by Beth S.
Member since:
June 30, 2007

Big is Normal

August 12, 2007 03:01 PM EDT
views: 48 | comments: 19
 

This morning while I was reading something on the computer I was introduced to four new terms that I have never heard of before today and I was kind of shocked

 

  • Big Beautiful Women
  • Chubby Culture
  • Fat Admirers
  • Fat Acceptance Movement

 

What I don't understand is how there are subcultures for people that make up the majority of the population?

 

 

I hate to sound like a pessimist on the subject but those incredible skinny fit people you see mostly on television and magazines are not what normal look like!  Open the front door to your house and you look left and right and you will noticed that your neighbors, store workers, educators are people that look pretty average (over weight).  This country is made up of larger people and therefore I don't understand why there is such a strong prejudice against fat people?  It seems almost stupid if you think about it.  The large out number the skinny and fit almost 3 to 1 in general population polls.  This being the case why should the people that have a few extra pounds be ashamed of being normal looking?

 

 

The more I read about big beautiful women the more I was left asking questions?  These women look normal and not like the freakish looking runway models that are 5'11 and 115 pounds that not what a normal person looks like.  The images of these normal women in the magazine looked like people I would see on the street. 

 

 

I know this is not much of an article but I had a lot of questions on the issue because although I am not obese I feel classified into the category of being fat everyday.  I feel like the men that are looking at me are the ones that did not have a chance with skinny very attractive women so they are hoping to date a plus sized girl that is not going to say no to them because they assuming things about me that are not true.

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Comments: 19

James B. Aug 12, 2007, 3:07pm EDT
You are correct, but I don't think unhealthy people should be accepted as the norm. There is a difference between a few unwanted pounds and being morbidly obese. I am shocked at the numbers of morbidly obese people I see out in public (not that I think they should be shut ins). I can not believe that we are supposedly the best country in the world and we can not solve a simple problem like obesity. What is in our food that is making us so fat?
Beth S. Aug 12, 2007, 3:09pm EDT
James, I like to call it water weight... ;-)
Karen M. Aug 12, 2007, 3:11pm EDT
A topic near and dear to my heard. I have been big my entire life and I work at it some times better than others. I am shocked that I am saying this, but I agree with James. We can't as a country accept this as THE NORM. I don't say everyone has to be model size, but we have begun to pass it on to our children and that is sad. I hope that as a culture we start to go the other direction.
Heather * Aug 12, 2007, 3:16pm EDT
I agree with James, there is difference between being over weight and being morbidly obese. When I lived and worked in Indiana, the first ten parking spaces were taken up by handi-cap cars that were given the tags because they were morbidly obese. A co-worker Dan, who was hand-capped after Vietnam, had to struggle to find a spot because of the other cars. Seriously, there has not been such a genetic mutation in the human race to qualify all the morbidly obese people who say, "It's not me, it's my genes."

