Pro-Obesity Movement

peteykat said:
I also have to say, I don't think anybody can love themselves unless they take care of their body, mind and soul. No ad or comment can make a person feel great about themselves unless the person can feel it for themself.

Healthy for me isn't just the body. Someone mentioned depression. Many people have it. It can put a person in a place where they physically can't do anything, they don't have the desire or the ability (in some cases). It has to be treated. Once treated they can start becoming healthier on the physical part. Like I said, all three have to be healthy for happiness. (My opinions only..don't attack me too hard :) )
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i fully agree with you!
 
Big TJ said:
dont get me wrong, im not trying to promote being overweight, but being overweight does not mean you're obese, and many people who are overweight are that way not because they eat horribly or dont exercise but because despite doing those things (eating right and exercising) they are genetically larger than most. it is not unhealthy for someone to have a little fat. you have to focus on the obesity problem, which is a far different thing. people need to be better educated, and from an early age. much more needs to be put into schools and things like that. also, i have never seen anything "promoting" obesity.

life is about being happy. the reason we are on this planet is to be happy and to make others happy. it's equally as unhealthy, mentally speaking, to be completely absorbed with your physical appearance. if two people can be happy together and they both happen to be a little overweight, there is nothing wrong with that. if you're comfortable with the way you look then who cares, as long as your trying to take care of yourself and can manage your life, and feel comfortable with YOURSELF, then that is all that matters.
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having a little fat is different from actually being overweight. And you don't have to be obsessed with your looks to not be overweight, no one is saying you have to count cals, lift weights etc. Just have an activity, a sport as a kid, go for some walks with your dog/husband/wife, don't eat tons of junk food.
And again, if you are happy and overweight with your happy and overweight partner, you won't have as long to be happy as you would if you were lean and happy. It doesn't matter how comfortable you are with yourself, being overweight or obese can be fatal from a physiological standpoint.
Who on earth said you had to sacrifise your emotional health to be fit?
 
i didnt say anyone said that, im just saying thats equally as important.
i also didnt say you had to be obsessed with your looks to be healthy. or imply that any else did.
also, there are millions of factors to take into consideration to determine how long someone will live.

i agree with most of what you're saying. just from reading the posts of spicypumpkin, they seem to have a different view point than you. a much more extreme and jaded one.
 
Big TJ said:
i did read the thread, and i disagree with what shes saying.
or at least how im interpreting what shes saying.

you are making the argument that its not ok to be overweight, and society is doing nothing but supporting the idea that "big is beautiful". i say it is as long as your ok with it. there ARE people out there, believe it or not, who like overweight people. being a size 2 is not what everyone wants. there are variations of "healthy". anyways. whatever.
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Let me clarify. It's not healthy to be overweight. Some people are overweight. It doesn't make them bad people. Its good if the overweight people are working on losing weight. It's not good if they are making excuses for their unhealthy behavior like claiming that it's better to be fat than to be average.

When I say skinny, I should be saying average, but unfortunately average is now overweight. What used to be the average build is now a minority. This is why I use the term skinny in place of it. Sometimes skinny is unhealthy, in the case of anorexics. Like I said, I would use the term average build, but average is now overweight. Maybe, healthy build is a better way to put it. Now, what used to be average is now considered skinny because the majority of the population is overweight. So basically Oprah is skinny under this definition. She is at a healthy weight which to our society means skinny. She still has curves, but because she isn't overweight, she is skinny. It's confusing yes, but to the average size 14 woman, anything below a size 12 is thin.

There, that's why I used the term skinny.


