CORRECTION: Being 100 lbs. Overweight Does Not Make You “Curvy,” It Makes You Obese.

   “Big is Beautiful” “Real Women Have Curves” “The Body was Not Designed to Look Like That”

   Everyone’s heard Tyra’s “kiss my fat ass” comment (who is and was not fat btw) or women like Mo’Nique talk about how “real women have curves” and how she loves her body etc. etc..

  Ok, look. If you want to be fat, go ahead, be fat and happy. Santa rocks that look. More power to you.  Or you know, if you have a particular disease or other physical ailment which causes weight gain, that’s fine. Everyone wants to be comfortable in their skin.   What isn’t ok are these morbidly obese women who advocate their physiques as sexy and what “real women look like.” “I’m curvy and I’m proud!” No. No you aren’t curvy. Salma Hayek and Jennifer Lopez are curvy. You’re fat. Being 5’2″ and 270 lbs. makes you grossly overweight and extremely unhealthy. Aesthetics are one thing, but at that weight, you’re opening up a world of hurt. Including type II diabetes, hypertension, breathing difficulties and osteoarthritis, to name a few.  Further, obesity contributes to as many deaths in America as smoking .   Health care costs for treating obesity-related illness are as high as $149 billion per year, according to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

  So no, you don’t have to be a stick figure. You don’t have to workout or change if you don’t want to. But for Christssakes, let’s not pretend like being 100+ pounds over weight is something to be proud of or emulated. What kind of message is that??

   The message should be one of self-confidence and a healthy figure. Not one that promotes laziness, gluttony and self-destructive behavior. Particularly in light of a nation-wide obesity epidemic, these women should be ashamed of themselves for actively promoting their unhealthy lifestyles.

   We don’t allow alcoholics to parade on tv and talk about how proud they are of themselves and endorse alcoholism.  “I drink 2 bottles of vodka a day and I love it.  I feel sexy.” That would be insane, right?? So how is it ok to suggest that “real women” are fat? Why on earth should we allow morbidly obese people treat their affliction as something to take pride in and strive for??

   Everyone deserves to feel good about themselves, but promoting self-destructive behavior under the guise of loving oneself is just plain crazy.

Read more: The Obesity Index: The Cost of Obesity by State – 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/2010/08/05/the-obesity-index-the-cost-of-obesity-by-state/#ixzz0wznkq3Cc.