So, I was doing a little reading on the controversial topic of Obesity. I'm in the US and apparently we have one of the biggest obesity problems in the world. However, instead of seeing a slough of anti-obesity messages in the media, we have been seeing a lot of pro-body image, or in other terms, pro-obesity messages. Here's what I mean. There have been tons of movements to encourage people, mostly women, to "accept" their body the way it is. That means, if they're overweight, they should love being overweight. The same messages seem to discourage women from being thin and hint at the assertion that all thin women are anorexic. This is far from the truth and harmful to thin women's self esteem. Just like some women can never be as thin as some movie stars, and still remain healthy, some women can never have "curves" and be healthy. The Pro-Obesity people seem to believe that you can't be a "real" woman unless you have "curves" or unless you are overweight. Being overweight at some point seems to be a rite of passage for womanhood, something universal that every woman must go through to be called a woman. At least, this is my interpretation of it.

Here's the other side of the story. We also see lots of depictions of very thin women. The fashion industry is guilty of using models who are thin to the point of being unhealthy. The thin female body is glamourized. Often times these women suffer complications of being so thin. Extremely low body weight and muscle mass can pose immediate danger. Yes, not all models are disastrously thin, but some are. Here's a picture, I know it's a bit on the extreme side and not all models look like this, but here it is:



The Pro-Obesity people use cases like this as fuel for their message. It is obvious that the woman above is thin and not healthy. Of course, this is not the case for all thin women. However, in the Pro-Body image message all thinness is equivalent to the above picture.

I personally believe that the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Yes, a lot of the models are too thin. No, it's not okay claim that only overweight women are real women. Both issues are serious. People die from anorexia and obesity related illnesses. You can't fight one deadly disease by encouraging a different deadly disease which happens to look like the opposite on the outside. Reality- on the inside both are potentially fatal disorders. Why can't we settle somewhere in the middle? Can we just try to be healthier as a society?

Here are a few controversial events, I don't have any links but you can look them up if you don't know about them already.

American Idol Winner Jordin Sparks and Meme Roth's comment

Boycott of Redbook Magazine

Banning of junk food in some schools

Banning the use of too thin models

I want to know people's opinions on these topics. I'm thinking of doing a persuasive speech on this topic. I would love to hear other's opinions on the topic.

I personally feel that socially nowadays for the most part we are lead to believe that if we are not as thin as the person in the picture you posted then there is something wrong with us, or at the very least we are over weight. You hear it all the time, teens will starve themselves to be that thin. Unfortunately, as we grow up with this in front of us all the time, we as adults get the same message. I know for me, that is certainly true, although I do not think of myself as overly fat.

Not too long ago, I became a member of a Pro-Ana (pro-anorexia) website. Fortunately, I wasn't a member for too long, but I did get several "tips and tricks" on how to lose drastic amounts of weight. There were pictures of women who had their bones just popping out of the picture and they still thought they were fat. When I left the site, I felt sorry for them. I think it's pretty sad that as a society we feel the need to be "perfect".

I hadn't heard of the Pro-obesity movement. I will say, however, that just bc a woman has curves doesn't make her overweight or fat. I mean, look at Catherine Zeta-Jones.....I dont' think she's fat at all and she has gorgeous curves.

I still feel the need to be someone else's idea of "perfect" and by someone I mean society. I bet several people here would think I am fat, or at the very least could lose probably 20 lbs, but you know....I think that the important thing is to be HEALTHY not skinny. And I still have to remind myself of that every day.

Not sure if any of this was what you were looking for, but that is my view.

Any links to websites or forums that promote obesity..?

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.

I used the term "curvy" to identify the euphemism that obese women use to describe themselves. They turn obesity into a positive thing with that term. Yes curves, without quotation marks, are existent in all woman. My butt is curvy. My breasts are curvy. But I'm still a size 2. Get this, you don't have to be a size 20 to have curves. But to have "curves" you do. Get what I'm saying?

I'll look for some. Just a minute.

I completely understand what you are saying. I'm a size 4/6 and I'm proud of that, and I have curves - although I wish had a few less in some spots and a few more in others. LOL

Here's a link to a forum where they are discussing this topic. They have some links to blogs and such with pro-obesity messages.

"Pro-fat"/"Pro-obesity"--anyone else heard of this? [Text Version] - College Discussion

4-6 definitely isn't fat. It's great.

I'm with you there on the "a few more in others" remark. Unfortunately I can't change my body's fat distribution.

I think that in our society, we link 'thin' with 'good' and 'fat' with 'bad'. I have struggled with my weight my whole life. Sometimes I have been able to sustain the effort that it takes to be fit and thin, and sometimes I have not been able to do this. But I am the same person whether I am at the high end of my weight range or the low end. I am happier when I am thinner, but I think I am able to be thinner when I'm happier-meaning that when things in my life are good, its easier to find the time to cook and eat healthy, to go to the gym. When there are other issues, some of which become time consuming, its harder and sometimes I lose the battle.