And society is doing a lot to fight obesity. I was focused on one particular group of people who believe "big is beautiful". I hope I didn't cause anyone to believe that there weren't tons of anti-obesity movements going on right now. There obviously are. The anti-obesity movement is bigger than the pro-obesity one. The government is funding messages to tell us to eat healthy, it's not telling us to gain weight. A lot of the pro-obesity stuff is evident in the media. Especially in ads targeted at women. The Redbook magazine thing is a good example. There was an article in which lots of overweight women were saying it's okay to love being overweight. Advertisers pick up on cultural vibes like the ever expanding waistlines of the population. They want people to feel like they can connect to the media images at some level. If the media were doing all it could to combat obesity, the majority of the population would feel alienated. People don't want to be told that they are unhealthy and that they need to change their lifestyle. They want to feel loved and accepted. What better way than to glamorize the full figure.

Now, I, IN NO WAY STATED THAT SIZE 2 IS THE ONLY HEALTHY SIZE. I WANT TO MAKE THAT VERY, VERY CLEAR. YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY READING MY POSTS INCORRECTLY IF YOU BELIEVE THAT I BELIEVE THIS. I WANT TO SET THINGS STRAIGHT. For some people, size 2 is very unhealthy, it is very thin. Some people were never meant to be that small. Different people have different frame sizes. There is a large range of what size is considered healthy. Body composition is a much better indicator of health, not body size. Unfortunately our culture has become so fixated on size that they have confused size with health. Just because one person is at their ideal weight at a size 2 does not mean that everyone else will be. Size is very subjective. We should be talking about level of fitness/health and not size. If we want to talk in terms of size, since that's how people feel most comfortable, then there is a huge range of sizes that is considered healthy.

So, I hope this cleared things up. And I hope I don't come across as too opinionated. My goal with this thread was to raise awareness of one point of view. That point of view isn't even mine. There are some things about the radical anti-obesity movement that I personally disagree with.

So, there, I hope that cleared things up for you.
 
Karky said:
i think the question is more what is healthy. I think it's disturbing that more and more people become overweight. I don't care if a million people like overweight people, it's not healthy. And I don't want my kids to grow up in a society where people almost get encouraged to get fat.
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Where I agree that the emphasis SHOULD BE on health, society doesn't think in terms of health, but in terms of looks. If the person looks thin, they must be healthy. IF someone is fat/overweight they are unhealthy. While I believe the latter to be true the majority of the time, the former is by no means always right, either.

Someone mentioned loving themselves only after taking care of themselves. I agree with that, but in the same token, I do take care of myself but I find it hard to accept my looks and be comfortable with myself. I workout like a fiend and eat healthy. To me, I'm overweight. When I look in the mirror, I see a fat blob. When my hubby looks at me, he sees a sexy woman. (And for the record, there is not an inch of fat on the guy and he doesn't prefer overweight women.) Who's right?

I take time for myself whenever possible, even if it's only a few extra minutes in the shower in the morning or at the end of the day to meditate. As I said, I work out, but I'm not happy with where I am physically.

Would this be because I am not doing enough, or is it because I'm trying to live up to society's unrealistic standards?? Me thinks door #2.
 
"Now, I, IN NO WAY STATED THAT SIZE 2 IS THE ONLY HEALTHY SIZE. I WANT TO MAKE THAT VERY, VERY CLEAR. YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY READING MY POSTS INCORRECTLY IF YOU BELIEVE THAT I BELIEVE THIS. I WANT TO SET THINGS STRAIGHT. For some people, size 2 is very unhealthy, it is very thin. Some people were never meant to be that small. Different people have different frame sizes. There is a large range of what size is considered healthy. Body composition is a much better indicator of health, not body size. Unfortunately our culture has become so fixated on size that they have confused size with health. Just because one person is at their ideal weight at a size 2 does not mean that everyone else will be. Size is very subjective. We should be talking about level of fitness/health and not size. If we want to talk in terms of size, since that's how people feel most comfortable, then there is a huge range of sizes that is considered healthy."

I agree with this. I don't think I would look healthy in a size 2, although at a 4/6 I feel huge. On the other hand, I think the twins that I know are 0's don't look unhealthy at all. It really does depend on the body composition.

