Obese public personality

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   Astralroseposted 12 years ago

   Recently, a local news anchor from Wisconsin received an email from a viewer stating that since he has seen her years back her weight has not reduced. and that she is still obese. According to the guy who wrote that letter, she should reduce her weight and set an example to people who listen and watch her program.
   
   Should obese public personality be banned from appearing on TV?

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      kaiyan717posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Honestly, I think that everyone has opinions and in this country, you can say them.  However, should they?  Maybe not.  What hapened to people keeping their nose out of other's business and if you don't have nothing nice to say, don't say nothing at all.  Anyone should be able to do their job and do it well, without discrimination of their outer apearance.  It is about as bad as not choosing someone for a job because of their skin color, in this example it is her inherant genes and medical problems.  Maybe America should stop judging everyone and live and let live.  IMO of course.

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         angel4967posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Agreed!  Out of respect you don't point out people's personal flaws and definitely not in public.  No one lives in a glass house that they can throw stones from.  You may not be overweight but you might have something else you wouldn't want the public to be announcing to the world and demeaning you for it.

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            Astralroseposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            The sender of the letter didn't publish his e-mail to her in public. The anchor herself made it public.

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               dove777posted 12 years agoin reply to this

               i thought i read he was an attorney in her town, and that he did sign it but that does not mean she can show his private email to her to the world and slander him.

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                  psycheskinnerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  That depends on how he sent it.  It could have been a equivalent of a "letter to the editor".

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      Cathy Fidelibusposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      This pushes all my buttons. Girls growing up in America are turning towards anerexia and biliemia because of messages like this. Just because this anchor woman is overweight does not mean she should be fired.  Girls in America get the message from very early on in life that in order to be happy and successful you must be beautiful and thin.
      
      This simply is not true.

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         dove777posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         the anorexic or bolemic person is projecting emotional problems onto their eating habits, they are using eating as the one way they feel totally  in control. Its got nothing to do with outside influence, its a problem created right in their lives in the environment supplied by the parents.

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      LadyLolaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Of course people of all sizes, colors, height and sex should be able to live and work in this free country in whatever job they choose. If this lady has been doing the same job for many years, then this proves that she is quite capable already. I'm tired of the outrageous discrimination against chubby people. I am a chubby Ukrainian girl, but this does not mean I am unhealthy. All of my Aunties and Grandmothers were pear shaped like me and they all lived well into their 90's in great health. Too many misconceptions follow what a healthy weight really is. This particular incident was bullying disguised as concern for her health.

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         angel4967posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         You are absolutely right!

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      Sophia Angeliqueposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Obesity is a state of chronic illness and imbalance in the body. It is the result of eating more than the body requires. Increased fat leads to many other illnesses. It's not a matter of whether these people are accepted by society or not (personal considerations are so petty). It's about whether it's a good example to make people think that this is an acceptable condition.
      
      It's not.
      
      I'm battling with chronic weight myself, and it is incredibly difficult to get rid of. So, other than that, I have no answers.

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         Justsilvieposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Not everyone is overweight just because they eat too much. They have done enough research to make that fact clear.
         
         There are people with illnesses that make it hard to control weight. There are people who receive medication that are linked to weight gain. There are genetic links, food additives and numerous other reason people are getting heavier.
         
         There are so many factors to consider it is wrong to assume someone is overweight because the just eat too much and do not exercise enough.
         
         It is sort of like the chicken and the egg, which comes first?
         
         But to harass or bully people because of the size of their body is as unacceptable and just plain wrong.

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      Brenda Durhamposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Nope.
      The guy who wrote the e-mail should be banned from writing e-mails, maybe.  HA

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      moonlakeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I think it's sad that she bothered him so much he thought it was ok to bully her. That is exactly what he was doing. He must not have much of a life. He never had to watch that channel with tv you can always change it. The remarks he made to her does not help. When people say that overweight people don't realize they are overweight, they are so wrong. Really don't know what they are talking about. If your overweight you know it even if it's just a few pounds. He's very likely a woman hater.

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         Uninvited Writerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         She even commented that of course she knew she was overweight.

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            dove777posted 12 years agoin reply to this

            no, but she really didnt know how overweight she was otherwise she wouldnt have gotten so enraged when the email sender pointed it out to her. Really, many people fool themselves and pretend they are much slimmer then they are.

