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Is Obesity in America Being Glamorized and should it be?

Is obesity being glamorized and should it be?

  • Yes it is and I see no problem with that.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Yes it is and there poses in issue in doing so.

    Votes: 7 28.0%

  • No it's not but I believe it should be.

    Votes: 2 8.0%

  • No it's not and it shouldn't be.

    Votes: 13 52.0%

  • Other - Please elaborate.

    Votes: 3 12.0%
  • Total voters
    25
Zinthaniel said:
lol. Yes there is still an issue with underweight individuals as well.
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Bottom line, IMO, our own personal views are skewed as to what is 'normal.' The model I posted--to me--is about perfect. But being a size 12, I have little doubt that some will think she's a fat pig, or, at the very least, chubby. But hey, at least she gets to eat 3 healthy meals a day.
 
Middleground said:
Bottom line, IMO, our own personal views are skewed as to what is 'normal.' The model I posted--to me--is about perfect. But being a size 12, I have little doubt that some will think she's a fat pig, or, at the very least, chubby. But hey, at least she gets to eat 3 healthy meals a day.
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Oh no I agree the model is a good healthy size, I was commenting on the underlying issue you where addressing in your post. That media still contributes to the issue that leads many women to being to thin. I think it's going both ways now. THe leniency given to obesity may lead many into thinking. "what the hell I don't care" and they'll become obese and then on the other side media is also pressuring to stay thin. It's weird, but it's happening you can see it on tv and on the social media.
 
WI Crippler said:
I've always noticed on facebook, that women who are absurdly obese and men who are married to absurdly obese women, will put out posts like "Real men love women with curves" or "No one wants to cuddle a stick". Then there are the requisite photos of a curvy and sexy lingerie model who is a little overweight juxtaposed against Nicole Richie at her anorexic worst telling men that curvy women are sexier, as if men were lusting after Nicole Richie in droves (I know not one man who has ever mentioned her in regards to....well...anything). Honestly, I think men are much more accepting of women's bodies than women are of each others. We are not that picky. Yes, Kate Upton's of the world turn our heads. But that doesn't exclude us from finding other body types attractive.

As far as men having negative body images, it's out there I guess but I'm not sure if it is a growing problem or if there is just more awareness it exists in small numbers. If anything, our egos are more performance driven than being dominated by weight scales.
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My favorite is the one with a similar slogan, using a paparazzi shot of a very thin 6-foot tall model who's a size 6, against a clearly photoshopped professional picture of a model who's also 6 feet tall, but a size 14.

First of all, shaming thin women and trying to put them in the worst light possible is not very "body accepting." It reeks of either cattiness or jealousy.

Second of all, the size of a woman who is so dramatically taller than average is quite deceptive. Size 6 is not skinny on a normal build woman who's 5'5". Size 14 is much bigger on a normal woman who's 5'5".

And finally, if the supposed belief of body acceptance is that women should love themselves and find their worth from within rather than from the media, then telling them they should be bigger because "men like it" or "you're not a real woman otherwise" is rather defeating the point. It's still telling women that their worth comes from what other people think of them, and not from their own inherent value as a human being.
 
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Zinthaniel said:
Oh no I agree the model is a good healthy size, I was commenting on the underlying issue you where addressing in your post. That media still contributes to the issue that leads many women to being to thin. I think it's going both ways now. THe leniency given to obesity may lead many into thinking. "what the hell I don't care" and they'll become obese and then on the other side media is also pressuring to stay thin. It's weird, but it's happening you can see it on tv and on the social media.
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While I do agree that here's been a push to be more 'fat' accepting, it is no where near where you think it is on the grand scale. Even Kate Winslet still gets heavily Photoshopped and I do not see that trend stopping one iota.
 
Middleground said:
Bottom line, IMO, our own personal views are skewed as to what is 'normal.' The model I posted--to me--is about perfect. But being a size 12, I have little doubt that some will think she's a fat pig, or, at the very least, chubby. But hey, at least she gets to eat 3 healthy meals a day.
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Exactly. There just can't be "normal" anymore -- and I agree, that looks like a normal woman to me.

I wish if modeling agencies want to pretend to embrace different shapes, when they say "plus size," they'd actually use someone plus sized, not just "really tall and average weight." :roll:
 
Jerry said:
I haven't encountered any media which glamorises obesity.
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I've seen a push to glamorize it over the past decade or more, mostly by advertisers trying to take advantage of a new market. Other than that, though, we're seeing plus size women in more television shows. I think we need to be careful about the fine line between obesity being acceptable enough not to ridicule it, but also avoid making it desirable. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just really don't believe that many people can really and HONESTLY say that they don't mind if their significant other gets obese. I'm not talking about just a little overweight, but obese, like the woman in the op is.

