Author says black women are fat 'because we want to be'

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   Stacie Lposted 12 years ago

   Author says black women are fat 'because we want to be'
   4 hrs ago
   File photo of writer Alice Randall (© Josh Anderson/The New York Times/Redux)
   
   Four out of five black women in the U.S. are overweight -- and it's possibly because they want to be. That's the opinion of Alice Randall, author of a New York Times column that explains how she "grew up praying for fat thighs," and says that she and other black women are worried that "their husbands will find them less attractive if their weight drops to less than 200 pounds."
   
   http://now.msn.com/living/0506-why-blac … eight.aspx
   
   I've know many overweight women of all races and none wanted to be fat

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      SomewayOuttaHereposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      i guess Alice is the expert!...4 out of 5 eh?...wonder what her sample size was to come up with her numbers?...Alice must be a tad over 200 lbs!...sometimes, i just hate stats and observations/explanations that people take away from them...especially when they are skewed

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         kimberlyslyricsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

           so blooming ridiculous
         
         anyone want to take a shot why white women are fat?

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      Jesus was a hippyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I saw a recent documentary about a new theory that was tested and showed there is a genetic difference that affects hormones.
      
      It showed that healthy or thin people feel full after eating and hungry if without food as a much more intense feeling while overweight or obese people tend not to feel hungry or full.
      
      This effect on feelings changes what people eat depending on if the body feels like it needs fast energy (sugars and fast release carbohydrates) or just stock for the day, (proteins and slow release carbohydrates).
      
      I am not overweight. In fact, I cannot put on weight. I tried to increase my bodyweight on a number of occasions but the overwhelming feeling of being full and not hungry is a difficult feeling to overcome and as a result, I am still a little on the thin side.

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      prettydarkhorseposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The stat is not reliable 80 percent??????  Obesity is a lifestyle problem!

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      JetroGposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That article starts out wrong. According to the CDC and healthcare. gov, the obesity rate for black women is only 44-50%. Still high, but not as ridiculous as this report asserts. I found this information in 5 minutes, I'd expect better from Time, CNN, ect. Do actual facts even matter anymore or do they just want to perpetuate stereotypes?

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         Express10posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Facts don't matter, viewership and sensationalism does apparently.

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   AEvansposted 12 years ago

   I would like to know where 'Alice' came up with her consensus. I know many black women and none of them fit this category. 4 out of 5 Black Women do not wish to be overweight many wish to lose the weight for their health. Maybe 'Alice' feels comfortable but many women do not.

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   Shanna11posted 12 years ago

   Maybe I'm a little colorblind or something, but the author (if that is really her picture) doesn't look black to me at all... why is she saying "we"?

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      AEvansposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      She could honestly be light-skinned. There are black women who would honestly pass for White.

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         Jesus was a hippyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Maybe she got Michael Jackson "Syndrome"....

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            Express10posted 12 years agoin reply to this

            The author of this question looks white but she is quoting the black women who spoke to the author of book. AEvans is correct that there are black women who can look white but I believe the author of the question is simply quoting black women saying that they are fat because they want to be.

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   mega1posted 12 years ago

   leaving race out of entirely - and just speaking to the gender issue here - why would any woman "want" to be fat?  There are thousands of reasons women (like men) gain weight.  It's not a race issue - it's not a gender issue.  It's a weight and health issue.  Whether someone is attracted to you or not because of your weight is sort of ridiculous, imo.  Your health is the bottom-line (little pun there, forgive)

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      SomewayOuttaHereposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      +++++1

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         kimberlyslyricsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++10

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            SomewayOuttaHereposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            hey KL...how's TO?...haven't noticed you in a while....just sayin' hi!

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   Melindas Mindposted 12 years ago

   Yeah, and 2 out of 3 statistics are made up on the spot. I've known plenty of black women, and I'd say that as many of them were fat as the white women I know. Add to that that one of my daughters friends is black, and she's a skinny-minny who won't wear a bathing suit cause she's 'fat', so that cultural thing that's passed around doesn't bear fruit as far as I can tell. The average American woman, whether black, white, or tan, is obsessed with being skinny.

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   Express10posted 12 years ago

   I'm calling BS on this, in agreement with just about everyone else. The black women that I know would lose weight if it required anything BUT exercise and adhering to a diet. there are many black women (as there are overweight/obese women of various races) who don't have the time due to work loads or even the money to put forth towards better foods. I know several thin black women who are either very lucky or they diet and exercise religiously. The overweight/obese ones claiming to be happy with their weight are not.

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   girlgonestrongposted 12 years ago

   This has got to be one of the weirdest things someone has come up with.  It's more likely that they just fall back on the "I'm happy just the way I am" type of thinking because it's easier than getting up and overhauling your life.  That's what being healthy takes.  It's not a diet here and some exercise there, it's an entire life overhaul where you end up abandoning the foods you grew up with (because they are poison for the human body in the long run) and adopt new ones and you end up throwing out the TV and start exercising.  Most of those why try to keep one foot in their old pond while putting one in a new "healthier" one in hopes of things going better end up failing.  Life juts doesn't work that way.  People are afraid of radical change and that's what's needed for most to shed the weight for good and become healthy and vibrant.

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   peeplesposted 12 years ago

   With the exception of those who have a medical condition, everyone who is fat wants to be fat, otherwise they would eat right and do something about their problem with over eating.

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      Uninvited Writerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      If it were only that easy...

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   silverstararrowposted 12 years ago

   I cannot relate to the author claiming that black women 'want' to be fat. I don't know much about the mind dynamics of black women, but nobody wants to be fat of their own free will. An unbalanced diet and lack of exercise causes this sort of condition (obesity) which is usually a precursor to many medical problems.
   If they feel the extra weight adds to their aesthetic appeal, I'd say they are confident enough to carry themselves the way they are. After all, it is up to the individual to decide whether she wants to keep those extra pounds. Honestly though? Obesity is not a fashion trend to be encouraged or desired.

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    Uninvited Writerposted 12 years ago

    Are we talking want to be fat or accepting their bodies for what they are?

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       mega1posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       when anyone says "fat" it usually means fat - which usually means "overweight" - which is also commonly accepted as "not the way I'm sposed to be!"
       
       although, lately fat sometimes also means "rich"  as in "loaded"!
       
       I just like the sound of the word "faaaaaaat!"

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    Anti-Valentineposted 12 years ago

    Well I don't know about that. But there's this long-standing myth and/or stereotype that black men like their women to be "fat", and they don't necessarily limit this to black women - they could be white as well. This isn't my opinion or anything, though.

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       Express10posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       You are right in that there is a stereotype that black men like fat women and this is not true in many cases. Some people love the person while others might settle for a body they don't prefer while many other black men want women who are height and weight proportionate. It sounds like the author of this book is coming out of left field as women (and men) of any color don't want to be fat. Who prays for fat thighs??????

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    HarperDavisposted 12 years ago

    This story isn't surprising.
    
    Usually stories like these usually attack our singleness or something, but this is indeed in the same vein.
    
    No, black women (I'm included in this group) do not want to be fat. Curves are encouraged, no doubt, but curvy does not mean fat. I'm 5'5, 125 lbs. and have an hourglass shape. "Thickness" or a little more meat on the bones, so to speak, is encouraged by many black men and women alike, but again, this doesn't mean overweight.
    
    I wonder what other fairytales she or anyone else with a bit of time on their hands will come up with next. It would be funny if it weren't for some people actually believing all of what they read. This is isn't directed at the thread, of course, but just thinking of all the people who may be taking this to heart is cringe-worthy.

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