April 4, 2008

Can a fat woman win Miss England?

This is like the perennial question whether a plus-size can ever win "America's Next Top Model." Anyway, Chloe Marshall is a big topic of conversation because she's either helping young females with their self esteem or setting an unhealthy bad example.

80 comments:

Ruth Anne Adams said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ron said...

Why not both? It might help the self esteem of young females to be a bad example!

rhhardin said...

Beauty contests are celebrations by women of women's attractiveness to men. Men don't watch them.

Given a chance, men will enter livestock in the contests, presumably as a statement of what the women are good for. Not as the final word, but just as a statement.

Peter V. Bella said...

I read the whole article. The pundit's really asking: should a fat woman be allowed to compete? If it wasn't such an angry screed I could take it seriously.

MadisonMan said...

She doesn't look fat to me. Maybe the question should be: Can a woman who is not unnaturally stick thin win Miss England.

Bob said...
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Bob said...

In Ted Turner apocalyptic cannibal terms, sometimes you want to eat ribs, and sometimes you want to eat prime rib. Miss Chloe is prime rib.

Simon said...

Eh. Look at the byline. Before we can take this piece seriously we should know if Monica Grenfell ever won a beauty pageant. I'm betting the answer's no, and I'm betting that has something to do with the article.

ricpic said...

Wow, the over the top hostility of the woman who wrote the article, what's that about?

She's heathy, zaftig, big boned; what's wrong with that?

ricpic said...

Oops. Healthy not heathy. And I already had breakfast so there's no excuse. A bagel. I'll bet Grenfell would destroy me for that choice.

Sloanasaurus said...

This is ridiculous. Being fat is unhealthy (being too skinny is also unhealthy). It should be ridiculed and not celebrated.

Maybe they should announce what STD's the contestants have so that young girls would feel that having an STD was okay.

Bob said...

Ruth Anne, Althouse actually put your quote up on the banner briefly, now it's blank. Ann is playing games this morning, it seems.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
dbp said...

Freeman Hunt had pointed-out (on another thread) that it takes some effort to be svelte. It may not be true for all women, but certainly is true for most.

Beauty pagents don't and shouldn't just be based on God-given virtues. A healthy figure is attractive, but is also a measure of self-control.

Any woman can enter these contests, but judges shouldn't award victory to the unhealthy--too thin or too heavy.

Simon said...

dbp said...
"Beauty pagents don't and shouldn't just be based on God-given virtues."

Ex vi termini, it's hard to see how they could be about anything else. You can work on your figure, but short of radical plastic surgery, God either gave you beauty or he beat you with the ugly stick. Not much to be done about it. And for that matter, when was it decided that this woman had an unhealthy figure? Is "unhealthy" now coextensive with "athletic"? Y'all do know that size sixteen doesn't mean the same thing in England that it does here, right?

Grenfell writes that "[i]t would send an appalling - and very dangerous - message to other young women that it's OK to be fat," which in a society obsessed with thin to the point of anorexia seems precisely the message that ought to be sent - that it's okay not to be thin. The real issue here is that if women realize that they don't have to starve themselves to be attractive, the jig is up for parasites like Grenfell.

Trooper York said...

Having some experience in the issues woman face regarding body image and size, it would be a great thing if a more "normal" sized woman competed and won some of these contests. The average woman in the United States is somewhere between a 10 to 14 and that is not "fat." The guys who complain the most about "fat" chicks are the losers who can't get a date so they have to denigrate a woman because she's too "fat" or too "dumb' or too "trashy" or some other bullshit. A healthy sized and happy woman is a joy to behold and much to be preferred to a laxative guzzling cell phone tossing harpy who really needs a plate of pasta to calm the fuck down. By all means bone all the skinny knife edged shoulder bladed skanks you want, you can leave the fully upholstered plush rides to those of us who know what to do with a real woman. You can just fuck a boy with tits. Good luck to you sir.

Anonymous said...

She looks pretty good in that second photo. The others, not so much. (Did anyone else look at the third photo and see a ghost image of Bill Clinton standing behind her?)