Queen Sized - myLifetime.com

---------------------------

Drop Dead Diva
Follow the show on Facebook and Twitter
Series Summary
When beautiful but shallow model-wannabe Deb dies in a car accident, her soul resurfaces in the person of Jane, a queen-size attorney who is brilliant and well-liked ... or the exact opposite of Deb. Now, by a twist of fate, Deb must come to terms with inhabiting Jane's curvier frame in an ultimate showdown between brains and beauty.
Air Dates: 2009 - 2015
Genres: Comedy drama
Network: LIFE
Drop Dead Diva - TV Series - Moviefone.com

-------------------------------------------

more-to-love-ladies1.jpg

then a Fox show, "More to Love"
 
Zinthaniel said:
I want to start off by saying that I believe that beauty is entirely subjective and that everyone is beautiful depending on their own self-perception and the perception of the individual looking at them. That said It has become apparent that in the crusade to combat insensitive attitudes towards obese people that the reality of what obesity remains to be has been lost.

On facebook a plus sized model posted a photo of herself in a bikini. She is indeed beautiful and this thread is not about whether or not obesity is beautiful it's about the medical consensus regarding obesity. Being obese is health hazard, it increases the likelihood of a great many life shortening illnesses and diseases. So when in the comments of that photo I see people celebrating her for being an icon and symbol for those like her and others it becomes a tad worrying. It sends a very serious message that in effect demeans the medical aspects of obesity.

https://www.facebook.com/TessMunste...4634897583/954955297863509/?type=1&permPage=1

10441117_954955297863509_8270760891154452318_n.jpg


Then in this article, one of many, there is a very strong shift in perception of fitness and health with men. In it, titled "Real Men", the author establishes a new stereotype. Comparing photos of men who are a tad chubby and not fit to athletic counterparts the article insists that the former is an example of real men and "reality" and that the latter are absurd ideals being pushed on men. Insisting that athletic male models are the equivalent of the negative female model stereotype of "anorexic beauty". The true absurdity being that for men, who are anatomically and biologically engineered for easier muscle gain, being athletic is not in any way impossible or unrealistic especially at a young age.

If 'Real Men' Posed In Underwear Ads

qYgDK2F.jpg


The change in perception is all very jarring and worrisome. There is nothing wrong with promoting beauty in all it's forms, but if the cost is to ignore health and fitness so that we can become complacent with average health and fitness practices or worse complacent with being obese then what message is being sent out to the public, especially children?
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Personally I find it pointless to worry about such things. If people want to be fat, or skinny or fit or some combination, then exactly how is it any of my business? So what if a particular body type is emphasized in the media more than another for a while. What's it got to do with me or mine? Last I checked most of us were not professional models of any kind and didn't live with them either. How exactly does it cost me or mine what someone wants to put on their media be it video or print? Why should I or anyone care? If you are a normal human being you can get along fine in this world despite whatever pictures the media wishes put up regarding their current fetish of the moment.
 
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Obesity is horrible...physically and emotionally.

And as America gets fatter and fatter, more and more people are going to be in denial about it and try to make it seem more desirable.

Never underestimate the power of the human mind to convince oneself of almost anything.

 
Zinthaniel said:
DO you watch mainstream channels?
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No. I haven't owned a TV in 2 years.

Zinthaniel said:
I mean your older, it's a generational thing. It may be that the things you watch and the stuff that appeals to you wouldn't give you an accurate perception of how today's generation perceives obesity.
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I watch shows online so that I can see what I want see when I want to see it. The few shows I watch are for entertainment, like adult cartoons, verious History Channel shows like Pawn Stars, How It's Made, Life After People, etc. I don't watch any mainstream news media, I look up select news sources online for headlins that jump out at me and I don't watch the 24/hr news cycle. No Bill O'Riley, non of that.

After my big move next year I plan to get a nice TV, but I forsee it technicaly being a second screen for a tablet, I don't forsee a cable subscription.
 
PirateMk1 said:
Personally I find it pointless to worry about such things. If people want to be fat, or skinny or fit or some combination, then exactly how is it any of my business? So what if a particular body type is emphasized in the media more than another for a while. What's it got to do with me or mine? Last I checked most of us were not professional models of any kind and didn't live with them either. How exactly does it cost me or mine what someone wants to put on their media be it video or print? Why should I or anyone care? If you are a normal human being you can get along fine in this world despite whatever pictures the media wishes put up regarding their current fetish of the moment.
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It matters, to me, if children are being told that it is okay to be obese. They are the future of this society.
 
Zinthaniel said:
It matters, to me, if children are being told that it is okay to be obese. They are the future of this society.
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Whose children? Mine yours? Why would I worry about your children? Why would you worry about mine? I assure you, I don't know your children and don't wish to,and don't care what they are told. I care what MINE are told and make sure they get the proper messages from the proper sources their mother and myself and my family. Who cares what somebody else not family says or thinks? I have very little control over others thoughts and decisions. It is pointless to attempt to control that which you have no possibility of control. People come in all shapes and sizes, and its best to realize that.
 