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      EGAD Callposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      No, large is lovely. Ask any Samoan. They are healthy, happy people (at least they were before they got Americanized). Live and let live, and quit judging by appearance.

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   MelissaVsWorldposted 12 years ago

   My personal belief is that the media should have persons of all sizes, ethnicities, and educational backgrounds represented.  There are many reasons why a person may be over weight, or even considered obese, and contrary to popular belief and what is constantly perpetuated by mainstream media, it is not always possible to change this.  Does it make the person any less of a role model?  I don't believe so.  So long as the person is doing their job, and otherwise setting a good example for others--at least in the public eye-- then I feel there is nothing wrong with it.  Now, if the person were endorsing unhealthy behaviors as though they were healthy, I could understand the concern.  I also believe many people are misguided in the belief that overweight means unhealthy.  As I told my new doctor (the physicians office I go to uses residents who need to fulfill their in office experience to fully graduate their program, and they switch about every 2 years), my weight is not a direct cause of any condition I currently have, however it is a direct result of those conditions and I'm doing everything in my power to lose weight.  They need to do what is in their power to help manage my conditions to make that possible.

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      angel4967posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Well put!  I have endometriosis which can affect women of any size but I had many doctors tell me to lose weight and the female problems I was having would go away.  I also had a doctor throw a med student out of the room when I was having a needle put behind my knee do to a sports injury years ago.  The doctor threw him out because he made the statement "if she wasn't over weight this wouldn't have happened."  The doctor was so furious and lectured the student that what had happened to me could have happened to anyone at any size.  I think the doctors who chalk everything up to weight are not only lazy but not compassionate.  Especially if they themselves are thin.  I had one doctor blast his colleague in front of me about his weight.  Unprofessional!  I saw the video this woman did and I am proud of the way she handled it!

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         Astralroseposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         The student was just stating the truth. Truth hurts like most people say but if a person sees and accepts that there's no need to be angry about. Instead, one can just say "yeah, you're right and I really am trying to lose weight for my own good."
         
         Obese doctors are another joke. They are the models of health and yet their weight says otherwise.

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            angel4967posted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Let me clarify, I did say SPORTS injury.  At that time I was not over weight.  I had muscle from the 3 sports I played regularly.  I was not his picture perfect skinny.  There was no TRUTH in his statement and that's why the doctor threw him out.  The doctor threw the student out.  How else is he supposed to learn bedside manner if the mentor doesn't teach him.

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         moonlakeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I wish I could get a great doctor like that.

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      Astralroseposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Since when did overweight become not unhealthy? Nobody is born fat or obese. Being obese is a result of inactivity, too much eating, no or less exercise and many more. As far as I know, there is no study that says endometriosis causes women to gain weight or go obese.
      
      I am more interested to know the activities which you doing to lose weight.

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         angel4967posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Maybe you should do more research on Endometriosis.  The weight I started to gain was directly caused by birth control pills they put me on to "help" the condition.  Furthermore, when you are in the kind of pain Endo can cause, the last thing you feel like doing is exercising.  And, if you know anything at all about Endometriosis, women who have it, been correctly diagnosed and are fighting it, do eat healthy.  The additives in food do not help the condition.  Personally I think this forum has gone off the topic.  As ocbill stated there are medical conditions that affect a person's weight at times.  Bullying someone because they are overweight, believe in a certain religion, follow a certain politician, are a certain race, etc, etc, etc is still BULLYING.  Period.

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            Motown2Chitownposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            +1 to you as well.

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         Motown2Chitownposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         There are many men and women who are considered 'overweight' and are quite healthy, actually.  Babies born to diabetic mothers are often overweight at birth.  Being overweight may also be a side effect of medications a person takes to manage certain illnesses that are in no way related to weight.  Many people suffer from hormone or thyroid problems that make it difficult to keep or take off extra weight.  This statement reflects a lack of information that you might want to brush up on before tackling a sensitive subject such as this one.  I don't think you intend to be insulting or condescending, but that is how some of what you're saying comes across.

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   ocbillposted 12 years ago

   The media does have obese people representing them in one most people overlook like Sports, Film, Music, Comedy to name a few.   
   Coach John Madden,
   Coach of NY Jets, some NFL players,
   The guy from Moneyball (recently lost weight)
   Chris Farley ( R.I.P.)
   Lisa Lampanelli (lost weight form gastric sleeve)
   Ceelo, Adele (although many great singers are overweight)
   
   We accept them all and want to see whatever they do, BECAUSE they are good at what they do. However, they do need to be responsible for themselves and their fans. If we turn other way we should all eat unhealthy, not exercise, start smoking cigs, etc. Ultimately, losing weight is beneficial to all around you.
   
