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Chris:
As a thin woman, I’m not particularly bothered by general resentfulness and jealousy towards thin women. What bothers me is that I see a lot of articles and letters that automatically characterize thin women as being obviously unhealthy, under the thumb of patriarchy, and so image-obsessed that they engage in dangerous practices to maintain their weight.
Seems to me that’s a nice excuse for those writers who would prefer to avoid facing up to genetic variation as well as their own bad eating and exercise habits. And, frankly, given the rapidly expanding waistlines of Americans, I think it’s incredibly irresponsible.
And for those who might attack me for “having it easy,” I can’t eat whatever I want, sit on the couch, and keep my weight down either. If I start eating crap, I notice a change in my body shape in a matter of a few days. I don’t obsess about my weight or food – I don’t weigh myself, count calories, or buy low-fat or diet food products. I do eat quality well-flavored real food, take a walk or do yoga daily, and completely avoid fake food, junk food, and sugary drinks. While I put on weight very fast with poor habits, I also have found it’s not that hard for me to keep it off with fairly minimal effort and no feelings of deprivation.
