Posted by Racer on March 30, 2004, at 8:37:53
In reply to Re: Being fat, posted by platinumbride on March 30, 2004, at 5:11:53
Heheheh, I saw something about this on some talk show a few years ago, maybe Oprah. They took a skinny chick who made fun of fat people, put her in a fat suit, and sent her out into the world. She came back to the studio so miserable, having experienced the sort of treatment she'd been dishing out. I don't know if anyone who needed to see this took in the meanings, but it certainly changed her world.
When she came in, she was very confident about herself, believed herself beautiful and a wonderful human being. She also believed that making disparaging comments about fat people was perfectly all right -- nothing like racism or anything like that. They filmed her out on the street, and within minutes she turned into a scared, miserable human being. The looks people gave her hurt her, the comments they made behind her back stung, and she came back with a different view of the world. I hope it lasted, too.
It really is sad. And it's wrong. Again, this is a Soapbox Issue for me, so I'm going to keep this short rather than bore everyone, but people have a very, very skewed idea of what a healthy weight is. Those supermodels represent less than 8% of the population in body type. And that's a very young 8%, as well as a not very healthy portion for most people who emulate them. (And the Kate Moss look is based on the ultimate in ill health: heroin addiction. I'm not saying she was a junkie, just that the look was based on how junkies look. Is that what we want women to strive for?) The average numbers right about now for American women are somehting like 5'4" and 146 pounds. The mean is up there, too. Any individual's Ideal Healthy Weight is INDIVIDUAL -- it's the weight at which that individual is healthy and functions as well as possible.
That said, I also think exercise is good for everyone. Not gym based, necessarily, just anything that feels good and gets the body moving. When I've got the energy, I turn on my stereo and dance in this living room. Or I'll walk someplace instead of driving. Exercise doesn't have to be dull or hard, it can be as pleasant as a walk in the park, or chasing a frisbee with a dog. And the more exercise you do, the more energy you'll have to do more. Getting started is always the hardest part.
For someone who doesn't believe me, think about walking a Labyrinth if there's one around you, or walking through a museum or acquarium, or any other exhibition hall. Walk farther than you feel as if you can, and then do it again for the next four days. By day four, you should be able to walk the same distance without trouble.
Good luck, and I hope this helps someone.
poster:Racer
thread:324037
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040327/msgs/330257.html