What do you guys think?

acorsaut89
acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
edited November 2024 in Chit-Chat
So I was scrolling Facebook this morning and I came across this article posted by a friend of mine.

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/a9127494/tv-show-fat-women-representation/?src=nl&mag=cos&list=nl_chg_news&date=030117

And it made me a little pissed off, frankly. I totally get that you shouldn't body shame and being big can be hard - hello 5'10 and 250lbs - but should we really, really be celebrating being unhealthy? Don't get me wrong - I am not hating on bigger girls, not even close. I'm just saying that maybe being big shouldn't be celebrated when it's unhealthy. Think about the damage being done to vital organs, and your joints. Think about the long term health consequences of what you're doing (diabetes, for example). Being severely overweight has long term ramifications and while I'm not saying hate on people who are big and body shame them . . . I just think that it shouldn't be glamourized like this.

I'm also bigger so it's not like I've been super fit my whole life, it's been an up and down thing for me too and while I love myself and who I am, I know that I can do better with fitness - run faster, lift heavier - and I can always improve my eating habits. I'm far from perfect, but making it seem like it's completely ok to be morbidly obese just seems like the top of an incredibly slippery slope for us.
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Replies

  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    I agree with you. Shows like My Big Fat Fabulous life is an example of this. I don't get it.
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    I know! I have watched that show and listening to the excuses I am like seriously? I have friends who have PCOS and with careful eating and regular exercise they maintain a healthy weight - even during a pregnancy that was difficult. It's not like it can't be done, but the amount of excuses that girl has drives me insane. If she works out as much the show claims she does, and eats a relatively healthy diet it can be done but I think there's a lot more going on behind the scenes than that. But anyways . . . yeh, I don't get it.
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    edited March 2017
    km8907 wrote: »
    I don't think the point of the article was to celebrate being unhealthy, rather just wanting a show that portrays a fat person just living. Not trying to lose weight, not hating themselves for being fat, just living a normal life, just like fat people do everyday.

    But that's the thing: it's saying it's ok to be contributing towards living an unhealthy lifestyle and just being ok with it. Should we be ok with being morbidly obese? Should we be ok with the variety of potential illnesses it will bring later in life? Should that just be ok?

    We all live our lives doing whatever we do, and that's all well and good but I just can't get behind it. Having been pre-diabetic myself, having been 350lbs . . . and now, feeling like I do now. It's not vanity - it's health. I don't care what I look like, and yes I have some saggy skin, but I feel great.

    I'm not saying hate yourself for being overweight . . . not at all. Don't hate yourself - love yourself enough to be healthy.

    And yes, I know there are some thin people who have incredibly unhealthy habits, too. That shouldn't be celebrated either.
  • km8907
    km8907 Posts: 3,861 Member
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    km8907 wrote: »
    I don't think the point of the article was to celebrate being unhealthy, rather just wanting a show that portrays a fat person just living. Not trying to lose weight, not hating themselves for being fat, just living a normal life, just like fat people do everyday.

    But that's the thing: it's saying it's ok to be contributing towards living an unhealthy lifestyle and just being ok with it. Should we be ok with being morbidly obese? Should we be ok with the variety of potential illnesses it will bring later in life? Should that just be ok?

    We all live our lives doing whatever we do, and that's all well and good but I just can't get behind it. Having been pre-diabetic myself, having been 350lbs . . . and now, feeling like I do now. It's not vanity - it's health. I don't care what I look like, and yes I have some saggy skin, but I feel great.

    I'm not saying hate yourself for being overweight . . . not at all. Don't hate yourself - love yourself enough to be healthy.

    And yes, I know there are some thin people who have incredibly unhealthy habits, too. That shouldn't be celebrated either.

    I still don't see how you're getting that it's saying it's ok. Everyone knows being overweight is unhealthy, but why would I as a fat person want to watch countless shows where the fat person is portrayed as stupid, weight obsessed and depressed, when that's not relatable to the majority of overweight people?
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    edited March 2017
    If everyone knows it's unhealthy then why wouldn't we want to see more shows where people change things around? I don't watch a whole lot of TV, honestly, so my opinion is skewed here but I don't see fat people being portrayed and stupid, or weight obsessed or depressed at all. I see shows like My Big Fat Fabulous Life and see how having an illness - like PCOS, which may slow down your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE as it is made out to be - makes it ok to be so overweight she can't even shave her own legs, but as long as you love yourself everything is all going to be great and you'll have this totally great life while your mom needs to come over to help you shave your legs or put on your own shoes. Good message? Really?

