I was flabbergasted recently when it was reported that Lane Bryant, the plus-sized apparel company, encountered resistance from several news media outlets when trying to debut an ad campaign for a new lingerie collection. Apparently, some stations declined to air the ads during certain timeslots because of the size of the model, not the racy nature of the ad as claimed by the outlets. Lane Bryant cited examples of equally racy Victoria's Secret ads airing during the same time slots as proof of bias.
Research seems to side with Lane Bryant. Studies have consistently shown that the current standard of attractiveness portrayed on television and in magazines is thinner for women than for men, and that the recent standard for women portrayed in magazines and in movies is thinner than it was in the past. It's clear that the media serves as constant reinforcement of the stigma that plagues obese people in this country, especially women. The worst part about it is that this may in fact serve to detract from the more important and fundamental issue: health.
This week, the STOP Obesity Alliance housed at the George Washington University's Department of Health Policy has taken a step to steer the conversation to health status with the development of a Task Force on Women.
The Task Force, made up of a cross section of influential public and private-sector organizations, will work to elevate obesity and chronic disease issues among women in the national policy agenda. Our first meeting, which was attended almost entirely by women, quickly evolved into a discussion about the need to change the message about weight to focus on health rather than body image and on healthy habits rather than numbers on a scale.
This has never been more important than it is today. More and more research points to the ways in which a woman's weight affects the health of her family members -- especially her children. Maternal obesity increases the risk of obesity among children. Research also shows that mothers heavily influence their children's eating habits, physical activity levels, future risks of obesity and overall health status. (1,2)
Mothers commonly serve as gatekeepers for the food that enters the household. (3) As the U.S. Department of Labor states, "Working women are likely to be the primary decision maker for the family as well as the care giver when a family member falls ill. Therefore, women need adequate knowledge and tools to satisfy their multiple roles as decision makers and consumers of health care. (4)
We are mothers, wives, daughters, teachers, executives and, increasingly, "Chief Health Officers" for our families. And, according to recent statistics, two in three of us is also something else: overweight.
Unfortunately, that means that millions of women are at an increased risk for a myriad of obesity-related chronic diseases, including diabetes and hypertension. And on top of all that, being obese exacerbates other issues for women, from workplace discrimination to bias in the doctor's office.
We know that weight bias against obese women is higher than against obese men in a variety of areas. Even in health care settings, women face widespread weight-based stigmatization, which often leads them to delay or avoid seeking necessary preventive care.
We are continually bombarded with only ultra thin models and "protected" from images that are much closer to our own bodies. Because of this, it is hard for us to see how weight loss is about improving our health and not meeting an unrealistic ideal. In fact, according to the National Institutes of Health's Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a modest weight loss of 5-10 percent can significantly improve health.
What an important message we could send by encouraging this first, achievable step toward improving our health and celebrating this loss as a significant accomplishment, instead of using the attainment of an illusive media image as the measure of our success.
References:
Follow Christine Ferguson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/stopobesity
Just a thought.
People need to get off their sofa, put down the cake and take a walk.
I point this out not to bring the argument here or derail the discussion for this article, but to demonstrate that there’s a degree of futility in engaging in this discussion (fat v health, body image/pride) particularly if you’re male. No matter what the original intent, this discussion always ends up being about perceived beauty standards for women. If you frame the argument with the sliding empathy scale you’ll see how people internalize components of the debate and argue reactively. People who try to put forth objective opinions draw an uneven amount of vitriol. And people who argue that obese can be beautiful often are taking the most passive-aggressive shots at the over-weight.
Our brains simply aren’t evolved enough for us to come to agreement on this topic.
I'm not 100% on this, but I think everyone who has commented below is male, including myself.
And that female bank employee you mentioned will have no problem finding another job, as it is a well-documented fact that the more attractive you are, the more employment options you have. If that woman had been fired for being too fat, she would be in a much worse position, employment-wise.
The empathy issue isn't about whether a person is more or less attractive. It's about a group of people (in this case, fat people) who are subjected to bias, discrimination and contempt simply for belonging to an "undesirable" group.
The equivalent would be if you were making this same argument about a white woman who got fired from her job during the civil rights era.
Peace,
Shannon
I'll give you that this is kind of a sausage fest. I predicted more women would chime in and was wrong.
*giggle*
Sorry, can't do it. I cannot engage in a serious disagreement with anyone who calls, him/herself, Mister Biggles.
Especially when the person using it is such a mismatch to a cute name. Reminds me of another user whose name was "politediscourseonly" who was one of the most impolite discoursers I've encountered.
Maybe because too many people are so focused on rejecting the body image notion, etc. that they cling to LIES and MISINFORMATION about obesity and it's health related risks.
There is nothing beautiful about being unhealthy or being too lazy or self deluded to fix it.
You have a history of completely ignoring the research on this subject, and instead promoting your twisted, misogynistic world-view based solely on your own physical preferences. You've never actually refuted the research I've presented, simply called it LIES and MISINFORMATION as though that is an adequate scientific argument.
You subsist on baseless conjecture and epic stretches of logic, and your motivation is purely for attention. So, keep posting your unfounded declarations that all fat people are lazy and gluttonous and about to die because there's no use engaging with bigots like you.
Peace,
Shannon
:)
You find the 1% that says what you want to hear like a global warming denier.
Did you even read this article?
"Maternal obesity increases the risk of obesity among children. Research also shows that mothers heavily influence their children's eating habits, physical activity levels, future risks of obesity and overall health status. (1,2) "
"Unfortunately, that means that millions of women are at an increased risk for a myriad of obesity-related chronic diseases, including diabetes and hypertension."
I suppose Christine Ferguson is also wrong?