Let's define fat, shall we? Five feet, ten inches weighing one hundred sixty three pounds is not fat! Kickin' curves that won't quit- yeah. Bootylicious - you bet. But, fat. Oh hell no! The media has made an art form out of making women think they need to be 10 feet tall and 110 pounds and that this is normal. WTF? There is a happy medium that is normal and healthy. Not everyone is tall. Not everyone is waif thin. To portray these ideals to women and not push the message that healthy is what is most important is pure ill intent. Women need to focus on having the correct BMI (body mass index) for their height, eat well and exercise regularly.
Are we ever going to see this in magazines, on tv and in the movies? Who knows? As you can see, the minute a superstar's weight creeps up beyond what society has deemed appropriate, the media watchdogs are all over it proclaiming that so-and-so is "packing on the pounds" and "blah blah blah blah." Basically, they are sending the message that you better watch you weight or we are going to blast you publicly and humiliate you if you are not perfect. I encourage women everywhere to say a big F!@# you to the media and take control their lives. Tell society that we are not willing to be driven by unrealistic standards and pressure to be model thin, that we want our young women and children to have good role models that are healthy looking and focused on fitness and wellness, not obsessed with weight!
Real people know what fat looks and feels like and we don't want our children tossing up their lunchables because some stupid bimbo on the CW who is a Size 2 is on some TV show that they watch and they think they need to look just like her to be popular. It is up to us to educate our kids to let them know what is realistic and healthy and that exercise is an important part of wellness.
1 comment:
Hey Julie -
As much as I agree with the entire problem of the media and societie's unrealistic, idealistic idea of what is "good looking" it doesn't negate the fact that Americans on the whole are fat.
The BMI is probably the best measurement, but you have to take that with a grain of salt, too. BMI was supposed to be calculated with healthy individuals. Not individuals that have either a large percentage of body fat, or individuals that are overtly muscular. Take Emmit Smith, former running back for the Dallas Cowboys. According to the BMI, he was overwieght. He's my height and weighed about 220 lbs....all muscle.
On the otherhand, you can have a person that sits on their ass and eats twinkies all day and their body fat percentage is going to bring up their BMI to look normal.
I also agree that height and weight is unique to everyone, but let's face it.... most people are overweight. I kept thinking I was high when women would say that they are of average weight, and I think they are overweight. Then, as you pointed out (and you were absolutely correct), the average weight for a woman in the U.S. is 163lbs. Because most women are not 6'0 that is overweight. So it is entirely accurate that you have fat people saying they are average. They are....and they are also fat.
BTW - you are starting to see more models, actresses, and singers that have a few more pounds on them. I think that is a step in the right direction. People forget that too skinny is also unhealthy.
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