   There should be no outcry to this because from what I heard by the emailer - it was quite tame and "constructive criticism". I have heard and read a lot worse. However, he did not know she has a thyroid condition. It is not an acceptable condition but if you are truly giving effort then there is nothing to say. Nobody wants to be or desires to be obese unless you are a sumo wrestler.
   
   This has been blown way out of proportion but the newscaster was correct about bullying. She just used his rather tame letter to seque against bullying. I agree about NOT bullying and can empathize with her medical condition as I recently got a really bad herniated disk for 8 months and could not do many things I used to do with ease (like walk, exercise or bend).
   My daughter was bullied when she started at a new school. People are vicious today. Look at the brawl at a Philadelphia wedding at a Hilton no less.

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      Kimbergramposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I think the thing that saddens me most is that society feels as if they should have a say in what she does and how she should live her life. I do not believe that whether someone is skinny, fat, tall, short, has three nipples or two, that those "0utside traits" should make any difference on who they see themselves as a person. What we really are lies within our internal make up/soul/.authenticity . Here is where the truth prevails and it matters what you feel about you. Sometimes it takes a lot of work, but it is important NOT to let others influence your inner self.

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         Motown2Chitownposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         +1
         
         Well said!

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         angel4967posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Beautifully stated Kimbergram!

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   dove777posted 12 years ago

   Being in the public light one has to anticipate they draw attention to themselves and might or might not get commentary about their image. It was distasteful of that man to address her weight and no, she is not responsible for setting a role model image for other peoples children about losing weight HOWEVER she retaliated against the man who emailed her and bullied him while accusing him of bullying her. She demonstrated a wicked defense mechanism and impressed me as a very unhappy woman. Losing weight might be just what she needs!

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      Uninvited Writerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You thought she looked unhappy? She was unhappy about the bullying. She did not bully him, she pointed out his letter and where he was wrong. I am getting tired of everyone coopting bullying and confusing it with disagreement. She handled it very well.

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         Justsilvieposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I agree with you! People seem to pick on people that are overwight but no one mentions the problems of those underweight, but there also are health risks in being underweight like, Type 1 Diabetes, Anemia, Osteoporosis, Immune System Deficiencies, etc.
         
         Plus not everyone thinks a gap between your legs big enough to drive a truck through or a body that looks like your head is too big for it is attractive or healthy. 
         
         I think to assume everyone who is overweight is unhealthy is wrong, but to bully someone on either end of the scale shows a much bigger problem and that is one of being a self ritous bully. You never know what a person goes through or why they are in the shape they are in so instead of opening our big mouths to judge or try to influence others to do it, we might try a little empathy, which seems to be in short supply these days.

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            Motown2Chitownposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            +1  Beautiful, Justsilvie!

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            angel4967posted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Thank you Justsilvie for pointing out that a person's weight high or low can be attributed to many other things in their lives.  You did an excellent job of expressing the many flaws in society and only certain ones get the brunt of the berating.  Great job!

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            dove777posted 12 years agoin reply to this

            the fact is empathy works both ways, empathy for the newswoman who cant stop overeating and empathy for the man who emailed her and is probably a control freak himself who cant stand seeing anyone else not controlling themselves as he does. She and him are both frustrated off centered individuals.

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               Uninvited Writerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               You have no idea whether she overeats or not.  Did you actually listen to her entire talk?
               
               You are the only person I have ever heard make this a negative thing for her to do.
               
               I would say you are the one protesting too much.

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                  Justsilvieposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Again you are right on target.
                  
                  There seem to be a lot of assumptions about health, weight and eating disorders going on here and not many correct facts to back them up.

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         dove777posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         no, I think she tried to make him look worse then he made her feel. It was all about revenge. She cant take criticism and shes one of those obese women who secretly think they are slimmer then they are. She was inflamed by the guys email to her. It made her fangs come out.

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            NYMiskovicposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            "She can't take criticism..."  Since when is calling someone fat, obese, or overweight okay? Yes, it was a criticism and no, she doesn't have to take it! It was said with malicious intent...not with concern for her or her well-being. If someone had openly criticized you, or any of us, would we sit idly by and not say anything? I highly doubt it.  I say kudos to her for handling it the way she did.

