Letters to the Editor
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Thickness And Obesity Are Not The Same
I'm sorry, but no one likes their partner to be "obese". Being thick, having meat on your bones, and being "obese" are quite different. There are no "obese" women being exoticized in rap videos.
Also, Dickerson's article completely ignores the link between obesity and poverty to make her argument that black standards of beauty are responsible for obesity.
It seems to me that lack of access to cheap, healthy food is a far more likely cause of obesity than standards of beauty that don't expect a woman to be pencil thin.
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The picture of Buffy does not show obesity
Buffy carries her weight well. Yes, she has a larger than average butt, but chances are alot of that massive butt is muscle tissue, since it appears to be quite firm and lifted.
In fact, her whole exposed body is firm: no saggy chins, no arm flap, no cellulite, no flab.
When the famine comes, Buffy will have the fat stores to see her through! When I look at a skinny minnie who "can eat all she wants and not gain weight" I see a human locust.
Why don't we all get more meaningful lives and stop obsessing over food.
Frankly, I've had it up to here with this public micromanagement of the private lives of other people.
Loretta Martin
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Ow.
I'm laughing so hard my face hurts.
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Stop idolizing human twigs
I look at the picture of Buffy and see a robust, healthy young woman.
Despite the recent redefination of "big-boned" to mean "fat," it is abundantly evident to any observer that some humans have large, robust bones, while others have more fragile skeleton. Medically, the large-boned woman is less prone to the ravages of osteoporosis, so this genetic trait is advantageous in every way except that a large-boned woman will never fit into "size zero."
Working in the medical field, I have seen too many instances of healthy girls who are heavier only because they have a larger frame and greater muscle mass, who lose pride in their appearance because they never see their own body type depicted in a positive way. In some cases this poor self esteem leads to overeating, thereby creating true obesity.
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This actually sounds familiar
Here we go again. A few months ago, Salon published an article about a woman freaking out about especially busty mannequins, which lead to her concluding that anyone who has large breasts is freaky and unnatural (had to have surgery, in other words). Enter a flood of grumpy letters from the naturally big-busted.
And now this, which is pretty much the same thing. Debra freaks out about models with big butts and concludes that anyone who has them is freaky and unnatural (obese, in this case). Never mind the fact that she undermines her own case by choosing as the scorn of her ire a model who, titanic booty aside, doesn't meet the classical definition of obese by a long shot.
As has been said before, even thin people can have big butts. Duh.
What women's body part is Salon going to criticize next? Ankles? Noses?
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Euphemisms
Just because someone created the euphimism "Thick" does not mean that suddenly "thick" is not "Fat or "obese."
Too big is too big.
And too big is unhealthy.
Whether you think it's attractive, or sexy, or if you think it helps you better identify with your culture, or whatever, it is not healthy.
My giant Jewish nose certainly serves to identify me to my culture. But if overeating made it bigger, and Jewish men fetishized my big nose, and at the same time if having a bigger nose could lead to diabetes, heart attack, hypertention and stroke...well...my friends...a big nose is simply not worth it. I wouldn't cut it down to shiksa proportions, but I also wouldn't hurt myself to make it ginormous.
"Dieting" is a silly concept. Living healthfully is a basic lifestyle change. Eat enough calories to maintain a healthy weight and stay there. If you are overweight eat fewer calories until you have gone down to a healthy weight. For ALL people the basic equation to losing weight is "Eat less, work out more."
I find the "Dieting doesn't work" folks simply see a normal diet and exercise regimen as too restrictive, when it, in fact, is appropriate. But there's a reason those people are fat. Their eyes are bigger than their arteries. Which is unfortunate, because a portion is a lot smaller than most people think it is, and changing that attitude is part of what will help staunch the epidemic obesity problem in this country.
Look, I think a well-shaped woman is lovely. I see nothing wrong with admiring a woman with some extra junk in her trunk. I certainly appreciate the sex appeal of such a shape. For sure.
But valorizing poor eating habits and obesity is no better than valorizing anorexia. It's the other side of the same coin, and BOTH those attitudes end badly.
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Thanks Salon
We can always count on Debra to stir the pot. Interesting article. To those who wonder why Salon keeps letting her write her column? Not only do you all read it, you react to it. In droves!!!
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Debra Dickerson may be making good points
Although they've all been made before, over and over and over again, in Salon and every-freakin'-where else--but the main problem with this article (as others have pointed out) is that the woman she uses as her reference point doesn't appear to be obese. She has a flat stomach, toned arms, no cellulite (though the photos could easily have been Photoshopped to clean up flaws, so there's no guarantee there) so even if she lost 30 lbs, she'd probably still have a big butt (just a smaller big butt). Personally, I don't believe what was said about her starting at "120 lbs" and "chugging supplement shakes". This is a woman who works out to keep her main asset toned.
Now, what I COULD see as a point is "black and Hispanic woman are using a) women like this and b) their men's preferences as an excuse not to lose weight or at least attempt a healthy lifestyle". Which is sorta said in the article, but lost in the greater problem of using this PARTICULAR woman as an example of obesity.