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Read other letters about this article
This is not surprising coming from Dickerson. She always seems to raise decent points, but her unbalanced, inflammatory style writing prevents her from really exploring them with any type of credibility.
There is a perception that many black women strive for
"thickness" as an attribute that attracts black men. "Shockingly," here are some real societal, cultural, and scientific issues that undermine Dickerson's analysis.
1. Eating right often, but not always, requires additional time, effort and money. Some stats still show that black households have a significantly lower annual income than white households. You don't see many Wild Oats or Whole Foods in black neighborhoods, and (anecdotally at least), the supermarkets in black neighborhoods offer lower quality produce at higher prices than stores in "majority" neighborhoods. And, of course, McDonald's is quick, easy and cheap.
2. The definitions of "obesity" and health are very fluid. People with acceptable BMIs can be less healthy than people with less acceptable BMIs. Fat is fat, overweight is overweight, true enough, but what we consider healthy is not always dependent on gender. Which is why Buffy the Body could be healthier than, say, Kate Bosworth.
3. The theory that all black men love "thick" women is true to a degree, but overblown. Many Black men would prefer women who can keep a healthy shape, particularly after birthing kids. I'm a single black man, so I know this to be true. Just like all men, many brothers see a fine line between shapely and out of shape.
4. Don't think a lot of sisters (or women in general) don't want a ripped guy too. Dickerson implies that. Even big and beautiful sisters like Jill Scott and Angie Stone don't have any large cats in their videos. D'Angelo, Tyrese, Denzel, Genuwine, Chris Brown, Usher et al set the bar pretty high for us. The image thing can cut both ways.
Regardless of all this, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease are no joke. This is why Dickerson makes a decent point for the first time in months. The dating/mating game shouldn't put us at risk heathwise, whether it's a woman trying to maintain "thickness" . . . or a woman who develops bulimia to stay thin.