There is tremendous guilt and shame that comes with being fat. A lot of the campaigns about accepting yourself are aimed at eliminating that. Many obese people are struggling with mental health issues that are part of a cycle - medication to combat depresion which leads to weight gain that leads to more depression and inactivity....a vicious cycle. The people who post here are furtunate that they are keyed in on healthy eating and working out, but everyone isn't that smart or that lucky.

I think it would be better if healthy food were subsidized in the way that cheap fast food is...if schools taught 'home ec' to both girls and boys so that people had an idea of what it means to eat healthy...if schools put gym classes back in the curriculum...if there weren't 24 hour tv networks for kids...and 24 hour sports networks for grownups...if it were safe for kids to play outdoors everywhere...

It would also be good if we didn't judge by 'too thin' or 'too fat' but on things like 'how kind' or 'how generous' or 'how thoughtful'. It has taken me a really long time to judge myself more kindly and while I continue to work to make my body 'better' I try not to use how I look as a measure of my self-worth.

This is a great topic!

You have one of the most balanced views of the topic I have seen. Thanks, your contribution was great.

In the UK we've developed a few double standards, women have these magazines that will say on one page 'big is beautiful' but on the next page have paparazzi pictures of celebs with flabby thighs on the beach. It seems that the words being said don't match the message being sent out

However, there are no comforting words for the men, there is a very brutal 'fat is ugly and horrible' message for us. All men in the UK seem under no illusion that to be attractive you need a six pack as a minimum standard. Fat men are treated quite harshly compared to the women

Being "pro-obesity", or accepting your body as it is, is just as non-sensical as being pro-anorexia. Both are very unhealthy. Obesity is a very big problem for a lot of people though, while very few ever get problems from starving themselves. If anything it would make sense arguing that the risk of anorexia was acceptable in attempting to cure obesity.

But really, I strongly doubt that many people actually see the anorectics or just bonethin women as any sort of ideal. I never met anyone who didn't think they looked sick.

I always believe that you should be happy with who you are. If you are happy being where you are, then be happy. I think the pro-obesity movement is not exactly promoting that you should just accept who you are. It's to say accept who you are, if you feel good about who you are. Why change yourself, if you don't want to? As for telling people to accept their obesity, I find it appalling. If you want to be healthy, the organization should push you in the right direction or at least point you in the direction of an organization that promotes health, instead of telling you to just accept it and live with it.

As for this thin-model concept, I agree. Sometimes these people are way too thin. However, if you plan to become a model, then prepare to have your body judged. It's like saying, actors shouldn't be judged by the way they act. In other words, a models job is to show off a particular brand of body. It's their job, and with any job you are evaluated by what you put in it (i.e. your body image, weight, and height). So in a way, a model's obsession with weight and body image should be accepted. If you are overweight and go to a model show and get ridiculed by people saying you're too fat, don't take it personally. It's the truth because that's what the industry is there for: to judge your body, and to promote a particular brand based on the body type.

As for promoting thin, near anorexic, I think it's part of the industry's image. People believe you have to be thin. No one tells you how thin though, they just say thin. So a lot of people, especially women, take it the wrong way, I believe. There are plenty of models who look fit. However, a lot more, especially younger ones just entering the business, might get confused by exactly what thin is.

ITA with this! I try to remind myself that "my weight doesn't define me". In other words, I may not be as thin as someone else, but that doesnt' mean I'm a bad person. I think I'm a very good person, if misguided at times. I think that "fat" and "bad/ugly" are definitely linked, as are "thin" and "nice/pretty".

I know in my Catholic HS, gym was pretty much an option. AN OPTION! Where I was glad about that when I attended, I cannot imagine that it was an OPTION! When I went to public school, we had girls and boys PE. I liked that much better, as I always felt intimidated by the boys, thus not trying too hard, thus getting teased, etc. Having a girls only PE class was much better.

We need to get our kids off video games, off the tv and outside where they belong. I know when my kids get off the bus, the last thing they want to do is stay outside and play. All they want to do is come inside and have a snack and watch tv for a while. And while that is ok, I don't let them watch tv ALL DAY LONG.

I was pretty overweight when I was little and I do NOT want that for my kids. We also make sure that we sign the boys up for sports whenever possible and we will be signing our daughter up for gymnastics this winter.

I agree with this to a point. Telling someone who ISN'T fat that they need to lose weight is a bad thing. For example, telling a size 2 person she has to lose 10 pounds is bad - model or not. If the person COULD stand to lose 10 pounds and they are a model, well that is different.

I also think that in some ways fat/thin is very subjective. If someone of average build was to stand in front of say, 6 people, half of those people will
think the person fat, while the other half will think the person is thin. (Of course, that's only an example. There is also the possibility that all 6 people will feel the same way, but for the sake of argument, we'll say that half think one way and half the other.) Who's to say who is right?