What do you think of the obesity epidemic in the U.S.?
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charovnitza wrote: »Here's an example of how in denial we are of this epidemic. Rather than insult people with the realization of how obese they are, clothing sizes have shifted with our body sizes over time. A woman's size 8 in 1950 would wear a size 00 today. Most people can't actually even fit into vintage clothing. There is a similar trend with clothes sized S,M,L. The simple fact is that people don't like buying clothing that tells them how fat they are, so retailers select brands that are sized larger than others and over time this has increased the size of S,M, and L. Retailers that make their own brands are really aware of this and market to their clientele, so S, M, L run larger at Walmart than say the GAP.
So true! As an example, when I was in high school, I weighed 135 pounds at 5'6" and wore a size 13/14,,,now I weigh 162 pounds and wear a size 10/12. Vanity sizing.
But 135 lbs at 5' 6'' is very slim. Wouldn't it be unhealthy to be much thinner than that at that height? Were there smaller increments between sizes?0 -
135 at 5'6" is within the healthy range. I weighed 124 at 5'6" which I would say was probably too skinny though back then my husband said I had a nice butt. :P
But back in those days (1980s -early 1990s) I never wore anything larger than a size 10. I would buy t-shirts or sweat shirts in a larger size cause I liked to have room...but I was never in a size 13/14. I don't remember if I was ever 135 though, or if I just went from 124 to super size thanks to pregnancy. LOL0 -
It makes me so sad to hear that
I am all for body positivism, where it goes off the rails is when you're pushing your views onto others - 'I'm happy being overweight, so you should be overweight too'.
When I was in my late teens/early twenties several of my friends who were overweight actually put an immense amount of pressure on those of us who weren't to eat the way they did. I cite that as a contributing factor to me becoming bulimic at that age (obviously not the only factor of course, but...). Ah, the juxtaposition of early 90s feminism learning to love your body and being bombarded with images of waif thin models, with a mega dose of teen angst on top. Good times.0 -
I also people watch and am saddened by the size of all ages of people, especially young people. I find it hard to buy clothes because I am short and smaller. When I asked why stores don't carry petite lines anymore I was told plus sizes is what the market dictates. I hate to see what the next decade is going to bring. It's like watching the show My 600 lb life, growing up I only knew one woman who was remotely that obese, now 200-300 is common and 600 lb is not the rarity it used to be. It is a sad state of our society not only in the US but here in Canada as well.0
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I also people watch and am saddened by the size of all ages of people, especially young people. I find it hard to buy clothes because I am short and smaller. When I asked why stores don't carry petite lines anymore I was told plus sizes is what the market dictates. I hate to see what the next decade is going to bring. It's like watching the show My 600 lb life, growing up I only knew one woman who was remotely that obese, now 200-300 is common and 600 lb is not the rarity it used to be. It is a sad state of our society not only in the US but here in Canada as well.
This must vary region to region. Because if I go to a mall around here, or to Target, or to Kohl's...I can not buy anything larger than a size 16 or maybe 18...unless I go to the extremely pricey Lane Bryant, almost as pricey CJ Banks (the "fat version" of Christopher & Banks) or if I submit to the super-cheap and often ugly crap that is in the "Women's" section at Walmart and Kmart (Kmart often has nicer looking clothes).
Sears and Penney's have a limited plus size collection.
This is all fascinating to me especially since the county I live in is one of the most obese in the state, according to some obesity map from the CDC that someone posted either earlier in this thread or in the CICO in school's thread.
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I also people watch and am saddened by the size of all ages of people, especially young people. I find it hard to buy clothes because I am short and smaller. When I asked why stores don't carry petite lines anymore I was told plus sizes is what the market dictates. I hate to see what the next decade is going to bring. It's like watching the show My 600 lb life, growing up I only knew one woman who was remotely that obese, now 200-300 is common and 600 lb is not the rarity it used to be. It is a sad state of our society not only in the US but here in Canada as well.
This must vary region to region. Because if I go to a mall around here, or to Target, or to Kohl's...I can not buy anything larger than a size 16 or maybe 18...unless I go to the extremely pricey Lane Bryant, almost as pricey CJ Banks (the "fat version" of Christopher & Banks) or if I submit to the super-cheap and often ugly crap that is in the "Women's" section at Walmart and Kmart (Kmart often has nicer looking clothes).
Sears and Penney's have a limited plus size collection.
This is all fascinating to me especially since the county I live in is one of the most obese in the state, according to some obesity map from the CDC that someone posted either earlier in this thread or in the CICO in school's thread.