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               dove777posted 12 years agoin reply to this

               anyone by her age knows if you stand at a public podium like the local television you are going to get mail about everything and if you are obese that may be one of the topics. Im telling you by her reaction of trying to destroy him on the air, with such a vengence, she is probably one of those women in denial about her appearance and sees herself as a lot more attractive then she is. The mans comments totally enraged her vanity.

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                  Uninvited Writerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Again, if she had mentioned the guy's name, if she had insulted him that would be vengeance. The way she did it was classy and she used it as a teaching moment.

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                  NYMiskovicposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  In denial about what? She openly admitted she was overweight. That doesn't sound like denial to me.
                  
                  A lot more attractive to whom, exactly? You? The guy who wrote her that letter? The viewing public? Does it even matter?
                  
                  What she has is a severe case of SELF-CONFIDENCE! And in my book, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. More women should take a page from her book. If *she* views herself as beautiful, attractive, sexy, or whatever else then more power to her.
                  
                  I have much more respect for people who are comfortable with themselves than people who'd rather suffer something like this in silence and start to question their self-worth because of some callous comment made by a man who had nothing better to do than cut down a woman.

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                     dove777posted 12 years agoin reply to this

                     It would have been more appropiate for her to say that her feelings were hurt and left it at that, not tried to get even with the man who wrote her a private email. Also she should have left all of us out of it.

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   Xenonlitposted 12 years ago

   My beef with her is that she could have replied to the man privately or she could have addressed the issue without making it a one sided public whining jag.
   
   She abused her public platform with a very unprofessional rant and whine. In this matter, I don't care if she is obese or not, but this business of attacking the messenger has to stop.

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      Justsilvieposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      There is an old saying “your rights end where my nose starts”. When the messenger chooses to critique and insult you, you have every right to fight back with all the weapons in your arsenal.
      
      People on this planet are hit with a barrage of negativity every day, those dishing it out must be prepared to run into people who finally have reached their limit and since the support for her stance has been extremely positive, I would say she handled it very well.

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         angel4967posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Again, I agree with you Justsilvie 100%.  And furthermore she highlighted the issue of bullying.  Just because she chose to go public doesn't make her a bad person.  How would you feel if your child came home to an email like that.  You surely would not ignore it, no you would do something about it and that's what she did.  She's getting the word out about bullying.  It would have been no different if the email attacked her for any other reason besides her weight and she chose to fight back the way she did.

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         Uninvited Writerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Exactly. And she handled it very diplomatically. She could have called him names, etc. but she didn't. She could have named him but she didn't. She used it as a learning opportunity for the community.

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            dove777posted 12 years agoin reply to this

            she wouldnt DARe name him because he is an attorney in her town and might get sued. She is an out of control over eater who is spiteful. Ive met women like her over the years and she is USING the bully flatform as a weapon against the attorney who wrote her a private email and did not slander her in front of the public. He got her goat and shes proving it by her response. As shakespeare said
            " she protests too much!"

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      Cathy Fidelibusposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I agree. Also, when you are a public figure you have to know there will be people saying both positive and negative things about you. You have to be thick skinned, it comes with the territory.

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         Justsilvieposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Yes I agree, you do have to be thick skinned, but people who throw rocks at you need to realize you might just pick them up and hurl them back.

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   EGAD Callposted 12 years ago

   Hey, my old German Great-Grandmother thought you weren't healthy if you you weren't carrying some extra weight. Beer, brats and potatoes will fix that right up for you.

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   Greek Oneposted 12 years ago

   i think only hot women should read the news.....
   .
   .
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   nude
   
   
   
   

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      Kimbergramposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      HaHa, I didn't even know there was such a show. Naked news! Hopefully that is just waist up because everything below the waist is not nearly as nice to look at in my opinion.  (at least from the front- and I am assuming most people would be talking into the TV) One question, where would you plug in your mic?

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   techygranposted 12 years ago

   hmmm... I don't watch TV and might be way out of the loop here, but it seems that what we have in this forum is largely a "clash of the TV role models"--  if I DID watch TV I would choose the anchor as a role model (for her bold and effective defense of all children out there who are picked on because their bullies hear the adults in their lives making nasty comments and judgements about others) or Oprah (at whatever phase in her much-watched weight management) over the likes of Jerry Springer, Howard Stern and others of that ilk who have raised the bar on on-screen bullying.  IMO of course.