Peter V. Bella said...

Trooper,

YOU DA MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peter V. Bella said...

Simon,
Grenfell, by her own admission, is a nutritionist and a former beauty contest judge. Which probably accounts for her screed. After reading her rant, I have to see if there is a photo of her somewhere. I wonder if she is one of those POW looking vegans.

bearbee said...

She's heathy, zaftig, big boned; what's wrong with that?

She is fat. While she may physically handle that much weight at age 17, as she ages she will be more prone to joint problems and osteoarthritis, diabetes, heart problems , etc. BTW, she looks larger than a size 16.

Peter V. Bella said...

OK, now I get it. Monica Grenfell has several books out on dieting, fitness, getting into jeans, and all that kind of stuff. I guess having a "fat" girl as a beauty queen would damage her book sales.

Purpleslog said...

I bet she has great teeth though! That could put her over the top.

Trooper York said...

Bearbee, if you can't see that she is one beautiful woman, than man I feel sorry for you. Just imagine slathering that ripe luscious body in oils and slowly and languorous licking from stem to stern as you wallow in the delights of the flesh. It's is the feminine ideal since the days of the cave dwellers through the Renaissance to the right thinkin' boulevardiers of the current day. That's why it's called sins of the flesh not sins of the skin and bones.

dbp said...

A victory by Chloe Marshall would say to the girls of England: Eat what you want, excercise--or not, if you don't feel like it. It would take what little demand there is for self-control out of the contest. Just roll-out of bed and show-up for your well deserved glory.

I don't know how it is determined that society is obsessed with thinness. My eyes tell me this isn't so. At least we are not so obsessed that any effort is made in the direction of diet and excercise. Whim, might be a better description than obsession. I think of obsession as a strongly motivating desire. I am not seeing a lot of motivation out there.

MadisonMan said...

Trooper: Right on!

bearbee said...

Bearbee, if you can't see that she is one beautiful woman..

She has a beautiful face and for all I know she has a beautiful soul, but I doubt you would see her as beautiful if she had Hillary Clinton's face.

I have had too many overweight relatives to see beauty in being fat. It mostly results in an unhappy life with unhealthy consequences.

Smilin' Jack said...

Ugh...really didn't need to see that this early in the morning. Whales belong in the ocean.

But, being an optimist, I tend to look on the bright side. Seeing that sack of suet has probably destroyed more than one person's appetite this morning, and may even serve as a horrible example to young girls of what can happen to them if they buy the PC "fat is fashinable" BS.

In fact, I think Grenfell may have it backwards--I suspect the more publicity this cetacean gets, the more people will be inspired to stick to their diets. I know I'll be eating less today.

former law student said...

at a BMI of 26, she is just outside the normal weight BMI range of 18.5 to 24.9

People tend to stabilize at a given weight, so the worry about her getting heavier with age is unnecessary, assuming she maintains her current activity level.

Palladian said...

I'm always amazed at the hostility directed towards fat people. My response is A: Mind your own fucking business. B: Pass the bœuf en croute, stickman.

A truly heathy person enjoys the pleasures of life, on their own terms.

Palladian said...

"Ugh...really didn't need to see that this early in the morning. Whales belong in the ocean."

And assholes belong quietly sat on, preferably by fat people.

Palladian said...

"A victory by Chloe Marshall would say to the girls of England: Eat what you want, excercise--or not, if you don't feel like it."

Oh my God, that sounds like a horrible dystopian world to live in! People doing what they want and enjoying themselves!

Simon said...

Palladian said...
"I'm always amazed at the hostility directed towards fat people. My response is A: Mind your own fucking business."

There's plump, there's fat, and there's morbidly obese. I'm inclined to agree on the first two, but there are people who are so incredibly and obviously unhealthily overweight that it is worthy of comment. But this girl doesn't seem to fall into that extraordinary category.


dbp said...
"A victory by Chloe Marshall would say to the girls of England: Eat what you want, excercise--or not, if you don't feel like it."