I want to know where the tall people live! I can find petite anything, juniors, regular, plus size. Try and find one pair of tall jeans and it's like I asked for a unicorn.0 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »
Yes it breaks my heart that this is her impression of feminism. But that's what she sees...she sees that negative nasty stuff on Tumblr (she told me my Instagram is all old people and young people use tumblr and other venues to get away from us old people who take over...lol).
She has no concept of why feminism came to be....none whatsoever. Even I, being born in 1969, was blessed in not really having to deal with most of the BS that the generations of women just previous to me had to endure....it wasn't that long ago.0 -
I also people watch and am saddened by the size of all ages of people, especially young people. I find it hard to buy clothes because I am short and smaller. When I asked why stores don't carry petite lines anymore I was told plus sizes is what the market dictates. I hate to see what the next decade is going to bring. It's like watching the show My 600 lb life, growing up I only knew one woman who was remotely that obese, now 200-300 is common and 600 lb is not the rarity it used to be. It is a sad state of our society not only in the US but here in Canada as well.
This must vary region to region. Because if I go to a mall around here, or to Target, or to Kohl's...I can not buy anything larger than a size 16 or maybe 18...unless I go to the extremely pricey Lane Bryant, almost as pricey CJ Banks (the "fat version" of Christopher & Banks) or if I submit to the super-cheap and often ugly crap that is in the "Women's" section at Walmart and Kmart (Kmart often has nicer looking clothes).
Sears and Penney's have a limited plus size collection.
This is all fascinating to me especially since the county I live in is one of the most obese in the state, according to some obesity map from the CDC that someone posted either earlier in this thread or in the CICO in school's thread.
I want to know where the tall people live! I can find petite anything, juniors, regular, plus size. Try and find one pair of tall jeans and it's like I asked for a unicorn.
LOL!
I think my area is too centered on being "in the middle." I do not see much for petites, or talls, or plusses. Even with kids stuff. My friend's daughter, who is overweight, has had to wear small women's clothing because they couldn't find plus sized girl's clothing. I saw lots of "Husky" boys stuff in Sears though, and my boy was a beanpole. Hard to find stuff for him too - long legged and skinny that he was.0 -
Try finding 40" inseams and 39" sleeves and get back to me. And if I manage to find a shirt with sleeves I can deal with, the shirt is cut for four circus elephants or two of me.I find it hard to buy clothes because I am short and smaller. When I asked why stores don't carry petite lines anymore I was told plus sizes is what the market dictates.
I wear shorts and short-sleeves a lot, unless it's a XXXL sweatshirt with the shoulder seam halfway down my biceps to get the "sleeves" long enough.
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I say we should all just become nudists and be done with clothing! LOL0
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I also people watch and am saddened by the size of all ages of people, especially young people. I find it hard to buy clothes because I am short and smaller. When I asked why stores don't carry petite lines anymore I was told plus sizes is what the market dictates. I hate to see what the next decade is going to bring. It's like watching the show My 600 lb life, growing up I only knew one woman who was remotely that obese, now 200-300 is common and 600 lb is not the rarity it used to be. It is a sad state of our society not only in the US but here in Canada as well.
This must vary region to region. Because if I go to a mall around here, or to Target, or to Kohl's...I can not buy anything larger than a size 16 or maybe 18...unless I go to the extremely pricey Lane Bryant, almost as pricey CJ Banks (the "fat version" of Christopher & Banks) or if I submit to the super-cheap and often ugly crap that is in the "Women's" section at Walmart and Kmart (Kmart often has nicer looking clothes).
Sears and Penney's have a limited plus size collection.
This is all fascinating to me especially since the county I live in is one of the most obese in the state, according to some obesity map from the CDC that someone posted either earlier in this thread or in the CICO in school's thread.
Same here, I don't think I've ever seen a size above 18 in a non-plus size store, or as you say, in specifically plus-size collections. I don't think I generally see 20s or above hanging on racks with the "regular" clothes. I'll have to look next time but I feel like I would have noticed that as especially in el-cheapo stores such as Walmart, everything is color-coded, the sizes stand out at a glance.
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As for vanity sizing, someone challenged that, I think...? Come on.