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   angel4967posted 12 years ago

   Let's just say the bulk of people responding here are right.  Although I am going to propose this:  Do fat people know they're fat?  Of course they do.  Do fat people NEED other people (including strangers)  to tell them they are fat? In most cases, no they don't.  There are the exceptions to that rule in people who don't get the proper medical information, yet they do not need anyone passing judgement on them for their outward appearance.  Yes, the news woman could have chosen to handle the situation privately, but I'm sure she knew she was going to cause a stir with her video, much as this forum has done.  Why would she want to draw attention to the fact she is overweight?  I'm sure she didn't but she may have been the Norma Rae, the Karen Silkwood, etc. of this particular issue.  If anyone thinks they are perfect in their appearance, personality, etc. they may feel they have the right to criticize others.  Someone mentioned the letter writer could be a control freak.  Interesting.  Is he sending private email to every public figure on the planet that is overweight and is seen on TV?  In any event, the situation did exactly what it was supposed to, got people talking.

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      dove777posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I had a friend for years who grew worse and worse as time passed at taking it upon herself to chastize people for any number of reasons of their need for self improvement. Her need to do this stemmed from growing up in a hostile home life environment where her parents displayed hate and disdain for one another and never forgiveness. It is common for children of this kind of environment to emerge into hypercritical individuals. It has always been a destroyer of her establishing closeness with anyone.

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         angel4967posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         That is very helpful to understanding possibly where the man who wrote the email is coming from.  Mind you I am not defending it but it does make it easier to understand.  I come from a long line of child abuse, my grandparents put it in motion and unfortunately my mom continued that trend and I swore I would never do that.  It takes a lot of work to control something like that when you've grown up that way but it can be done.  Thanks for sharing this about your friend.  Now we might be seeing both sides to the story.

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    ocbillposted 12 years ago

    I guess I am in the minority here as I support his effort to "help her". Firstly, It was a private email meant for the TV personality, not the general public. I felt it was constructive criticism and NOT bullying.
    
    People have become overly sensitive to their flaws and would just rather live them than correct them. Although in her case, I learned she is on an active weight loss program. 
    Another thing, I don't believe is young women, and adults are getting the message that to be thin is beautiful and to get there you need to engage in bulimic activities. No. They just want to look normal (and it is not wafer thin like "some" actresses), average, and fit in with the crowd. I hear and see more teaching of diet and exercise than forcing yourself to throw up.
    Everyone has a different opinion. Some people just don;t think they fat or obese and accept it when they should start to change for the "better". How is that bad when you try to help a stranger?
    Is it offensive for a employed person to counsel a homeless person to clean up their act and find work by doing A and B?
    .

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       dove777posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Its wiser to be quiet and say nothing. The woman wants to keep carrying around excess weight its not anyones business if they are just sitting there watching the tv. The man had no vested interest in her on any level , it was something he couldnt resist to show off how knowledgable he was, he acted like he had to step up to the job of saving her from herself. He probably did a lot of referrining in his childhood between conflicts he was exposed to. Think of it as a kind of defense mechanism he created to stress.

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       Justsilvieposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Negative attacks never helps, anyone. You would not point out to a homless person, how dirty and unkempt they are, at least an empathectic person who really wanted to help them would not. It’s not someone's elses responsibility to point out someones "flaws". Most of us are aware of our own and someone pointing them out rarely come across as helpful or kind.

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    Uninvited Writerposted 12 years ago

    Actually, if you followed the whole story she was wanting to ignore it but her husband got very incensed and posted about it on his Facebook page. The amount of support she got made her want to go public with it.

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       dove777posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       her husband apparently got embarrassed at a guy describing her as fat, it was her husband who was part of the problem

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          Uninvited Writerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          No...he was offended by the letter. It is so easy to twist something negatively...

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    ocbillposted 12 years ago

    jealous husband. it figures. The it was he who felt bullied more than her.
    
    Justsilvie, "Most of us are aware of our own and someone pointing them out rarely come across as helpful or kind."
    
    I agree. Normally it should not come from a stranger and should be from someone close to the family or a close friend.
    OTOH, people who are close sometimes have no effect on encouraging someone to look for a job, to get off drugs, to stop drinking alcohol too much, to lose weight. Obviously not all teachers or coaches have the same effect on someone which is why some are more successful than others. We all know people with flaws who seem to never change. Just because you know your flaw exist does not mean you have a plan of action you are doing and it is working.
    Sometimes it takes a stranger to have a positive impact. It happens with pro athletes who let themselves gain lots of weight (Shaq, Barkley), TV - Kirstie Alley, Oprah and many others in the media. People around them tend to not have the guts to say it effectively.

