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People want women to be thin because it's a sign of obedience and compliance. When a confident fat woman displays herself, people lose their minds... because she's not being obedient or compliant. The people who comment with "health concerns" don't really care if Tess gets diabetes or has a heart attack. They care that she doesn't fit into society's standard of beauty and that's somehow offensive to them.
What ARE you talking about? How is being thin a sign of obedience and compliance? Did someone tell you you had to be thin. I am not heavy, but it is because I am just not. I am active, and I do not really worry about weight, but it has nothing whatsoever to do with someone telling me what to do. Making excuses for having an unhealthy weight is ridiculous...I guess according to you we should all be obese so that we are making our own decisions? My decision is to be healthy and comfortable in my skin.
I don't get the compliance thing either. I think most people who want and try to stay thin do it because it looks nice, it feels nice, and if engaging in a healthy lifestyle it's healthy and good for you. What are the benefits in women being fat? How does it serve a woman well to supposedly not listen to society and get fat? Will this make her feel good? Is this healthy for her? Refusing to be healthy because you don't want to be compliant is a bit disturbing. Frankly if I'm honest I often wonder how a person-man or woman can truly feel good and feel happy with how they look when they are fat? We project how we feel about ourselves on the outside, so to be so overweight and fat and unhealthy to me often indicates a person with a lot of internal problems-whether its esteem, trauma they've never moved on from, etc, etc. I don't honestly believe that a person that truly loved themselves and took care of themselves would ever allow their bodies to get to that point of unhealthiness. She can say she loves how she looks and model but is it real or is it faking the funk to feel validated so that she doesnt have to do the hard work which includes addressing why she got that big in the first place and changing Her lifestyle. I don't think every women needs to be a size 2 or thin, but i don't buy the new movement that is being sold.
I dont think she looks good. Average in the face and fat in the body in need of serious weight loss. But that is my opinion.
I'm comfortable in my skin, too. And maybe Tess is, as well. It's no one else's business what she decides to do with HER body. It's no one else's business if she's healthy or not. She doesn't owe anyone anything. Nobody tells me how I should look and even if they did, I would instruct them to take a flying leap because it's simply not their place to decide anything for me. I do have a feeling that I'm older than you and Gigi, however, and have more life experience and have seen more bias over the years. It probably affects my opinion on this subject.
This is what I mean about "obedient and compliant." Society has generally insisted that the only women who be venerated or held in any type of high esteem are the women who look a certain way, behave a certain way, and fit into the mold of what Society deems "acceptable." It's time for that to change to reflect the diversity in our populace. There's no reason for people who are fat to hide. I am not "making excuses" for anyone. It's simply none of my business what another person decides to do with their body. Her weight has no bearing on your life or mine. I accept people for who they are, not who I think they "should be." Look at the magazine rack in any supermarket in the country. The majority of the magazines will have, "Lose ugly fat!" Or, "How to Lose 20 pounds in 10 days!" You really think that doesn't affect young girls who are just becoming aware of their bodies? THAT is part of the whole "obedience" thing. If you want to be "accepted," if you want to be "pretty," if you want to be a cheerleader or popular, you NEED to look a way that some random magazine says you have to look. That's what I am talking about and if you think this doesn't exist then I don't really know what I could say to make you understand it.
Maybe some little girl who is fat...was born fat... and feels so alone when she sees all the skinny girls on the magazine covers will actually have some glimmer of hope when she sees Tess Holliday on a magazine. I doubt it will make her think that she wants to stay fat, but she might know that it's okay if she is. At least she'll feel slightly less alone, which is a start.
Society has generally insisted that the only women who be venerated or held in any type of high esteem are the women who look a certain way, behave a certain way, and fit into the mold of what Society deems "acceptable."
Maybe some little girl who is fat...was born fat...
Being regarded as beautiful is not an entitlement. Society, aka nature and biology actually, deem certain appearances beautiful and others not so much. Society venerates and hold fat women in high esteem if they are accomplished in other aspects. If Tess found the cure for cancer or engineered some breakthrough technology, she'd be held in high regard. She wouldn't be deemed beautiful, but she would be appreciated for her contributions.