    I am all for loving ourselves for who we are. But it's a very dangerous message to send to say that people who are at serious risk for developing weight-related diseases are having their lives celebrated and put on TV. That show isn't about saying here's what I was, here's how I change my life, and here's how I'm healthy now . . . it's saying look at all the things that I can do while being dangerously unhealthy like it's nothing. I don't know . . . it just doesn't sit well with me for some reason.
  • Jayco141
    Jayco141 Posts: 221 Member
    I'm not a fat shamer and I am still overweight and have been on the obese scale. But I knew I was fat and unhealthy. Being overweight should not be glamorized because it isn't glamorous. I have a hard time believing -like in that fat fabulous life show - that she feels so fabulous. Hard to feel fabulous after walking a flight of stairs and out of breath. Been there done that.
  • km8907
    km8907 Posts: 3,861 Member
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    If everyone knows it's unhealthy then why wouldn't we want to see more shows where people change things around? I don't watch a whole lot of TV, honestly, so my opinion is skewed here but I don't see fat people being portrayed and stupid, or weight obsessed or depressed at all. I see shows like My Big Fat Fabulous Life and see how having an illness - like PCOS, which may slow down your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE as it is made out to be - makes it ok to be so overweight she can't even shave her own legs, but as long as you love yourself everything is all going to be great and you'll have this totally great life while your mom needs to come over to help you shave your legs or put on your own shoes. Good message? Really?

    The thing about My Big Fat Fabulous Life is she's the only one that's ok with being overweight, but the show is still centered around her losing weight and the health consequences she faces for being the size she's at, so again, still not glorifying obesity as being healthy.
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    Cutaway_Collar wrote: »
    I agree with the article. Being overweight or obese should never be a point of ridicule. Hollywood always gets by making fun of groups of people. And that notion pervades into society or vice versa. It is a vicious cycle.

    If someone is obese or overweight or whatever, you know what you should do? Mind your own business. That should be the golden rule of life.

    Also I don't think the article is celebrating being overweight. That is my piggy opinion.

    I chance upon the comments in FB sometimes, esp on the pages of overweight people, for ex. Tess Holliday... and the comments are cruel. Why do you have an issue with overweight people like that?? They will take care if their own issues. Why is it your problem as a third person???

    Because I live in Canada and my tax dollars pay for their choices, too.

    Yes I recognize I may make choices people don't agree with and that's cool but when obesity is the number one reason for so many illnesses and our health care is failing as it is . . . as in, we don't have the money to support it . . . we can prevent a lot of these future illnesses by taking appropriate measure now.
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    km8907 wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    If everyone knows it's unhealthy then why wouldn't we want to see more shows where people change things around? I don't watch a whole lot of TV, honestly, so my opinion is skewed here but I don't see fat people being portrayed and stupid, or weight obsessed or depressed at all. I see shows like My Big Fat Fabulous Life and see how having an illness - like PCOS, which may slow down your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE as it is made out to be - makes it ok to be so overweight she can't even shave her own legs, but as long as you love yourself everything is all going to be great and you'll have this totally great life while your mom needs to come over to help you shave your legs or put on your own shoes. Good message? Really?

    The thing about My Big Fat Fabulous Life is she's the only one that's ok with being overweight, but the show is still centered around her losing weight and the health consequences she faces for being the size she's at, so again, still not glorifying obesity as being healthy.

    I never said it glorifies it as being healthy. No, I said it makes it seem perfectly acceptable.
  • km8907
    km8907 Posts: 3,861 Member
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    km8907 wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    If everyone knows it's unhealthy then why wouldn't we want to see more shows where people change things around? I don't watch a whole lot of TV, honestly, so my opinion is skewed here but I don't see fat people being portrayed and stupid, or weight obsessed or depressed at all. I see shows like My Big Fat Fabulous Life and see how having an illness - like PCOS, which may slow down your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE as it is made out to be - makes it ok to be so overweight she can't even shave her own legs, but as long as you love yourself everything is all going to be great and you'll have this totally great life while your mom needs to come over to help you shave your legs or put on your own shoes. Good message? Really?

    The thing about My Big Fat Fabulous Life is she's the only one that's ok with being overweight, but the show is still centered around her losing weight and the health consequences she faces for being the size she's at, so again, still not glorifying obesity as being healthy.