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       dove777posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       only a loving parent or spouse or chid or friend, a LOVING person who genuninely cares about you should address your need for self control , no one else. A doctor fits into that category of caring too. Her husband put her on the tv and put her in the spot light and cant be surprized if she got comments about her weight, We all know you dont see any overweight women anchoring the news on a regular basis. They just wanted to get even the man who wrote the letter.

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          Uninvited Writerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Her husband did not put her on TV. She is the host of a morning program.

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             dove777posted 12 years agoin reply to this

             I think it said he is the producer of the show

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                Uninvited Writerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                No, he is the anchor man of the local news program.

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          techygranposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Excuse me? "Her husband PUT her on the TV"?  Huh?  We are talking about an intelligent, educated, fully-mature woman here-- not a child in a beauty contest.  Just as a sidebar, my husband of 42+ years often empathizes with my hurts and disappointments, and if others hurt my feelings he isn't "jealous" when he expresses support and compassion.  Sometimes he encourages me to confront the behaviour and sometimes he might counsel me to 'let it go' but I would be surprised to hear that he is "jealous" and demands that I confront irresponsible behaviour from jealousy.  As adults we are our own emotional agents but support from our trusted loved ones is frequently much appreciated.

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    Justsilvieposted 12 years ago

    Well she has brought the subject to the foreground and the support for her has been overwhelming and in a country where Barbie dolls, enhancement surgery and other plastic objects are an example of female beauty...People might be getting a reality check.
    
    Real Women are everywhere including on TV and online. But, so are bullies and looks like the "we aren’t going to take it anymore" is the call to battle. So if you decide to bully someone in person, online, by E-mail and they make it public... I say more power to them. There is no right to privacy when you invade someone else’s.

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       ocbillposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       "in a country where Barbie dolls, enhancement surgery and other plastic objects are an example of female beauty...People might be getting a reality check. "
       I don't think a reality check will ever happen. It is designed this way. Become obese from bad food (billion $ fast food industry)  to stimulate the billion dollar fitness industry. There's too much money involved like in politics. Corruption goes a long way. Did you know MSG is now hidden as yeast extract now?

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          angel4967posted 12 years agoin reply to this

          I couldn't agree with you more.  There are additives put in food that make you become addicted, then you keep eating it and causing yourself any number of other problems so you go see a doctor.  They throw drugs at you for those problems and maybe even to lose weight too.  These industries would crumble if the world suddenly got so healthy we didn't have all these problems.  I read all ingredients.  If there are more than 6 or I can't pronounce something (obviously I don't know what it is) I tend not to buy it.  I haven't bought any processed food in a long, long time.  That's not to say the pesticides sprayed on our fruits and vegetables or the hormones being fed to our livestock aren't causing problems either.  It's a vicious cycle.

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       dove777posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       obese women are overlooked by men, its as if they are invisible and its the same with obese men, the truth is slim is more attractive as far as the first impression on strangers. Its better for the integrity of our bones and organs to not weigh any more then our body is made to hold. Some of our weaknesses can be hidden and disguised and no bodys business but when we eat more then we need, we show it to the whole world anywhere we go.

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          Justsilvieposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Thus would be a great subject for a Hub!

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          kathleenkatposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          In this country, maybe. In other parts of the world, chunky women are considered beautiful. In India, for example, it is common that after a woman marries and has kids, she becomes pudgy. This is seen as a sign of fertility, and also that she is a good cook. Least that's what my Indian Anthropology professor told us one day.

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             dove777posted 12 years agoin reply to this

             but....the wiser woman slims down to get married in the first place. then she can move into the Mother pudge mode.

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    kathleenkatposted 12 years ago

    ADELE says "It is my personal goal in life to never become skinny."
    
    That's fine by me. No problem with that. One of my personal goals is to never become fat. I'm sure Adele doesn't have a problem with that, either.

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       Uninvited Writerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I'm sure she doesn't care. I hope you are successful in staying thin. Sometimes we have no control.