Exactly. And given that Grenfell is in the business of leeching off women who think that they can't eat what they want and must exercise whether they feel like it or not, it's not hard to see why she dashed off this panicky memo. As MCG well put it above, "Grenfell has several books out on dieting, fitness, getting into jeans, and all that kind of stuff. I guess having a 'fat' girl as a beauty queen would damage her book sales." Or more bluntly, it would reveal Grenfell and people like her as the evil and superfluous parasites they are.

Peter V. Bella said...

That's why it's called sins of the flesh not sins of the skin and bones.


He Trooper, ya got a twofer today. yer on a roll.

Palladian...
Oh my God, that sounds like a horrible dystopian world to live in! People doing what they want and enjoying themselves!


Keep talking like that and they are going to yank you off the face of the earth. Black helicopters, militaristic swat teams. off to the re-education camp for you boyo.

The political correct progressive socialists want to rule the world. You will not enjoy youreslf by doing what you want.

bearbee said...

People tend to stabilize at a given weight, so the worry about her getting heavier with age is unnecessary,...

As women age hormone levels decrease and a stable weight level is more difficult to maintain. Muscle mass is lost. The body metabolizes at a different rate. If she has children, weight gained will be difficult to shed.

Life is not lived in a vacuum

former law student said...

You can see pictures and bios of the Miss England judges, including Monica, here:
www.missengland.info/judges.html

Eva Proudman would seem to balance out this Monica.

dbp said...

Palladian: "Oh my God, that sounds like a horrible dystopian world to live in! People doing what they want and enjoying themselves!"

Hey, I have no problem with people doing what they want and enjoying themselves. I do have a problem with people who want to win in some endevour, but do not want to put any effort into it.

"You are beautiful, just as you are." Is a great prescription for never improving.

dbp said...

It is true that Monica Grenfell has an interest in there being people who are heavier than they want to be. Everybody becoming thin would destroy her career just as much as everyone ceasing to care how fat they are. I see the latter as being much more likely since it is easier to not care than it is to resist urges.

Trooper York said...

“You are beautiful, just as you are." Is a great prescription for never improving.

It's all about what you consider an improvement. She looks like a normal lovely, sexy woman and doesn't need to improve to an emaciated stick figure with saline balloons stuffed into her skin. The fashion and health police have always declared war against normal looking people because of their bitter twisted lives. They should eat their carrot sticks and drink their carrot juice and turn into orange hued husks and leave lovely young lassies alone to bounce merrily through life bring joy to those of us who can appreciate the joys of feminine pulchritude.

Trooper York said...

I never saw a happy looking person going into a health food store. They always seem disgruntled. I think they need a cookie.

Peter V. Bella said...

I love the tip, I love the top, I love you better than a hog loves slop

'Cause you're a big legged woman, with a short short miniskirt
Promise me darlin', you'll never make me feel like dirt

Just like the vine, goes around the stump, you are mine, call me sugar lump

'Cause you're a big-legged woman, with a short short miniskirt
Promise me darlin, you'll never make me feel like dirt

I've told you once, I've told you twice, we go together, like fried beans and rice

'Cause you're a big legged woman, with a short short miniskirt
Promise me darlin, you'll never make me feel like dirt

Ashes to ashes and dust to dust, you mess with my woman, I'm gonna hurt you first

'Cause she's a big-legged woman, with a short short miniskirt
Promise me darlin, you'll never make me feel like dirt

I love my big-legged woman, I love my big-legged woman
I love my big-legged woman, I love my big-legged woman
I love my big-legged woman, I love my big-legged woman
She's alright, she's alright
She's alright, she's alright
She's alright, she's alright
She's alright she's alright
She's alright she's...

(Big Legged Women
Freddie King from The Texas Cannonball)

Peter V. Bella said...

Trooper York said...
I never saw a happy looking person going into a health food store. They always seem disgruntled. I think they need a cookie.


Man, you are so right! I was in Whole Foods yesterday. I never saw so many health nuts who looked on the verge of death.

dbp said...

Trooper,

I am not suggesting that she emaciate herself. There is a happy place between emaciated and fat.