When I was 13 years old in 1980, I wore a size 7 at 112 pounds. I got down to 107 and went down to a size 5 sometimes, other times, still a 7. I wasn't "skinny-fat," either. I used to sit down and bend slightly forward to make sure I couldn't "pinch an inch" either way. I was VERY active and in addition to walking 2.25 miles (total -round trip) at a very fast pace to get to and from school (because I was always running late) and daily gym class, I'd either walk or ride my bike to friends' houses after school, to my babysitting jobs, and into town. Then at night, to "firm," I'd do "calisthenics" - sit-ups, push-ups and so on. Eventually I got lightly into weight training because my boyfriend was into it and I remember being proud that I could bench press my weight - 100 pounds.
I finally got down to a size 3 at under 100 pounds. I never got to a size 0 although I eventually got down to 95-98 pounds.
Today I see people posting how they're "finally" in a size 6 at 150-160 pounds.0 -
People's perceptions around food is so skewed from all the conflicting research that's reported as well as Madison Avenue's marketing. I think it's going to be awfully hard to change this.0
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lithezebra wrote: »I think that theAmerican lifestyle is at odds with human physiology. However, I don't take the obesity epidemic personally, nor am I unduly shocked by other people's weight.
Humans are engineered for hunter/gatherer days, where famine is common. Food for us is always 10 feet away, not somewhere in the forest and running. Unfortunately, our ingenuity has outpaced our biological evolution many times over, and now people are fat because of it. Not to mention, the.government likes to give you crap that has special interest written all over it. The last 30 years of American Civilization have destroyed the ecosystem of human life. Now, everyone is fat, everyone has diseases, the air is about as healthy as a warzone thanks to pollution, and the fat people cant breathe so America gives them wheelchairs so they dont have to walk. Go figure.0 -
As for vanity sizing, someone challenged that, I think...? Come on. When I was 13 years old in 1980, I wore a size 7 at 112 pounds. I got down to 107 and went down to a size 5 sometimes, other times, still a 7. I wasn't "skinny-fat," either. I used to sit down and bend slightly forward to make sure I couldn't "pinch an inch" either way. I was VERY active and in addition to walking 2.25 miles (total -round trip) at a very fast pace to get to and from school (because I was always running late) and daily gym class, I'd either walk or ride my bike to friends' houses after school, to my babysitting jobs, and into town. Then at night, to "firm," I'd do "calisthenics" - sit-ups, push-ups and so on. Eventually I got lightly into weight training because my boyfriend was into it and I remember being proud that I could bench press my weight - 100 pounds.
I finally got down to a size 3 at under 100 pounds. I never got to a size 0 although I eventually got down to 95-98 pounds.
Today I see people posting how they're "finally" in a size 6 at 150-160 pounds.
I agree with all of the above. I would say that it matters how tall the person is, a 5'2" in a size 6 at 150/160 is super vanity sizing while someone who is 5'11" is probably relatively normal sizing.0 -
The part I don't get is why is body positive part of feminism. Seems out of place. But that's getting off topic.
Why does it seem out of place with feminism? Women have been objectified, considered overgrown children or personal property, inferior, & unequal for centuries.
My daughter right now says she hates feminism. What she actually hates is what I call the crazy over the edge man-hating feminism - but if she had to grow up not too long ago where it was common and normal for women to be sexually harassed, paid a lesser wage if they got past being a secretary, to be denied the right to vote or be denied the right to her own bank account in her own name without her father's or husband's permission...she might have a different idea of what true feminism is about.
this perplexes me, because i've never seen a "crazy over the edge man-hating feminist" in real life. every feminist i've known wants equal pay, equal treatment at work, full reproductive rights, etc. all have partners or brothers or fathers they care about. it's a bogeywoman, very sad0 -
neanderthin wrote: »The USA is ranked #1 and eating itself into economic abyss.
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_obe-health-obesity
The data from this link is 2003. I kept thinking about this and thought I remembered in my nutrition class 2 semesters ago that the U.S. was no longer ranked #1. So I went over to the World Obesity Federation website and found this:
http://www.worldobesity.org/aboutobesity/world-map-obesity/
Someone has mentioned San Diego. My first thought reading the initial post was the it is more geographical than anything. I'm from San Diego and I just don't see very many obese individuals. Very active lifestyles..into Southern Cal cuisine.
Another location I spend a great deal of time in is up in Oregon. Although there are a few "obese" individuals and possibly 6 or 7 morbidly obese, I just don't see it. There are a few kids in the high school that appear to need to lose a bit, but who knows why they are as they are. The only fast food place in the area is Subway. There's just no opportunity to get the crap at the drive-throughs.
It's huge and affects all of us in one way or another. Because everyone has their free agency to choose for themselves how they will eat, I don't believe we will ever truly get it under control. But what a sad society if we ever stop trying!!!!!
