either making fun of me, saying i probably throw up after every meal, and so on. I'm in shape- but there is no way of mistaking me for having an eating disorder.
Oh- the other reason we are obese as a society- we cater to it. My favorite example- the McDonald 'Mighty Kids Meals'. I buy one, and sometimes have fries left over. Anytime you are offering up adult sized portions with double cheeseburgers and fries, you are bringing up kids to not know portion sides. I just despise fast food for this.
edited to add- don't get me STARTED on supersizing. It took 3 grown adults to finish a supersize coke the other day. its a BUCKET of soda...literally.
::Steps off McDonald Soapbox::

aggieAXO · #11 08-11-2003, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DolphinChicaDDD
America has an obsession with obesity beacause as a society, we are lazy. We want things fast, we want it done immediately if not sooner. If you live in the NYC metro area, it needs to be done 20 minutes ago.
Personally, I think we worship the thin because there are so few thin people around anymore, which is why we celebrate it. Think about supply and demand.
Hating goes on both ends. Granted 'fat' people may get made fun of more publicly and often, but hating of thin people happens too.
Ok, I'm a college xc/track runner. I can't tell you how many people I hear in the gym (when I have my head phones on) either making fun of me, saying i probably throw up after every meal, and so on. I'm in shape- but there is no way of mistaking me for having an eating disorder.

I can relate....

I was very thin in high school and some people thought I had an eating disorder. I have never been anorexic or bullemic. I ate very well but I just could not gain weight. I was embarrassed and hurt at times b/c of how some people made me feel- so it does go both ways.

Sistermadly · #12 08-11-2003, 10:42 PM

I don't know if it's a case of fat = evil, but I can vouch for the fact that fat people are treated differently than their thinner counterparts.

When I was 130+ pounds heavier, people wouldn't look at me. Men wouldn't hold the door open for me, sales clerks took their own sweet time about helping me in stores. People were amazed that I was smart enough to be in graduate school, because the common perception of a fat black woman is that (1) she's not very intelligent (2) she's lazy, and (3) she must be on welfare.

Now that I'm smaller, my life is completely different. People actually make eye contact. And not that my self worth depends on what men think of me, but men not only hold the doors open for me, but they actually SPEAK now, when they wouldn't before.

(Does it show that I'm still pretty bitter about how fat folks are treated?)

I agree with the sentiment that as a nation, we eat far too much and move far too little. It's really difficult to point to one particular cause, but I think that our propensity to look for the best "value" has a lot to do with it. For example, these days when I go to a movie, I always order a small unbuttered popcorn, but the person behind the counter ALWAYS says "Would you like to upgrade to the large for 50 cents more?" -- never mind that there's four times the amount of popcorn in a large bag as there is in a small -- but we go for the gargantuan sizes because it's a "bargain".

I also think that the way that American cities are designed has a lot to do with our sedentary lifestyle. We moved out to the suburbs, our jobs are still mostly in town, so we spend half an hour or more each day plunked down on our butts in our cars. We hate the idea of public transportation, and most municipalities refuse to support initiatives. We're more insular, we like to do things as quickly as we can with the least amount of effort. Our "creature comforts" have contributed to our greatly expanded waistlines.

Okay, I'm gonna stop here because I feel a blog entry coming on. ;-)

sugar and spice · #13 08-12-2003, 12:40 AM

I think it's not at all surprising that a country with a culture and values like America's -- bigger, better, faster, easier, more -- would end up with a weight problem. At the same time, it's not surprising that such a culture would end up worshipping thinness. After all, people who point out that centuries ago, the Rubenesque body was praised -- that was back when the average person had to work to get enough to eat, and it was fairly difficult to be fat. These days it's the opposite.

Ditto the fact that people are lazy -- they don't WANT to exercise because it takes too much effort. They don't want to go to the effort to find out how to lose weight and keep it off. They want to keep eating how they want to eat, exercising how they want to exercise (i.e., not at all), and find some magic pill that will effortlessly make them lose weight. And since that magic pill has yet to be found, there are a lot of people out there who complain that they're not able to lose weight. The fact is that 90 percent of them just aren't making the effort either to do the work or to understand what they need to do to effectively lose weight.

Shine · #14 08-12-2003, 12:46 AM

Damn straight, Sistermadly.

I've lost a lot of weight recently, and it seems that with every 10 pounds I lose, I get treated better and better by other people.

While it makes me feel good, it also pisses me off to know that people value me better as a person just because I'm thinner.

A person's value shouldn't be based on how big or little they are. Or what color thier skin is. Or their religion. Or ANYTHING that is beyond their own personal morals, choices, and behavior to others.

DeltaSigStan · #15 08-12-2003, 12:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Shine
Damn straight, Sistermadly.

I've lost a lot of weight recently, and it seems that with every 10 pounds I lose, I get treated better and better by other people.

While it makes me feel good, it also pisses me off to know that people value me better as a person just because I'm thinner.

A person's value shouldn't be based on how big or little they are. Or what color thier skin is. Or their religion. Or ANYTHING that is beyond their own personal morals, choices, and behavior to others.

We're going thru the exact same thing. I've lost a couple inches this summer, and people seem to respect me more. It's sad, but that's just the way the world works.

I completely agree about the instant gratification. I think it's touched many aspects of society. Only some people prefer to put in the work instead of finding ways around it or finding loopholes.