Your comment about a little girl being born fat is just ignorant. Fat is not an inherent attribute people are born with. If a mom gorges on junk food while a baby is gestating than she will be born fat, but if she got proper nutrition, she would be a healthy weight within a few months. That fat little girl shouldn't feel badly about herself, but she shouldn't think she's inherently fat either. No matter how fat she is, if she eats a healthy diet, she'll be normal weight within 12 to 24 months. Tess herself admits she's heavy because she turned to junk food to cope with a pretty horrific childhood. This doesn't make her a loser -- it makes her human. I find her very sympathetic. It's sad that her celebrity now hinges on her being a life-threatening weight. What will her fans think if she decides she'd like to give herself a fighting chance of not getting diabetes and having her joints break down in her 40s? Would they still adore her if she became a healthy size 10 and no longer validated their unhealthy life choices? Is she now locked into complying with their wishes that she eat herself to an early grave?
[quote=WestCobb;39701274]Being regarded as beautiful is not an entitlement. Society, aka nature and biology actually, deem certain appearances beautiful and others not so much. Society venerates and hold fat women in high esteem if they are accomplished in other aspects. If Tess found the cure for cancer or engineered some breakthrough technology, she'd be held in high regard. She wouldn't be deemed beautiful, but she would be appreciated for her contributions.
Your comment about a little girl being born fat is just ignorant. Fat is not an inherent attribute people are born with. If a mom gorges on junk food while a baby is gestating than she will be born fat, but if she got proper nutrition, she would be a healthy weight within a few months. That fat little girl shouldn't feel badly about herself, but she shouldn't think she's inherently fat either. No matter how fat she is, if she eats a healthy diet, she'll be normal weight within 12 to 24 months. Tess herself admits she's heavy because she turned to junk food to cope with a pretty horrific childhood. This doesn't make her a loser -- it makes her human. I find her very sympathetic. It's sad that her celebrity now hinges on her being a life-threatening weight. What will her fans think if she decides she'd like to give herself a fighting chance of not getting diabetes and having her joints break down in her 40s? Would they still adore her if she became a healthy size 10 and no longer validated their unhealthy life choices? Is she now locked into complying with their wishes that she eat herself to an early grave?[/QUOTE
How many studies have you done about childhood obesity? I can assure you that plenty of fat people are born to mothers who ate healthful diets during pregnancy. I've done research on this subject for the past 12 years. There are many people who are born fat and stay fat, regardless of what regimens and "diets" they're put on. Even having weight loss surgery doesn't help these people get to a "normal" weight. But I know it's much easier for people to assume that someone must have done something "wrong" somewhere along the line, but it's simply not true. Some people ARE born with the predisposition to be fat. And even if they weren't, it's okay to BE fat, if that's what they are. It does more mental damage to hound a child about his or her weight incessantly. Some people are born with satiety issues. If you have more of the peptide, ghrelin, you'll be hungrier and feel less satisfied, even though you may eat the same as a normal weight person. There are ways to counteract obesity, but to say that simply putting a child on a "healthy diet" will eliminate a weight problem is overly simplistic. It's a very complex issue. If it were as simple as "diet and exercise" there would be no obesity.
It seems so suspect when people talk about their "concern for her health." I think it's just that this woman is getting attention and people feel it's undeserved because she hasn't starved herself to fit into the mold. It seems to really make people angry and upset. They seem to feel as if she's somehow cheated her way to where she is or something. I don't quite understand how so many women can begrudge another woman success. If anything, we should be celebrating her confidence. I'm always happy for other women when they are happy and successful.
Anyway, I'm exhausted from talking about this subject, so I'll say good night now. No ill will toward anyone.
I'm comfortable in my skin, too. And maybe Tess is, as well. It's no one else's business what she decides to do with HER body. It's no one else's business if she's healthy or not. She doesn't owe anyone anything. Nobody tells me how I should look and even if they did, I would instruct them to take a flying leap because it's simply not their place to decide anything for me. I do have a feeling that I'm older than you and Gigi, however, and have more life experience and have seen more bias over the years. It probably affects my opinion on this subject.
I think it is a bit debatable that it is no one else's business. We all pay for health insurance, it effects all of us. At times we all pay for the inconvenience of someone who is obese. When I pay for a $300 seat I don't want someone else's body overflowing into my seat.
My health insurance asks if you are a smoker, and if you are, you pay more. Soon the same will more than likely apply to weight. It is a proven fact that heavier people have more health problems, so shouldn't they pay more than those of us who work hard to maintain our health?
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