And teens don't take that into consideration AT ALL when they look at ads and such. And once they start in that downward spiral of wanting to be skinny, I think often times it backfires and they end up with an eating disorder. Certainly NOT ALL THE TIME. BUt I think a good portion of the time that's what happens.
 
Beth_G said:
Where I agree that the emphasis SHOULD BE on health, society doesn't think in terms of health, but in terms of looks. If the person looks thin, they must be healthy. IF someone is fat/overweight they are unhealthy. While I believe the latter to be true the majority of the time, the former is by no means always right, either.

Someone mentioned loving themselves only after taking care of themselves. I agree with that, but in the same token, I do take care of myself but I find it hard to accept my looks and be comfortable with myself. I workout like a fiend and eat healthy. To me, I'm overweight. When I look in the mirror, I see a fat blob. When my hubby looks at me, he sees a sexy woman. (And for the record, there is not an inch of fat on the guy and he doesn't prefer overweight women.) Who's right?

I take time for myself whenever possible, even if it's only a few extra minutes in the shower in the morning or at the end of the day to meditate. As I said, I work out, but I'm not happy with where I am physically.

Would this be because I am not doing enough, or is it because I'm trying to live up to society's unrealistic standards?? Me thinks door #2.
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In all honesty at a size 4/6 you meet society's standards. A 4 is considered to be very thin.
 
I agree but It doesn't help to think you're healthy if you're obese. Sorry mate..
I think a healthy mindset would involve wanting to be physically healthy.
 
spicypumpkin said:
Let me clarify. It's not healthy to be overweight. Some people are overweight. It doesn't make them bad people. Its good if the overweight people are working on losing weight. It's not good if they are making excuses for their unhealthy behavior like claiming that it's better to be fat than to be average.

When I say skinny, I should be saying average, but unfortunately average is now overweight. What used to be the average build is now a minority. This is why I use the term skinny in place of it. Sometimes skinny is unhealthy, in the case of anorexics. Like I said, I would use the term average build, but average is now overweight. Maybe, healthy build is a better way to put it. Now, what used to be average is now considered skinny because the majority of the population is overweight. So basically Oprah is skinny under this definition. She is at a healthy weight which to our society means skinny. She still has curves, but because she isn't overweight, she is skinny. It's confusing yes, but to the average size 14 woman, anything below a size 12 is thin.

There, that's why I used the term skinny.


And society is doing a lot to fight obesity. I was focused on one particular group of people who believe "big is beautiful". I hope I didn't cause anyone to believe that there weren't tons of anti-obesity movements going on right now. There obviously are. The anti-obesity movement is bigger than the pro-obesity one. The government is funding messages to tell us to eat healthy, it's not telling us to gain weight. A lot of the pro-obesity stuff is evident in the media. Especially in ads targeted at women. The Redbook magazine thing is a good example. There was an article in which lots of overweight women were saying it's okay to love being overweight. Advertisers pick up on cultural vibes like the ever expanding waistlines of the population. They want people to feel like they can connect to the media images at some level. If the media were doing all it could to combat obesity, the majority of the population would feel alienated. People don't want to be told that they are unhealthy and that they need to change their lifestyle. They want to feel loved and accepted. What better way than to glamorize the full figure.

Now, I, IN NO WAY STATED THAT SIZE 2 IS THE ONLY HEALTHY SIZE. I WANT TO MAKE THAT VERY, VERY CLEAR. YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY READING MY POSTS INCORRECTLY IF YOU BELIEVE THAT I BELIEVE THIS. I WANT TO SET THINGS STRAIGHT. For some people, size 2 is very unhealthy, it is very thin. Some people were never meant to be that small. Different people have different frame sizes. There is a large range of what size is considered healthy. Body composition is a much better indicator of health, not body size. Unfortunately our culture has become so fixated on size that they have confused size with health. Just because one person is at their ideal weight at a size 2 does not mean that everyone else will be. Size is very subjective. We should be talking about level of fitness/health and not size. If we want to talk in terms of size, since that's how people feel most comfortable, then there is a huge range of sizes that is considered healthy.