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The part I don't get is why is body positive part of feminism. Seems out of place. But that's getting off topic.
Why does it seem out of place with feminism? Women have been objectified, considered overgrown children or personal property, inferior, & unequal for centuries.
My daughter right now says she hates feminism. What she actually hates is what I call the crazy over the edge man-hating feminism - but if she had to grow up not too long ago where it was common and normal for women to be sexually harassed, paid a lesser wage if they got past being a secretary, to be denied the right to vote or be denied the right to her own bank account in her own name without her father's or husband's permission...she might have a different idea of what true feminism is about.
this perplexes me, because i've never seen a "crazy over the edge man-hating feminist" in real life. every feminist i've known wants equal pay, equal treatment at work, full reproductive rights, etc. all have partners or brothers or fathers they care about. it's a bogeywoman, very sad
I haven't either. It smacks of urban legend to me. I mean sure, die-hard proponents of the existence of such total "man-haters" will always pull an incredible story out of their pockets, but...I don't know. Maybe I've just been lucky?
All the "feminists" I've known have wanted exactly what you've stated - equal pay, a degree of respect for one's efforts and so on. I don't consider that rabid or misandrist...??? I consider that, you know, the freedom to make one's living and survive without being forced into a marital situation, for example, someone doesn't want, as seems to have happened with some regularity in centuries past and which could easily include abuse, because I mean, where was the woman going to go? She could run away and become a prostitute so she could eat...? "Feminists" have a disliking of that and take exception to it. If that seems an over the top desire to anyone or rabidly man-hating, well...I hardly know what to say.
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neanderthin wrote: »The USA is ranked #1 and eating itself into economic abyss.
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_obe-health-obesity
The data from this link is 2003. I kept thinking about this and thought I remembered in my nutrition class 2 semesters ago that the U.S. was no longer ranked #1. So I went over to the World Obesity Federation website and found this:
http://www.worldobesity.org/aboutobesity/world-map-obesity/
Someone has mentioned San Diego. My first thought reading the initial post was the it is more geographical than anything. I'm from San Diego and I just don't see very many obese individuals. Very active lifestyles..into Southern Cal cuisine.
Another location I spend a great deal of time in is up in Oregon. Although there are a few "obese" individuals and possibly 6 or 7 morbidly obese, I just don't see it. There are a few kids in the high school that appear to need to lose a bit, but who knows why they are as they are. The only fast food place in the area is Subway. There's just no opportunity to get the crap at the drive-throughs.
It's huge and affects all of us in one way or another. Because everyone has their free agency to choose for themselves how they will eat, I don't believe we will ever truly get it under control. But what a sad society if we ever stop trying!!!!!
I'm English, but I have been to San Francisco, LA and Las Vegas. I don't remember seeing many overweight people in California. San Francisco seems to be somewhere where people walk a lot. It seemed almost European in that respect! We were near Venice Beach in LA and there were a lot of active people there. Maybe the obese ones stay at home! I did, however, find portion sizes massive wherever I went.
I expect the weather makes a difference. If its warm you're more likely to spend time outside, and to eat less.
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The part I don't get is why is body positive part of feminism. Seems out of place. But that's getting off topic.
Why does it seem out of place with feminism? Women have been objectified, considered overgrown children or personal property, inferior, & unequal for centuries.
My daughter right now says she hates feminism. What she actually hates is what I call the crazy over the edge man-hating feminism - but if she had to grow up not too long ago where it was common and normal for women to be sexually harassed, paid a lesser wage if they got past being a secretary, to be denied the right to vote or be denied the right to her own bank account in her own name without her father's or husband's permission...she might have a different idea of what true feminism is about.
this perplexes me, because i've never seen a "crazy over the edge man-hating feminist" in real life. every feminist i've known wants equal pay, equal treatment at work, full reproductive rights, etc. all have partners or brothers or fathers they care about. it's a bogeywoman, very sad
Ive never met one in real life either. My daughter's total experience is with what she stumbles upon on the internet. As you know many of the "wackadoos" we find online in no way resemble anyone we meet in real life...so...
I have also never encountered anyone in real life who shamed me for being fat (but that doesn't mean there aren't people who do that). I have also never encountered anyone in real life who shamed me for trying to lose weight. Online I have encountered heavy women who were somewhat offended by my desire to no longer be obese..."as if there were something wrong with being who I was..." but that's about it. So I don't know what to say about it all other than...the internet is where you run into all the crazies.0
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