    I never said it glorifies it as being healthy. No, I said it makes it seem perfectly acceptable.

    OK my point is it still doesn't make it out to be acceptable.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • km8907
    km8907 Posts: 3,861 Member
    edited March 2017
    The purpose of the show is that she's fat but she should still be treated like a decent human being and can have fun.
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    edited March 2017
    km8907 wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    km8907 wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    If everyone knows it's unhealthy then why wouldn't we want to see more shows where people change things around? I don't watch a whole lot of TV, honestly, so my opinion is skewed here but I don't see fat people being portrayed and stupid, or weight obsessed or depressed at all. I see shows like My Big Fat Fabulous Life and see how having an illness - like PCOS, which may slow down your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE as it is made out to be - makes it ok to be so overweight she can't even shave her own legs, but as long as you love yourself everything is all going to be great and you'll have this totally great life while your mom needs to come over to help you shave your legs or put on your own shoes. Good message? Really?

    The thing about My Big Fat Fabulous Life is she's the only one that's ok with being overweight, but the show is still centered around her losing weight and the health consequences she faces for being the size she's at, so again, still not glorifying obesity as being healthy.

    I never said it glorifies it as being healthy. No, I said it makes it seem perfectly acceptable.

    OK my point is it still doesn't make it out to be acceptable.

    Are you ok with being overweight/unhealthy as long as you accept yourself and are happy?
  • DeficitDuchess
    DeficitDuchess Posts: 3,099 Member
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    If everyone knows it's unhealthy then why wouldn't we want to see more shows where people change things around? I don't watch a whole lot of TV, honestly, so my opinion is skewed here but I don't see fat people being portrayed and stupid, or weight obsessed or depressed at all. I see shows like My Big Fat Fabulous Life and see how having an illness - like PCOS, which may slow down your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE as it is made out to be - makes it ok to be so overweight she can't even shave her own legs, but as long as you love yourself everything is all going to be great and you'll have this totally great life while your mom needs to come over to help you shave your legs or put on your own shoes. Good message? Really?

    Just because people know that, they're unhealthy doesn't mean that; they know how to reverse/improve! I didn't even, know that; Dietitians exist! This' more a fundamental problem of, our educational system than; the individual because this, isn't common sense! Just read all of, the myths that; people come here believing & asking about, such as; the: "Military Diet", etc.!
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    MeeseeksAndDestroy wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    km8907 wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    If everyone knows it's unhealthy then why wouldn't we want to see more shows where people change things around? I don't watch a whole lot of TV, honestly, so my opinion is skewed here but I don't see fat people being portrayed and stupid, or weight obsessed or depressed at all. I see shows like My Big Fat Fabulous Life and see how having an illness - like PCOS, which may slow down your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE as it is made out to be - makes it ok to be so overweight she can't even shave her own legs, but as long as you love yourself everything is all going to be great and you'll have this totally great life while your mom needs to come over to help you shave your legs or put on your own shoes. Good message? Really?

    The thing about My Big Fat Fabulous Life is she's the only one that's ok with being overweight, but the show is still centered around her losing weight and the health consequences she faces for being the size she's at, so again, still not glorifying obesity as being healthy.

    I never said it glorifies it as being healthy. No, I said it makes it seem perfectly acceptable.

    Yeah! Why should anyone who is overweight be accepted as a human being! The outrage!

    That's a huge jump - I stated in my original post that this isn't about that. Everyone is a person and regardless of your size it doesn't make you less of a person. But what it can do is give you less quality of life. I am still plus sized, I haven't been fit my whole life by anymeans. I was 350lbs in 2012. I am the last person to say you're less of a person because you weigh X. The whole post was about glorifying being overweight, period. Nothing about fat shaming or body shaming. So that's a big jump.
  • LittleHearseDriver
    LittleHearseDriver Posts: 2,677 Member
    edited March 2017
    km8907 wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    km8907 wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    km8907 wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    If everyone knows it's unhealthy then why wouldn't we want to see more shows where people change things around? I don't watch a whole lot of TV, honestly, so my opinion is skewed here but I don't see fat people being portrayed and stupid, or weight obsessed or depressed at all. I see shows like My Big Fat Fabulous Life and see how having an illness - like PCOS, which may slow down your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE as it is made out to be - makes it ok to be so overweight she can't even shave her own legs, but as long as you love yourself everything is all going to be great and you'll have this totally great life while your mom needs to come over to help you shave your legs or put on your own shoes. Good message? Really?