So, I hope this cleared things up. And I hope I don't come across as too opinionated. My goal with this thread was to raise awareness of one point of view. That point of view isn't even mine. There are some things about the radical anti-obesity movement that I personally disagree with.

So, there, I hope that cleared things up for you.
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that makes sense. I guess i just misunderstood what you were saying. sorry about the confusion.
 
Despite Meme Roth's ill-advised comment on American Idol Winner Jordin Sparks, we need Meme Roth's who can speak out.
 
spicypumpkin said:
Cool, It's nice to hear your view. The way I see the whole anorexia thing is if it were as big a problem as everyone makes it out to be, then the majority of people would be underweight. That's not how it is. The majority of people are overweight. It's obvious that those images don't have that much influence over us.
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However, according to this article:



67% of American women are trying to lose weight, and 53% of them are already at a healthy weight but are still trying to lose weight.

Note that there is a difference between trying to lose weight, successfully losing excess body fat or maintaining a healthy level of body fat, and going too far in losing weight (anorexia nervosa). So it could very well be that those images are influencing people to try to lose weight, even though many of those who start out overweight (with excess fat) are not successful (while some go too far into the anorexia nervosa condition).
 
Hey Spicy,

I have to say, the pic you chose is a poor example. First it's photoshoped from an anorexic group on the web...."thinspiration" who shop and find pics of anorexic gals to give them inspiration to be thin (I know....sick it is...)

(I'm especially dissappointed in you men- for not recognizing that the face slapped on this frankenstein is Giselle Bundchen)

However, that's not to say anorexia isn't an issue and in fact there have been 2 models (somewhat recently-maybe a while after this thread was posted) who died of it and were well enough known that it was considered newsworthy.

Anorexia isn't as wide spread as obesity according to the research:

"Anorexia nervosa affects one to five percent of the population. Ninety percent of anorexics are women between the ages of 13 and 20...."

"Over the course of a lifetime, about 0.5 to 3.7 percent of girls and women will develop anorexia nervosa, and about 1.1 to 4.2 percent will develop bulimia nervosa. About 0.5 percent of those with anorexia die each year as a result of their illness, making it one of the top psychiatric illnesses that lead to death."

(NOTE: If you notice, they don't even really mention male anorexia, I believe this is because they don't have much in the way of stats for men yet. I did look up male anorexia, but even on those sites I could get numbers. If anyone else know, please chime in)

Where as obesity:

"Currently, an estimated 65.2 percent of U.S. adults, age 20 years and older, and 15 percent of children and adolescents are overweight and 30.5 percent are obese (childhood or pediatric obesity)."

Notice the big difference? For anorexia, the stats of the majority of those who are anorexic, are young girls. The majority for those who are obese are adults. Why? This is a prefect example of the influence the media has on our society.

Young= thin, beautiful, full of life..... old= fat, lazy, over the hill.... Soooo stereo typical, but this shows just how much society plays into that media crap.

My own observations:

The reason why you see more obese (adults) people is because we are living longer and there is a greater population of adults who in past generations have been fed the media crap that it's ok to do what you want, "enjoy life", without ever suggesting that we should also take care of ourselves.

Now you see many more advertisements for older people to exercise, eat right, take vitamins,...etc,etc......by this point it is a little too late. Many older people are already set in their ways and it will take a couple of generation, but you will see a decline in obesity among adults.

As far as the "fat acceptance" aspect of it, I think that groups like the NAAFA are kidding themselves. They are promoting an unhealthy environment based on "discrimination"? Denial gets you nowhere.....

Shall we all just say, "death by chocolate!" ?
 
Hmm, I'm not really all that passionate about this subject anymore. I think that on both sides, anorexia and obesity, something needs to change. I think we need fewer people trying to dictate other people's lives and more people who are willing to take care of themselves regardless of what the media says.
 
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