I would be willing to bet that most people would find her much more attractive if she lost 20 lbs. Tastes vary, I'm sure there are some folks that honestly believe she could use a few extra pounds.

MadisonMan said...

Not Whole Foods. Whole Paycheck.

MadisonMan said...

I would be willing to bet that most people would find her much more attractive if she lost 20 lbs.

Why should she live her life trying to please most people?

Trooper York said...

"I am not suggesting that she emaciate herself. There is a happy place between emaciated and fat."

And that right were she is at dude. Seriously if you think she is really fat we are really dealing with a different set of rules here. Her body type is the norm for most of what most of the world would consider a healthy human being. Someone mentioned that a woman gains some weight after giving birth. Of course, that's what nature intended so the mother could be healthy enough to nurse and nurture her children. Mother Nature didn't intend for a mother to put on Nikes, get her ipod and start running so she could be as dry as Nicole Ritchie while she drops her rug rat off with the comfortably padded third world nanny. Trust Mother Nature, she is a size 16.

Simon said...

dbp said...
"Trooper, I am not suggesting that she emaciate herself. There is a happy place between emaciated and fat."

She looks to be already there!

Simon said...

Trooper York said...
"I never saw a happy looking person going into a health food store. They always seem disgruntled."

Such people are usually people who either have or would like a Dennis Kucinich bumper sticker and can't stop whining about how horrible America is. They're addicted to misery.

Smilin' Jack said...

Palladian said...
And assholes belong quietly sat on...


Congratulations, Palladian! Sounds like you've turned straight! DTL and Titus will want to know how you did it.

Mind your own fucking business.

Yeah, it's not like she entered a contest or flaunted herself as a "role model" or anything.

1970_baby said...

Sins of the skin and bones...
Fully upholstered...I am ROFLMAO thank you thank you guys for speaking truth to power! :-)

I have been big and I have been small, and it took me a few years into adulthood to realize that men cannot resist curves. Women who haven't realized this yet are still doing starvation contests between each other, and saying "I'm so fat" like a teenager. (I don't have any chicks like that in my mommy posse).

I like having power over men, but its all good because I use it wisely and benevolently. I will stay a size 12 because the worst thing in the world is for a woman to not have a butt.

However, I must say that the REALLY big girls go to far, and the reason they are so big is because they have "issues", which act like man-repellent. At that point, men run away because of the crazy more than the fat.

Last point- never trust a nutritionist. They do not practice science according to any scientific method I ever learned. They should be thrown in jail for the advice they give to diabetics, which worsens their condition. They tell them to go lo-cal and lo-fat, so they end up stuffing carbs into those poor unfortunate diabetics who don't have heart disease yet, but have been put on a heart-disease diet like putting the proverbial cart in front the proverbial horse.

MadisonMan said...

for speaking truth to power!

This is a phrase that I wish would vanish from English vernacular.

(Just in case anyone was wondering what I wish for!)

Palladian said...

"The political correct progressive socialists want to rule the world. You will not enjoy youreslf by doing what you want."

Nope. In my experience it's often leftists who are the most virulently anti-fat. But of course, the other end of the spectrum is exactly the same: the moralistic busybodies on the right are just as censorious, grim and joyless as the moralistic busybodies on the left.

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned these are the two most beautiful Engliswomen on Earth. Pass the double cream, Jennifer.

Anonymous said...

I want to see someone without that cute delicate nosebridge win the contest. You can fix, cheeks, lips, eyes, etc with makeup, but you can't hide the nose.

And until women stop harping on their own and each other insecurities, this issue isn't about fat or skinny. It's about I wanna prove I am beautiful and there are enough hefty people out there to jump on my bandwagon.

Girls with big noses. I am proud to be in the Markéta Irglová camp cause it seems like the only thing she wants to prove is she can be herself independently.

1970_baby said...

Its not your god-given physical attributes make you attractive or not attractive. Its how you carry yourself. There are many women who are nothing special in terms of genetically perfect faces etc., but they have inner beauty which can overcome an unfortunate feature on the face.