    The thing about My Big Fat Fabulous Life is she's the only one that's ok with being overweight, but the show is still centered around her losing weight and the health consequences she faces for being the size she's at, so again, still not glorifying obesity as being healthy.

    I never said it glorifies it as being healthy. No, I said it makes it seem perfectly acceptable.

    OK my point is it still doesn't make it out to be acceptable.

    Are you ok with being overweight/unhealthy as long as you accept yourself and are happy?

    I'm not ok being overweight obviously because I'm on this website, but I expect to be treated like a human no matter what size I am.

    ^^^Exactly! Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
    I've always thought fat and TV was more an issue of sexism. There have always been overweight men on TV playing regular roles where their weight didn't play into the script, but thin women on TV has always been the norm.
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    DeficitDuchess wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    If everyone knows it's unhealthy then why wouldn't we want to see more shows where people change things around? I don't watch a whole lot of TV, honestly, so my opinion is skewed here but I don't see fat people being portrayed and stupid, or weight obsessed or depressed at all. I see shows like My Big Fat Fabulous Life and see how having an illness - like PCOS, which may slow down your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE as it is made out to be - makes it ok to be so overweight she can't even shave her own legs, but as long as you love yourself everything is all going to be great and you'll have this totally great life while your mom needs to come over to help you shave your legs or put on your own shoes. Good message? Really?

    Just because people know that, they're unhealthy doesn't mean that; they know how to reverse/improve! I didn't even, know that; Dietitians exist! This' more a fundamental problem of, our educational system than; the individual because this, isn't common sense! Just read all of, the myths that; people come here believing & asking about, such as; the: "Military Diet", etc.!

    Oh I agree - there's a ton of misinformation out there and it's so easy to get wrapped up in it. It isn't easy at all, but personal accountability is huge, too.
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    jennybearlv wrote: »
    I've always thought fat and TV was more an issue of sexism. There have always been overweight men on TV playing regular roles where their weight didn't play into the script, but thin women on TV has always been the norm.

    Hmm interesting - I never noticed but as I mentioned earlier I don't watch a whole lot of TV as it is. I'll have to keep an eye when I watch TV again.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    km8907 wrote: »
    I don't think the point of the article was to celebrate being unhealthy, rather just wanting a show that portrays a fat person just living. Not trying to lose weight, not hating themselves for being fat, just living a normal life, just like fat people do everyday.

    So, shows like Mike & Molly? I love that show. Nothing wrong with it.
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    LittleHearseDriver wrote: »
    km8907 wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    km8907 wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    km8907 wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    If everyone knows it's unhealthy then why wouldn't we want to see more shows where people change things around? I don't watch a whole lot of TV, honestly, so my opinion is skewed here but I don't see fat people being portrayed and stupid, or weight obsessed or depressed at all. I see shows like My Big Fat Fabulous Life and see how having an illness - like PCOS, which may slow down your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE as it is made out to be - makes it ok to be so overweight she can't even shave her own legs, but as long as you love yourself everything is all going to be great and you'll have this totally great life while your mom needs to come over to help you shave your legs or put on your own shoes. Good message? Really?

    The thing about My Big Fat Fabulous Life is she's the only one that's ok with being overweight, but the show is still centered around her losing weight and the health consequences she faces for being the size she's at, so again, still not glorifying obesity as being healthy.

    I never said it glorifies it as being healthy. No, I said it makes it seem perfectly acceptable.

    OK my point is it still doesn't make it out to be acceptable.

    Are you ok with being overweight/unhealthy as long as you accept yourself and are happy?

    I'm not ok being overweight obviously because I'm on this website, but I expect to be treated like a human no matter what size I am.

    ^^^Exactly! Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.

    They do - and I do respect people for being people. I never once said anything about people being less. It's the idea that's being portrayed. Just because someone is X and I'm Y doesn't make them better or worse than me by any means. It makes them different but that's about it.
  • km8907
    km8907 Posts: 3,861 Member
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    MeeseeksAndDestroy wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    km8907 wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    If everyone knows it's unhealthy then why wouldn't we want to see more shows where people change things around? I don't watch a whole lot of TV, honestly, so my opinion is skewed here but I don't see fat people being portrayed and stupid, or weight obsessed or depressed at all. I see shows like My Big Fat Fabulous Life and see how having an illness - like PCOS, which may slow down your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE as it is made out to be - makes it ok to be so overweight she can't even shave her own legs, but as long as you love yourself everything is all going to be great and you'll have this totally great life while your mom needs to come over to help you shave your legs or put on your own shoes. Good message? Really?