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          kathleenkatposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Yep. That's one of the reasons why I admire her; she doesn't care about what other people look like, and doesn't fuss over herself either. It's nice to see confidence in all sizes and shapes. I just personally like being thin.

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    ocbillposted 12 years ago

    I may have come off as a skinny supporter. No, no. I think it is fine to overweight by 20 or even 30 lbs depending on your height of course. if you are 5' 1" then maybe it is not good. Be skinny like these Hollywood actresses Mila Kunis?
    NO, NO. I think a little pudgy or 25 lbs overweight (whose rules?) is fine  The newscaster exceeded that by about 40lbs. If you are in this category, then you are more likely to experience added health problems as you age like sleep apnea, breathing, high blood pressure, more susceptible to cancers, diabetes and more.  I know we have heavy celebrities like Elton John, Oprah, Adele living fine in their 60s and beyond.
    
    When I exercise, I never use a monitor and all those gadgets. I don't count calories. I just eat in moderation, except for Thanksgiving   You don't need to be an exercise nut!!  Just get out and walk or eat slower like the Europeans do after a meal and more so since we Americans tend to have a bread carb heavy diet.  I know we do have really, really good stuff to eat.  Who can resist it forever? not me.
    Since I have studied health statistics since I was a teen I will not be swayed that being overweight by 30 lbs or more is OK.  It goes without saying though you should not bully, discriminate , or make fun of people who are overweight. ( unless you are at a comedy club where they make fun of people for anything ).

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       dove777posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       this all brings up back to the fact that the town man who wrote to the newswoman was making a specific point about her weight being a bad role model for children needing to learn about controlling food intake. He had a point, right?

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    ocbillposted 12 years ago

    Yes, he did have a valid point.
    
    similar to smoking cigarettes, not good for health -  lung cancer & more.
    engaging in adulterous activities, not good for health - AIDs, STDs, etc
    being overweight (obese 30lbs or more), not good for health - already listed some of the many health conditions linked to obesity.
    engaging in excessive drug usage prescription or non-prescrip - we know what happens there.
    
    public personalities get emails all the times regarding their appearance in much worse words. People should not be in the limelight if you can't take bad comments but in this case it was constructive criticism.
    
    So, if I email a person who's on TV, " you know, you should really quit smoking or stop being so promiscuous, or get off all those drugs,  it's not good as a role model to young people",  it's wrong and they have to become super defensive & say it is bullying.

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    austinhealyposted 12 years ago

    TV anchorwomen and men have to appeal to the masses. As society in America is now composed in majority of overweight people, we should expect to see more and more of less than slim people take over the screen. By doing such, the TV stations will validate people who watch that particular channel, making them feel that it's OK to be 30 pounds or more overweight, hey look at so and so on Channel 6, she's far from being skinny. The process is called demagogy, or pleasing of the masses. The same process is used by politicians and in advertising, with great success I might add. Mediocracy becomes the rule. Sad times, really...

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       ocbillposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Actually, I'd say 95% of the newscasters are in normal to great shape from what I've seen. There are a few, primarily women, who became pregnant and never lost that excess weight. It isn't easy.
       
       Re: "we should expect to see more and more of less than slim people take over the screen" 
       I am on the fence there and see it as it's always been 10, 20 or 30 yrs ago. Still about 90 to 95% avg to slim people in major movies.  Maybe TV has an increase.  I am on the fence mainly because IF the battle is won against super sizing, combos, and GMO foods then it will not increase but who truly sees that triumphing against big corporations. Although, since the U.S. is adamant about sports and live entertainment, there will always be a battle.

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          dove777posted 12 years agoin reply to this

          we had a catholic pastor who allowed himself to become 300 lbs at least on a 5 ft 6 inch frame, he was supposed to be a role model to the parish for self control and discipline and fasting and respecting his body which is the temple of his soul. He, a pastor of all people out there in front light view for all to see, like oprah, like chris christie, like the obese tv anchor woman..... what is the answer? what is the common denomination? people say slanderous things about them or did, people chastised them behind their backs that gee they oUGHT to do this and they OUGHT to do that, cause people compare their own short falls to the short falls of others, its like who is the the most centered , the best , the least weak person ? If a fat tv anchorwoman gets a chastising email from a viewer about her weight, she just let it roll off her like water off a duck or get out of the limelight. We are all imperfect beings, one of the imperfections is being over opinionated sometimes, no, not that, its not knowing when to keep our opinions to ourself. God gave us the ability to keep our thoughts to ourselves for a reason.