Hillary Clinton could be a great beauty - because there is nothing physically wrong with her face. She is ugly on the inside, which makes her appearance seem hideous. If she changed her heart, people would stop mocking her breasticles and cankles.

Smilin' Jack said...

I really don't mind women being fat (except insofar as they block my view of the attractive thin women behind them.) It's when they start telling me that I should find them attractive that I get annoyed. Sorry, chubby, it just doesn't work that way.

Anonymous said...

A beauty contest is a beauty contest and it is about beauty.

Being president isn't a beauty contest. And if it was about inner beauty or shining love, well, Jesus would have wanted to be a statesmen. Maybe the world history would have been written differently if he had.

Think about it. Are you sure?

dbp said...

Like I said, tastes vary.

"Why should she live her life trying to please most people?"

It is her decision to enter a beauty pagent. Such things require pleasing the judges and hopefully they are a fair proxy for what most people like.

Nels said...

Thanks, Trooper, for fighting the good fight.

I give skinny-women-loving guys the benefit of the doubt that they aren't misogynists, control freaks, or closet gays, but they need to accept that its a tiny minority of men who think Angelina Jolie has a great body.

dbp said...

Nels,

Angelina Jolie is not to my taste either, but she was once voted the most attractive woman in the world.

Maybe she got all those the votes for her mind.

Peter V. Bella said...

MadisonMan said...
Not Whole Foods. Whole Paycheck.



Man, you ain't kidding. But it's the only place close that has really fresh fish and a wide assortment of produce.

lurker2209 said...

I agree that Grenfell is shrill and irritating in her article. But she has a point. Obesity is probably a bigger public health problem for young women these days than anorexia. And Chloe's weight does put her at risk for health problems later in life.

The fat is fabulous meme is basically a backlash to the fashion industry's extreme focus on rail-thin models. When culture tells a girl like Chloe that she had to drop down to a size 2 to be beautiful, it's no wonder that she rejects that impossible struggle and proclaims the beauty of curves.

But what everyone forgets is that you can be curvy at size 8 or 10 or 12 without putting yourself at risk for diabetes or heart problems.

What we really need to change is the food industry's tendency to infuse everything we eat with high fructose corn syrup. That's what makes eating healthy seem so draconian.

Trooper York said...

No problem Nels. I can't believe that anyone would diss the lovely Chloe Marshall. Can't you just see yourself oiling her up and sliding all around those delicious curves until you slide into home plate? I mean some guys want to get on their 10 speed bikes with their one pants leg tied up and their little helmets and rolled up copy of the NY Times and the biodegradable shopping bag filled with tofu and bean sprouts so they get home in time for the PBS pledge drive concert with Pete Seegar. And then there are guys like us who want to climb into a Caddy with plush seats, listening to Sinatra as we go for a oh so comfortable ride that smoothes all the bumps so nicely as we get where want to go. Carry on brother.

By the way, I hope you told half-pint to go ahead and have some candy cause she was way too skinny.

Kirby Olson said...

Years ago on the $1.98 Beauty Contest one of the contestants was described as being a sturdy swimmer with a head hard enough to sink the Bismark.

She won.

reader_iam said...

It should be ridiculed and not celebrated.

In the end, everyone single one of us will die. Some of us will be more likely to die as assholes than others.

Sloan, I can see not necessarily celebrating. But ridiculing? And as a should? Sheesh.

bearbee said...

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned these are the two most beautiful Engliswomen on Earth. Pass the double cream, Jennifer.


Add the beautiful Dame Judi Dench

Roger J. said...

"In the end, everyone single one of us will die. Some of us will be more likely to die as assholes than others."
Love that observation, Reader!
I am with those that prefer a lady to be more Reubenesque than Twiggy (oops--dated myself badly). It isnt necessarily the size of the lady that scares me off: its the number of relationship/self-improvement/body image/codependency etc books on her bookshelf.

Synova said...

"Trust Mother Nature, she is a size 16."

Bless you.