    The thing about My Big Fat Fabulous Life is she's the only one that's ok with being overweight, but the show is still centered around her losing weight and the health consequences she faces for being the size she's at, so again, still not glorifying obesity as being healthy.

    I never said it glorifies it as being healthy. No, I said it makes it seem perfectly acceptable.

    Yeah! Why should anyone who is overweight be accepted as a human being! The outrage!

    That's a huge jump - I stated in my original post that this isn't about that. Everyone is a person and regardless of your size it doesn't make you less of a person. But what it can do is give you less quality of life. I am still plus sized, I haven't been fit my whole life by anymeans. I was 350lbs in 2012. I am the last person to say you're less of a person because you weigh X. The whole post was about glorifying being overweight, period. Nothing about fat shaming or body shaming. So that's a big jump.

    The article you posted has an issue with overweight people being portrayed as nothing but people that can't think or do anything without thinking about their weight. The author wants a show that portrays a fat person just living life as every person does. That's not saying being overweight is ok, but that it's ok to live life at whatever size you are. If you watch a show that tells you fat people can't be happy at the beach until they are skinny, is that a better message than watching a show that shows a person enjoying themselves at the beach but just also happens to be fat?
  • DeficitDuchess
    DeficitDuchess Posts: 3,099 Member
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    DeficitDuchess wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    If everyone knows it's unhealthy then why wouldn't we want to see more shows where people change things around? I don't watch a whole lot of TV, honestly, so my opinion is skewed here but I don't see fat people being portrayed and stupid, or weight obsessed or depressed at all. I see shows like My Big Fat Fabulous Life and see how having an illness - like PCOS, which may slow down your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE as it is made out to be - makes it ok to be so overweight she can't even shave her own legs, but as long as you love yourself everything is all going to be great and you'll have this totally great life while your mom needs to come over to help you shave your legs or put on your own shoes. Good message? Really?

    Just because people know that, they're unhealthy doesn't mean that; they know how to reverse/improve! I didn't even, know that; Dietitians exist! This' more a fundamental problem of, our educational system than; the individual because this, isn't common sense! Just read all of, the myths that; people come here believing & asking about, such as; the: "Military Diet", etc.!

    Oh I agree - there's a ton of misinformation out there and it's so easy to get wrapped up in it. It isn't easy at all, but personal accountability is huge, too.

    A person's unable to, do anything with knowledge that; they don't have and/or know what/where to, seek & thus the responsibility of accountability belongs to, those with the knowledge/power to; enforce public education!
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    edited March 2017
    Cutaway_Collar wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    Cutaway_Collar wrote: »
    I agree with the article. Being overweight or obese should never be a point of ridicule. Hollywood always gets by making fun of groups of people. And that notion pervades into society or vice versa. It is a vicious cycle.

    If someone is obese or overweight or whatever, you know what you should do? Mind your own business. That should be the golden rule of life.

    Also I don't think the article is celebrating being overweight. That is my piggy opinion.

    I chance upon the comments in FB sometimes, esp on the pages of overweight people, for ex. Tess Holliday... and the comments are cruel. Why do you have an issue with overweight people like that?? They will take care if their own issues. Why is it your problem as a third person???

    Because I live in Canada and my tax dollars pay for their choices, too.

    Yes I recognize I may make choices people don't agree with and that's cool but when obesity is the number one reason for so many illnesses and our health care is failing as it is . . . as in, we don't have the money to support it . . . we can prevent a lot of these future illnesses by taking appropriate measure now.
    I lose so much money on taxes and it's ridiculous - I pay federal, CT and NY city tax. My bonus is taxed. I lose a ton in capital gains tax. It does make me sore but nobody has any control with what the government does with your money.

    I'd rather they help these so called overweight folks than waste money on defence.... not to get too political as piggy is already in jail.

    You know why they are overweight - because we as a society have failed to take care of the poor and the needy. Mcdonald's dollar menu is filled with so many awful ingredients that those who eat it gain so much weight and their health problems helps big food and big pharma cash out corporate profits.

    Have you tried to buy organic food and grass-fed milk and beef - 40% more than regular food. Why is it that only poor people are obese and need government support and use up tax dollars? Because we have all left them behind. So, have some compassion before talking about your tax dollars ;)

    You should be happy your taxes are covering someone who needs it and is not bailing out a bank.