Park farther out and get in a few extra hundred steps in a day, then maybe you won't be morbidly obese. As for you Beth, you are normally and shouldn't feel you are in a "sub" category. 5'11 115 should be in a sub category.
AiLing K. Aug 12, 2007, 3:18pm EDT
I understand your concern. But I am going the other direction... In contrast to Karen, I have been small my entire life and tried as I may, I can't gain an ounce. I have hard time gaining weight but I can easily lose a few pounds in a very short period of time! My friends envy me but being too small isn't healthy either:(
Tom M. Aug 12, 2007, 3:25pm EDT
America needs to DOWNSIZE if we are to maintain the current life expectancy. It is a tough struggle for many, but if they can get a handle on it, they will feel much better. I have been both average and overweight. Average is a lot more fun.
Sara :-) Aug 12, 2007, 3:54pm EDT
Healthy weight varies from person to person. As long as it's not a health issue, be whatever size you want to be. There is such a thing of unhealthy skinny too. Look in the mirror, talk to your doctor and find where you are happy. Not where the t.v. or magazines or the government thinks you should be.
Beth S. Aug 12, 2007, 6:06pm EDT
Heather, Why is that I can see you running a fat camp??? That would be so cruel you would make all of us park in the nose bleed section of parking lot and makes run lapses! ;-)
Susan N. Aug 12, 2007, 8:02pm EDT
My son says there are hormones in the beef and chicken that make us want to eat more.
My pet theory is the super size fast food meals. You have to know what a "serving" is. 32 ounces is 4 servings of soft drink! There are fast food meals out there containing much more than an entire days caloric intake - some of the fast food salads are even dangerous if they have loads of cheese and dressing!
Heather W. Aug 12, 2007, 8:03pm EDT
I agree "fat" people can be healthy. Just because someone is bigger doesn't mean we're diseased and horrible in health. Skinny people face the same problems we do. People need to look at people as people, and not as categories of body types
CyberGwen ! Aug 12, 2007, 8:06pm EDT
You know, I have never thought of the issue much at all until I read this. I consider myself pretty normal at 5'8 110 pounds, but you are right. When I wald outside my door I am confronted by a lot more people that are bigger than I am than my size or smaller. So I guess that I am weird. Somehow, I don't like being labeled that way, just like you wouldn't like being labeled as one of the groups that you mentioned.

I just think that everyone has their own ideal body type/size and they should do what they can to maintain their health at that size. If you feel good, roll with it and darn the people that don't like it or are judgemental!
Corina Carrasco Aug 12, 2007, 10:30pm EDT
This is very much an article, Beth. You are correct in your observations. I was surprised to see size 12 women's clothing lumped in with the LARGE sizes. It used to be that the large sizes didn't begin till18. Now they begin at 12. Now, when the majority of women are not under a size 16, they make then feel even bigger by putting their clothing in the LARGE category!
Beth S. Aug 12, 2007, 10:33pm EDT
Corina, some times when I go buy clothes I want a paper bag with two eye holes so no one will see me in the large section. thank you for this comment, I glad I am not the only one that thinks about these things!
Sandra L. Aug 12, 2007, 11:55pm EDT
There are a lot of good points here. I would like to say to the thin people who think it is so easy to "eat less, exersize more" that until you have lived the life, you don't know what the heck you are talking about. Some of those obese people taking up handicapped spots just may be obese because of legitimate health problems like thyroid or other glandular illnesses. Perhaps if you were to take the time to get to know them, rather than looking the other way when they are walking towards you, you might learn something.
Do you think that you are better than somebody with cancer? Or a heart condition?
Obesity is a disease. Not a choice.
tammy b. Aug 13, 2007, 12:12am EDT
thank you for this article. I was walking down the street this evening with my overweight daughter, when we walked by a car with a couple of young people in it. The skinny good looking girl made a point to let us see her kissing her I quess boy friend. no big deal. we got a few steps past the car, as they were driving off they started barking. I still can't figure out the point of this behavior. We don't know them. And this is one of the reasons my daughter for a long time wouldn't get out and walk. I am so proud of her, she blew them off. And just to let you know she had lost at least 30 lbs before getting pregnant. She will be a Mom in Feb. I would like to also point out that every friend of mine that is over weight is more active, such as in sports and just general day to day movement than I am. I have been thin all my life until my 40's when everything went south. I would like to weigh 120 again but I don't see that happening soon. But I and my daughters are working on it.
Beth S. Aug 13, 2007, 5:47pm EDT
Italian town to pay residents to shed flab

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20246831/
Rushmore J. Aug 13, 2007, 8:00pm EDT
The Italian town link is interesting because much of what is being discussed is a US problem and not reflected world wide. I spent quite a bit of time in europe and while we seem to portray the Italians and the Poles and other European nations as filled with overweight people it is not true.
You are absolutely right that the anorexic models seen in magazines etc (which by the way are purchased by women not men) are ridiculous and shouldn't be held in esteem at all.
Kylee S. Aug 13, 2007, 9:52pm EDT
Awsome responses, I took the time to read all of them. I would consider my self overweight, but definitely not obese. I try to eat as healthy as I can and I do exercise regularly.

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