And "fine as you are" is absolutely a good message to tell girls. It's certainly better than, "I'm so ugly I should lose weight but what if I lose all that weight and I'm *still* ugly?" Oh, trust me. That ones a sure winner. Or how about, "Anything I try on makes me look fat so I won't buy anything decent to wear until I lose 40 pounds. It doesn't matter if I wear rags because I'm going to look ugly no matter what." That's a winner, too.

Feeling good about your body is the *best* place to be if self-improvement is going to happen. Can't fail, you know. If you know you're beautiful then you know you'll be beautiful 10 or 20 pounds lighter or if you jog or exercise you'll still be beautiful. Having known girls who *stopped* jogging because it made their thighs larger, I assure anyone that this is a concern. Fat upper arms? Same thing. If you're short it takes almost nothing to thicken those upper arms.

The author picking on Chloe is just the sort that has set us girls up for failure only *she* does it with fancy titles and claims it's for our health instead of passively through entertainment and stick models.

Trooper York said...

There’s nothing worse than when a skinny mother comes in with her “fat” daughter. The mom is nothing but critical, “That looks terrible.” “You shouldn’t wear that, you need something to cover you up.” “I hate shopping with you, why can’t you lose weight and look like your sister.” My wife will go into the dressing room with the girl and often she will be quietly crying. Sometimes these are just high school girls. Then I step in and distract the cunt of a mom with jokes or slight of hand or anything else that will keep me from kicking her in the twat out onto the street. We try to let the girl know that maybe she will lose weight or maybe not, but she can still find real clothes that fit and that are stylish and she can look good now, not in a year from now. You can always look good and feel good about yourself. It just takes a little work. It’s the people who give up and don’t care about their appearance at all that are the stereotypes that all the assholes enjoy mocking. Chloe is a beauty and needs not take a back seat to anyone.

Revenant said...

She looks cute to me.

Smilin' Jack said...

Nels said...
its a tiny minority of men who think Angelina Jolie has a great body.


How can I get to your planet?

Anonymous said...

Teenage girls?

My mom saved my baby cards. I read them recently. Here's one of the comments from a friend?

"WOW What a amazon!"

That is what was written. Others for sure thought it. I was 10 lbs 5 oz.

In first grade I was normal size, always the tallest but I never thought of myself as overweight. People now who are overweight in the psychology department want me to believe I have an image problem of myself because I have a real tight zone of weight limits that I try so hard not to let myself get out of.

.Amazon thighs. yep, and I see them as an asset.



Is Your Dog Fat?
from HealthyPetNet

Obesity is one of the greatest health concerns facing our pets. Overweight dogs may live shorter and less healthy lives and your enjoyment of their precious companionship my be shortened because of it. You can and should do something about it.

Carrying extra weight puts an extra burden on bones and joints, and can make arthritis problems worse. Overweight dogs can be uncomfortable and less able to play and exercise. Their bodies may be less able to resist infections, and they may be at greater risk for problems during surgery and anesthesia.

How can I tell if my dog is overweight?

A quick way to check if your dog is overweight is to feel his ribs with the flat of your hand. If you can only feel the ribs with difficulty, your dog probably needs to lose weight.

rhhardin said...

Of course as a guy, my goal should be to become rich, not to lose weight, to attract babes.

blake said...

While I think she's lovely, I also think Angelina Jolie has a great body--or at least in those instances where she's shown it. Or say, Catherine Zeta Jones, who is no stick figure. America Ferrara.

You know, it's pretty much all good. The thing that cracks me up is that, for most of human history, it seems to be the skinny girl who gets trashed for being underweight and now that we've entered a period where skinnier is supposed to be sexier--they're still getting trashed by their "big-boned" sisters.

There is "too skinny" and there is "too fat". There are some women (e.g., Theresa Russell and Rebecca De Mornay) who look great within a 20-30 pound range.

You want to have a well-defined jaw line if you go for the heavier, otherwise the weight goes right to your chin. That's not good (mail or female).

Health-wise, yeah, being overweight makes you more inclined to get a number of diseases, but being skinny seems to mean that when you do get sick, you're way more likely to die from it.

Lindsey said...