    No my taxes are not covering people who need it in all cases - but that's a complete different discussion to be had.

    We have two very different opinions on this, and my experience is quite different than yours. There's people in my city who are very well off and who are still 400+ lbs and then there's people on social assistance who are of healthy, manageable weight, so unfortunately my experience does not align with yours.

    I also have lost 100+ lbs by buying regular food and eating in moderation . . . so it doesn't have to be organic, grass fed anything to lose weight. It takes will power and determination.
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    Cutaway_Collar wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    Cutaway_Collar wrote: »
    I agree with the article. Being overweight or obese should never be a point of ridicule. Hollywood always gets by making fun of groups of people. And that notion pervades into society or vice versa. It is a vicious cycle.

    If someone is obese or overweight or whatever, you know what you should do? Mind your own business. That should be the golden rule of life.

    Also I don't think the article is celebrating being overweight. That is my piggy opinion.

    I chance upon the comments in FB sometimes, esp on the pages of overweight people, for ex. Tess Holliday... and the comments are cruel. Why do you have an issue with overweight people like that?? They will take care if their own issues. Why is it your problem as a third person???

    Because I live in Canada and my tax dollars pay for their choices, too.

    Yes I recognize I may make choices people don't agree with and that's cool but when obesity is the number one reason for so many illnesses and our health care is failing as it is . . . as in, we don't have the money to support it . . . we can prevent a lot of these future illnesses by taking appropriate measure now.
    I lose so much money on taxes and it's ridiculous - I pay federal, CT and NY city tax. My bonus is taxed. I lose a ton in capital gains tax. It does make me sore but nobody has any control with what the government does with your money.

    I'd rather they help these so called overweight folks than waste money on .... not to get too political as piggy is already in jail.

    You know why they are overweight - because we as a society have failed to take care of the poor and the needy. Mcdonald's dollar menu is filled with so many awful ingredients that those who eat it gain so much weight and their health problems helps big food and big pharma cash out corporate profits.

    Have you tried to buy organic food and grass-fed milk and beef - 40% more than regular food. Why is it that only poor people are obese and need government support and use up tax dollars? Because we have all left them behind. So, have some compassion before talking about your tax dollars ;)

    You should be happy your taxes are covering someone who needs it and is not bailing out a bank.

    You can still eat at McDonalds and lose weight. Just because something is $1 doesn't mean you have to eat 10. The problem is we are inundated with food constantly and self control is lacking.
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    km8907 wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    MeeseeksAndDestroy wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    km8907 wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    If everyone knows it's unhealthy then why wouldn't we want to see more shows where people change things around? I don't watch a whole lot of TV, honestly, so my opinion is skewed here but I don't see fat people being portrayed and stupid, or weight obsessed or depressed at all. I see shows like My Big Fat Fabulous Life and see how having an illness - like PCOS, which may slow down your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE as it is made out to be - makes it ok to be so overweight she can't even shave her own legs, but as long as you love yourself everything is all going to be great and you'll have this totally great life while your mom needs to come over to help you shave your legs or put on your own shoes. Good message? Really?

    The thing about My Big Fat Fabulous Life is she's the only one that's ok with being overweight, but the show is still centered around her losing weight and the health consequences she faces for being the size she's at, so again, still not glorifying obesity as being healthy.

    I never said it glorifies it as being healthy. No, I said it makes it seem perfectly acceptable.

    Yeah! Why should anyone who is overweight be accepted as a human being! The outrage!

    That's a huge jump - I stated in my original post that this isn't about that. Everyone is a person and regardless of your size it doesn't make you less of a person. But what it can do is give you less quality of life. I am still plus sized, I haven't been fit my whole life by anymeans. I was 350lbs in 2012. I am the last person to say you're less of a person because you weigh X. The whole post was about glorifying being overweight, period. Nothing about fat shaming or body shaming. So that's a big jump.

    The article you posted has an issue with overweight people being portrayed as nothing but people that can't think or do anything without thinking about their weight. The author wants a show that portrays a fat person just living life as every person does. That's not saying being overweight is ok, but that it's ok to live life at whatever size you are. If you watch a show that tells you fat people can't be happy at the beach until they are skinny, is that a better message than watching a show that shows a person enjoying themselves at the beach but just also happens to be fat?

