What bothers me is that many people are so focused on what they see as “overcorrection.” Critics of “big is beautiful” et al spend more time talking about that then the reason that reaction happened in the first place: ridiculously unhealthy, constantly plastered images of what we “should“ look like that usually involve women being thin as a needle and men looking like a Greek hero. That’s the crux of the situation here. That we need to challenge these very unhealthy standards. Those standards have been far more damaging than “big is beautiful“ comments have ever been.
How many women have required medical intervention or even died because of unhealthy attempts to make themselves look like a magazine cover? How many people hate themselves and are mocked ruthlessly because a soap commercial shows a body type that most people will never be able to have? That’s the issue at hand here.
This is a really popular take, but I think quite the opposite has happened actually: most people in media are a normal healthy weight, but they’ve been demonized as having “impossible” bodies, and I think a major driver of that is people who don’t want to admit that their body is unhealthy. If you claim that a BMI of 22 is “ridiculously unhealthy” then you dont have to put any work in to lose weight; after all it’s the standard that’s wrong!
As far as the Greek statue thing goes, people just need to understand that they are on steroids. You can look like that too, if you want to juice.
but I think quite the opposite has happened actually: most people in media are a normal healthy weight, but they’ve been demonized as having “impossible” bodies, and I think a major driver of that is people who don’t want to admit that their body is unhealthy
No? My claim is based on countless studies over decades. We know for a fact that there are unhealthy standards of beauty/body types pushed in media, advertising, etc. and that they are harmful to our society, particularly for women. This is a measured, proven thing.
You are providing a competing theory and you need sources.
What bothers me is that people like you are so focused on what some see as “overcorrection.” Y’all spend more time talking about that then the reason that reaction happened in the first place: ridiculously unhealthy, constantly plastered images of what we “should“ look like
I’m sorry, but this is not the origin of this particular problem. It doesn’t help the problem, but it is in fact not the main contributing factor. The data is pretty clear, and if you work in the healthcare industry, you would know that this is endemic and it typically begins at an age before children start adapting to social pressures.
The causative correlation is social economic in nature, it all has to do with the food availability and affordability for lower income families. Poor families in rural communities or poor families in urban food desserts make up the vast majority of bariatric pediatric patients.
Those standards have been far more damaging than “big is beautiful“ comments have ever been.
I mean, I don’t think there’s a lot of sense in debating which we should be okay with if they are both damaging to people’s health. You can be a little overweight and still perfectly healthy, and you can be a little underweight and be perfectly healthy.
How many women have required medical intervention or even died because of unhealthy attempts to make themselves look like a magazine cover?
Again neither is great, but if you want to be accurate… Dealing with the consequences of being overweight is overwhelmingly a larger healthcare issue than anorexia. 1 in 4 Medicare dollars in the US is currently spent treating diabetes, and that number is expected to climb. The subsequent health factors of obesity is the number one cause of naturally occurring death in the country.
Like with the vast majority of things that affect our health, environment, not an individual control is the root of the problem. I think food corporations and big sugar have spent a lot of money attempting to present obesity as a personal problem instead of a societal one.
“Big is beautiful” is a direct response to the discourse about body image. Obesity is also a real problem tied to many things like you mentioned. These can both be true.
People can be metabolically healthy at any size. That’s the first step. If children are metabolically healthy, and not spiking their insulin all day, then their body will self regulate and lose weight.
I.e. don’t lose weight to get healthy. Get healthy to lose weight.
Is health at any size still a thing or did they all have heart attacks?
What bothers me is that many people are so focused on what they see as “overcorrection.” Critics of “big is beautiful” et al spend more time talking about that then the reason that reaction happened in the first place: ridiculously unhealthy, constantly plastered images of what we “should“ look like that usually involve women being thin as a needle and men looking like a Greek hero. That’s the crux of the situation here. That we need to challenge these very unhealthy standards. Those standards have been far more damaging than “big is beautiful“ comments have ever been.
How many women have required medical intervention or even died because of unhealthy attempts to make themselves look like a magazine cover? How many people hate themselves and are mocked ruthlessly because a soap commercial shows a body type that most people will never be able to have? That’s the issue at hand here.
This is a really popular take, but I think quite the opposite has happened actually: most people in media are a normal healthy weight, but they’ve been demonized as having “impossible” bodies, and I think a major driver of that is people who don’t want to admit that their body is unhealthy. If you claim that a BMI of 22 is “ridiculously unhealthy” then you dont have to put any work in to lose weight; after all it’s the standard that’s wrong!
As far as the Greek statue thing goes, people just need to understand that they are on steroids. You can look like that too, if you want to juice.
What is this based on?
The exact same thing your comment is based on.
No? My claim is based on countless studies over decades. We know for a fact that there are unhealthy standards of beauty/body types pushed in media, advertising, etc. and that they are harmful to our society, particularly for women. This is a measured, proven thing.
You are providing a competing theory and you need sources.
I’m sorry, but this is not the origin of this particular problem. It doesn’t help the problem, but it is in fact not the main contributing factor. The data is pretty clear, and if you work in the healthcare industry, you would know that this is endemic and it typically begins at an age before children start adapting to social pressures.
The causative correlation is social economic in nature, it all has to do with the food availability and affordability for lower income families. Poor families in rural communities or poor families in urban food desserts make up the vast majority of bariatric pediatric patients.
I mean, I don’t think there’s a lot of sense in debating which we should be okay with if they are both damaging to people’s health. You can be a little overweight and still perfectly healthy, and you can be a little underweight and be perfectly healthy.
Again neither is great, but if you want to be accurate… Dealing with the consequences of being overweight is overwhelmingly a larger healthcare issue than anorexia. 1 in 4 Medicare dollars in the US is currently spent treating diabetes, and that number is expected to climb. The subsequent health factors of obesity is the number one cause of naturally occurring death in the country.
Like with the vast majority of things that affect our health, environment, not an individual control is the root of the problem. I think food corporations and big sugar have spent a lot of money attempting to present obesity as a personal problem instead of a societal one.
“Big is beautiful” is a direct response to the discourse about body image. Obesity is also a real problem tied to many things like you mentioned. These can both be true.
People can be metabolically healthy at any size. That’s the first step. If children are metabolically healthy, and not spiking their insulin all day, then their body will self regulate and lose weight.
I.e. don’t lose weight to get healthy. Get healthy to lose weight.