That article says she is 5'10". I am 5'6" and a similar size though I have recently lost 40 lbs. Chloe probably weighs 240lbs minimum. THAT IS NOT HEALTHY. Her calves look like they are twice the size mine were at their heaviest. If she doesn't lose weight, she'll probably end up morbidly obese.

Unknown said...

The question is whether a "fat" girl- one who is not below 110 pounds can win a beauty pageant. Based on today's standards, I think the answer to this is no. I applaud the attempts to change the stick figure because it is simply not healthy and not a representation of reality. Chloe admitted she overeats which is not healthy either. The pageant is judging on beauty- it is a beauty pageant- and this means on the inside and out. It depends on the judges and their definition of beauty. I personally do not think a 100 pound girl or a 300 pound girl is a healthy person. I do not think Chloe winning will change the standard of beauty, but it will definitely stir up chatter and discussion. This would affect the notions of beauty but I do not think it helps the obesity problem, as Miss England.

Unknown said...

I see a lot of discussion about how this girl should just lose weight, or how this will make people think that being overweight is ok. How many people do you know who lost over 50 lbs and kept it off for more than a year? How many people do you know who said to themselves, "yes, I think I'd like to be fat!" "I love having to shop in special stores and have people criticize what I eat" There really is plenty of incentive for people to lose weight. (Just as there is plenty of incentive to be rich, or tall, or white, or straight- It's much easier to be part of the dominant and chosen class) This isn't as easy as it seems. Maybe she won't win, but somehow she got this far, so she should be allowed to compete. And everyone else should take a look at the way they judge the character and personality of people who are overweight. It's ok to be fat, just like it's OK to be short, or tall, or have a bad heart. Further, weight may be an indicator of health, but it isn't as great an indicator as you might think. Those of you who find allowing fat people to be happy with themselves so disconcerting, might think about how you would feel if everyone thought that you were ugly, and that they should let you know it. "It's ok to think your ok, but just so you know, I think your ugly and a lazy person, based on your nose. "

Omaha1 said...

I find the world-wide anti “obesity” hysteria increasingly disturbing. Certainly there are some people whose overweight is due to laziness and gluttony, but the truth is that most so-called “obese” people eat no more than their “normal” sized counterparts, and have the same level of physical activity. It is disgraceful how the media ridicules and insults those who don’t meet their stick-thin ideal.

I suspect that this is yet another attempt at seizing power over people’s personal lives and choices. Much of what passes for nutritional science is extremely flawed and there are virtually no diet or exercise programs that have proven successful for maintaining long-term weight loss. In extreme cases government entities have threatened to take children away from their parents because of the children’s overweight.

Check out the junk food science blog which debunks a lot of the anti-obesity craze.

Junk Food Science

dbp said...

"It's ok to be fat, just like it's OK to be short, or tall, or have a bad heart."

There isn't anything a person can do to make themselves tall or short, there is a lot a person can do to be fat or thin. Watching what you eat and working-out are not exactly esoteric secrets.

Unknown said...

I disagree. Though there is more you can do to be thin than to be tall many studies indicate that it is highly unusual to lose weight and keep it off, even while conforming with a diet and exercise plan. Additionally, losing weight is very difficult. Many people have to work out for an hour or more a day and eat at near anorexic levels to lose weight, then keep those standards to maintain it. I know I'd rather be around a fat, full, happy person than a hungry, tired, busy, thin person.

Unknown said...

Why is it that we have to take everything to extremes? First, I don't believe that the majority of Miss UK or Miss America or even America's Next Top Model girls are necessarily unhealthy or even underweight. Many of them eat healthy and exercise regularly which is a good thing. Others just have great genetics. And even if we assume that all of them ARE underweight, it does not make it okay to give the alternate role model of an overweight girl. Why can't it just be a regular, HEALTHY woman? While it's unfortunate that overweight girls may have low self-esteem, we should not be teaching them that their body size is normal and acceptable and something to aspire to. Obesity is an epidemic and this is NOT the way to combat it.

Bradpetehoops said...

Can be I saw chubby but angelic faces woman.