    Well that depends . . . is the fat person being happy on the beach going to have a heart attack at 30, or insulin resistance at 35? Or maybe full blown diabetes by 38? Or maybe need both knees and two hip replacements at 50 because of strain put on joints? Is it worth it?

    The point I'm getting at is that it's not about a size/weight, so much as it's about health. I weigh 245lbs (as of Monday) and I'm 5'10. By a BMI scale I'm obese but I have 140lbs of LBM on me, so if I were to weigh 160 like BMI says I should it probably wouldn't be super healthy for me as a person. And not everyone looks the same at the same weight - which is totally fine - but I'm not body shaming anyone at all. I am by no means perfect or in a position to say I'm better than you because of . . . this, this and this. I am working to better myself and it takes time and effort. Glorifying the acceptance of "it is what it is, so be happy with it and accept me as I am or you're a hater" is kind of dangerous.
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    edited March 2017
    Cutaway_Collar wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    Cutaway_Collar wrote: »
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    Cutaway_Collar wrote: »
    I agree with the article. Being overweight or obese should never be a point of ridicule. Hollywood always gets by making fun of groups of people. And that notion pervades into society or vice versa. It is a vicious cycle.

    If someone is obese or overweight or whatever, you know what you should do? Mind your own business. That should be the golden rule of life.

    Also I don't think the article is celebrating being overweight. That is my piggy opinion.

    I chance upon the comments in FB sometimes, esp on the pages of overweight people, for ex. Tess Holliday... and the comments are cruel. Why do you have an issue with overweight people like that?? They will take care if their own issues. Why is it your problem as a third person???

    Because I live in Canada and my tax dollars pay for their choices, too.

    Yes I recognize I may make choices people don't agree with and that's cool but when obesity is the number one reason for so many illnesses and our health care is failing as it is . . . as in, we don't have the money to support it . . . we can prevent a lot of these future illnesses by taking appropriate measure now.
    I lose so much money on taxes and it's ridiculous - I pay federal, CT and NY city tax. My bonus is taxed. I lose a ton in capital gains tax. It does make me sore but nobody has any control with what the government does with your money.

    I'd rather they help these so called overweight folks than waste money on defence.... not to get too political as piggy is already in jail.

    You know why they are overweight - because we as a society have failed to take care of the poor and the needy. Mcdonald's dollar menu is filled with so many awful ingredients that those who eat it gain so much weight and their health problems helps big food and big pharma cash out corporate profits.

    Have you tried to buy organic food and grass-fed milk and beef - 40% more than regular food. Why is it that only poor people are obese and need government support and use up tax dollars? Because we have all left them behind. So, have some compassion before talking about your tax dollars ;)

    You should be happy your taxes are covering someone who needs it and is not bailing out a bank.

    No my taxes are not covering people who need it in all cases - but that's a complete different discussion to be had.

    We have two very different opinions on this, and my experience is quite different than yours. There's people in my city who are very well off and who are still 400+ lbs and then there's people on social assistance who are of healthy, manageable weight, so unfortunately my experience does not align with yours.

    I also have lost 100+ lbs by buying regular food and eating in moderation . . . so it doesn't have to be organic, grass fed anything to lose weight. It takes will power and determination.
    If someone is getting assistance, I am pretty sure they need it. You have to prove that you need assistance to the government. And there is a lot others who get assistance as well, which is completely fine because in this world human beings need to take care of other human beings.

    Hahahahahahahah no. They say you have "prove it" but I've seen, first hand, otherwise. Maybe in the states but definitely not here in Canada.

    Let's take this example. Girl I know from highschool - same age as me, so 27 - has 4 kids by 3 different men.

    She get's Social Assistance - where she lives in gear to income housing and pays a grand total of $300 in rent every month, including all utilities.

    Claims she's a single mom. Gets child support from each of the fathers, for a grand total of $1,800 per month. Then she gets Child Tax Benefit which for 4 kids is somewhere in the neighbourhood of $600 - $700 a month, unless it's changed in the last year or so since I had this discussion with her. So she get's $1,000 from SA, $1,800 from CS and then $600 from CTB. Next - she's a single mom but her boyfriend lives with her, and doesn't claim it - so he pays for half of everything. Her children are part of the hamper program every year so she doesn't have to buy toys for christmas or even christmas dinner - it's all given out.

    And before you say she's a one off . . . . I know at least a dozen more like her in my city alone.

    I lose close to 30% of my income every year. That's a pretty decent chunk.
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