Why is our society so messed up in terms of fat/skinny...

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Allow me to elaborate, in a way, our society is currently undergoing an obesity epidemic and it is considered insulting to even critisize someone's lifestyle unless that person is really really close to you. I've recently heard that obesity has become just as much a threat (or even more) to the overall health of Americans (and probably Canadians too plus all the "fat" nations) as it is smoking. Smoking seems to be a bad thing while people laugh when we talk about fat guys who eat McDonalds everyday.

On the other hand, there is another thing going on. We have women and even girls who feel pressured to look thin and skinny and they get so paranoid about not eating junk food or even consuming too many calories, even if its all healthy. Some go to the extreme and starve themselves near the point of death.

Can't we find a good balance where we don't value a person based on appearance but at the same time warn them about their unhealthy lifestyles?

It starts one person at a time. I do exactly this; I've lost friends because I've tried to talk to them about their eating / exercise habits. I just considered them not to be sincere enough to take me seriously, and moved on. Then again, I have a few friends who have changed their lifestyles and eating habits because of recommendations and guidance from me and others. One of my close friends lost 100 pounds in a year because I flat-out told him that he was overweight and in deteriorating health.

Meh, in some countries, fat people are seen as attractive. Let people look like what they want to.

... and therein lies the communication problem: Obesity can seem related to "lifestyle", yet it really is an issue all in itself and "fat people" as well as "concerned people" often use either question to avoid direct communication about the other.


Possibly so, and all the publicity and controversy continues to bring the issue into the minds of people inclined to take heed.


As a smoker who no longer eats junk food, I tend to speak against junk food and joke about smoking.


Yes, and that is very sad. The "Twiggy Syndrome" that began so many years ago has since caused a lot of harm.


That is being done right here-and-now in this thread ...

Keep up the good work!

What countries are those?

You're missing the point, anyway. The original poster is pointing out that obesity is a health problem. And yet, we have the irony of being a culture that worships thin. And I'm not sure I believe that many people really want to be obese. What they want is to eat as much junk as they care to, but not gain weight as a result.

An added irony is the backlash against healthy eating. We have a movement for overweight people to "be proud of who you are" and related phenomena. I'm all for being "proud" of who you are, but just because 20 lbs overweight is the norm, that doesn't make it less detrimental from a health standpoint.

Weight is a personal issue. People do what they want with their bodies.

Because women are placed in a beauty pageant from birth just for being born female. Women are valued for their looks, men are valued for their ability (I.E. the cute little girl vs the strong boy). We are taught that we have to compete against each other to find a mate. I know being fat is unhealthy but it can't be fixed in a fortnight unless you can afford surgery. To be honest, I wish I could afford surgery. Then I would actually be worth something as a woman and wouldn't have to pay extra for plus sizes. :/

P.S. Size 10 is NOT a plus-size. Stupid fashion industry.

Asp-Z: What countries are those? I'd gladly move out of America for a chance to actually be appreciated as a person.

And when weight reaches obesity levels it becomes an issue that affects the people around you. People can indeed do what they want with their bodies, but just as interventions are staged for people who are addicted to drugs so too should people be made aware when their weight becomes a health hazard.

I agree with you in that regard.

I think he means places like Africa, where there is not enough food for everyone. Obesity is seen as a sign of wealth and blessing. Not everyone living in those places ARE ABLE to get fat (even if they wanted to get fat, its not possible for everyone since there is just not enough access to food).

My size makes me feel powerful.

In what way?

It makes me feel strong and safe. I feel like a man. I've got big muscular arms.

Why do you ask?

I ask because I'm curious.

So, you feel strong because your size makes you feel masculine. Wouldn't working out have the same effect, while putting less strain on your health? Or is it more about convenience that you preffer to remain as you are?

Yep, overweight people seem to be given the social right to be overly sensitive to good advice, jokes and remarks made in regards to their size.

Yet, thin people, (and this is just my gripe on the issue) cop the "match stick", "broom stick" jokes, remarks etc, while others laugh and are misunderstood when they don't appreciate it.

"Be proud of who you are" seems to only, socially, apply to the over weight. If you're thin, then "don't be proud of who you are" because people will find you to be "up yourself." If overweight people are so proud of their bodies, then why be so sensitive about it?

I guess this is society's way of sticking up for the under-dog in the same way that academics cop the flak and the unintelligent are socially protected by jokes and "put-downs" of the the academics.

I tend to agree with DylanLarkins: Be candid, and tell people exactly what you think of their unhealthy lifestyles. People who look after their bodies should feel unashamedly proud of themselves. They've most likely put in a lot of hard work and self discipline to look the way they do.

If you have no medical training whatsoever, you really shouldn't act like you do.

EDIT: This goes for the rest of you.



How? By taking up more space? By breathing in more oxygen? Or is it by not looking the way YOU want them to do?



Only if people start realizing that appearance doesn't always reflect someone's habits. I'm for encouraging people to eat less junk food and exercise more, but I don't appreciate it when people direct this advice only and only to overweight people as if weight is any indication of one's lifestyle.



Alternatively, maybe they just care too much about what other people think of them and succumb to the power of peer pressure. Which I thought was an NT thing, but I guess I thought wrong.