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    ocbillposted 12 years ago

    It is not always about thoughts and being polite to not say anything to help a man who is 300lbs in a  5'6 frame. That is very obese. You want a good man who helps society to be around longer.
    There are those in the church who can give an opinion the right way even to a defensive person. You know the pastors and reverends have the gift of gab so they can help their colleague. Again, I am guilty of eating some junk food and being over by 20 lbs. It is tough. Although, when I travel abroad, the junk food does not exist as much so I lose weight.  And no, no one person is better than the other if they weigh less.
    
    I think all of us can agree that the foods our corporations put out there in the supermarkets and fast foods which includes GMOs is hurting us. Yes, it is good but how many surgary cereals do we need in one aisle? How many different types of oreo cookies are there? How many cable channels on TV do we need..600?  No wonder we as a country are overweight.
    We had cars in the 60s and 70s and were not this fat,overweight, obese, whatever you want to call it. It is the ingredients in the foods. Additionally, they contribute to thyroid problems ad much more.
    There are multiple reports, studies and facts to back it up. Why it is not so public? Multi-billion dollar food corporations silence the critics or make it a joke.
    
    I guess if he knew more he would do an about-face.  see this video on "Seeds of Destruction"
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSDEkoPwMfk

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    chaoticpsycheposted 12 years ago

    Her weight us ultimately no one elses concern but hers. What saddens me is when overweight parents think it's ok to have very overweight children. I am a 34 year old woman and weigh 135 pounds. I have seen children where I work that probably weigh close to what I weigh. And when I say children, I mean those still in elementary school. That is unacceptable.
    
    Now someone's weight should be society's concern when they become so obese that they know can draw disability. That is wrong, unless it truly is medical. If she had diabetes all her life that's one thing, if she gets diabetes because she chooses to stay obese that is something else. Examples like this put a strain on federal aid programs and hospitals which always trickles down. And I don't feel I should have to pay or suffer higher insurance fees because other people choose to be obese.

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       kathleenkatposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I used to work in a clothing store (this was about 3-4 years ago), and we had just gotten in Levi's "Husky" jeans for boys. These "Husky" jeans were for "Husky" boys; the waist measurement was larger than the length measurement. This made me very sad to see sizes 34/26, and so on. Little boys wearing larger waist lines than my 6'1" 270 pound boyfriend! I don't mind so much obese public figures, but when children wear larger waist lines than regular-sized adults, it disturbs me.
       
       These pants SOLD. We got new shipment to refill the shelves every week.

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          dove777posted 12 years agoin reply to this

          children sometimes eat in order to calm themselves through nibbling. Their environment might be lonely, boring, loud and angry, etc. but they are over eating for a reason.

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             kathleenkatposted 12 years agoin reply to this

             I don't care why they are over eating, it's sad that they are.
             
             And nibbling can only happen with there are fattening, easy-to-eat snacks in the house. The parents take some of the blame, too.

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                psycheskinnerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                And of course they are in the house all the time.  Time to take them out into the park?

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          Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          With a little more research, you might find that *many* boys have larger waistlines than they do leg measurement. It's not uncommon, or unhealthy, in fact it's perfectly normal. Around the time of puberty (which I agree is a broad time frame) boys, and girls for that matter, will often pile on the pounds just before a growth spurt. When my son was 13 years old, he had a 36 " waist. I was pretty concerned, he had a *healthy* appetite, but also a *healthy* diet, and lots and lots of exercise.
          
          By the age of sixteen, he hadn't lost any weight, he gained some, but he'd also shot up from 5 foot 1 to 6 foot 1. And he was extremely slim.
          
          This occurs with girls, too. When discussing adolescents, as long as they have a healthy diet and adequate amounts of exercise- things will even out.

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             kathleenkatposted 12 years agoin reply to this

             Cool, I did not know that. I do recall my brother having to "roll" his jeans when he was a young teen.
             
             Not all of those boys looked healthy though. Many would come in with fast food drinks in their hands.

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                Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                My son had always been really slim until he hit puberty. I was quite shocked when he piled on this weight, pretty concerned to be honest. He did like the odd hamburger (I've actually been an on/off vegetarian since 2001) so I really didn't encourage the fast food/hamburgers/meat, although both he and my daughter are meat eaters. Same thing happened with my daughter, piled on lots of weight just before they shot up. My daughters been taller than me for the past 18 months. lol. she's only 15!

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