Zinthaniel said:
I practices or worse complacent with being obese then what message is being sent out to the public, especially children?
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The guy looks like an average guy and the girl is fat. Obese in fact... Plain and simple. She is not pretty and she is not glamorous.
 
lizzie said:
I've seen a push to glamorize it over the past decade or more, mostly by advertisers trying to take advantage of a new market. Other than that, though, we're seeing plus size women in more television shows. I think we need to be careful about the fine line between obesity being acceptable enough not to ridicule it, but also avoid making it desirable. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just really don't believe that many people can really and HONESTLY say that they don't mind if their significant other gets obese. I'm not talking about just a little overweight, but obese, like the woman in the op is.

Queen Sized - myLifetime.com

---------------------------

Drop Dead Diva
Follow the show on Facebook and Twitter
Series Summary
When beautiful but shallow model-wannabe Deb dies in a car accident, her soul resurfaces in the person of Jane, a queen-size attorney who is brilliant and well-liked ... or the exact opposite of Deb. Now, by a twist of fate, Deb must come to terms with inhabiting Jane's curvier frame in an ultimate showdown between brains and beauty.
Air Dates: 2009 - 2015
Genres: Comedy drama
Network: LIFE
Drop Dead Diva - TV Series - Moviefone.com

-------------------------------------------

View attachment 67171200

then a Fox show, "More to Love"
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No person that cares about their health or looks will ever say... gee, fat looks good to and I will just eat some twinkies now.
 
Haven't read the entire thread and will go back to read, but I'd like to ask the OP this: While I agree that obesity is unhealthy, and dangerous to encourage - would you be making the same type of thread over people who post themselves smoking cigarettes on Facebook? Or any other type of behavior that is unsafe and unhealthy?
 
Haven't read the thread but no. I don't see a bunch of little girls wanting to look like honey boo boo, and most women don't look at that pic and think, ooh, I wish I looked like that. I take physical fitness seriously. I'm in the gym 5 days a week and eat moderately. I wanna live a long life and look and feel good while doing it!
 
Middleground said:
The biggest issue I have is that this woman is considered plus size:

View attachment 67171194

Give me a ****ing break. :roll:
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She looks toned and healthy to me. Size 12 doesn't look the same on everybody. I'm not saying it's chunky or even fat, just that not every size 12 looks toned like that.... Then again... I know some skinny girls who have flab bc their skin isn't toned or they have very little muscle.
 
Bodhisattva said:
The guy looks like an average guy and the girl is fat. Obese in fact... Plain and simple. She is not pretty and she is not glamorous.
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You must have failed to actually comprehend my op because you are only repeating what I already said. Knee jerk response.
 
PirateMk1 said:
Whose children? Mine yours? Why would I worry about your children? Why would you worry about mine? I assure you, I don't know your children and don't wish to,and don't care what they are told. I care what MINE are told and make sure they get the proper messages from the proper sources their mother and myself and my family. Who cares what somebody else not family says or thinks? I have very little control over others thoughts and decisions. It is pointless to attempt to control that which you have no possibility of control. People come in all shapes and sizes, and its best to realize that.
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I'm referring to all children. And yes I care about the message sent to them. Your response shows a serious lack of how impressionable children are including your own. You may not care what you children are told, but you are assuming you will ultimately have the final say on what information will effect your children, determining how they will use it once they come across it. Regardless of what you may personally tell your children there are things that they will be told by other people, some people you do not know. There are things that they will be shown, told, and taught that you may not want them to know - you nor anyone has any control over this aspect of your child's development. The most you can do is take heed and maybe even an active role in what they are exposed to on some level. Those thing will have varying volumes of impact on their lives.

People do come in all shapes and sizes, some of those sizes come with an earlier expiration date.
 
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Zinthaniel said:
I'm referring to all children. And yes I care about the message sent to them. Your response shows a serious lack of how impressionable children are including your own. You may not care what you children are told, but you are assuming you will ultimately have the final say on what information will effect your children, determining how they will use it once they come across it. Regardless of what you may personally tell your children there are things that they will be told by other people, some people you do not know. There are things that they will be shown, told, and taught that you may not want them to know - you nor anyone has any control over this aspect of your child's development. The most you can do is take heed and maybe even an active role in what they are exposed to on some level. Those thing will have varying volumes of impact on their lives.

People do come in all shapes and sizes, some of those sizes come with an earlier expiration date.
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I come from a very large and independent minded family. We barely listen to each other let alone outsiders. You obviously come from a nuclear style family. I don't. Mine is extended, very. And we are very clannish and insular. That said, we realize that yes our children will be exposed to concepts other than ours, its one of the reasons we raise them to be independent minded. We know we cant control all the information that our children see, and we DONT try to either. We consider our business what we ourselves do, we don't worry about others whom we have never met, nor will we likely meet and have no business with. They live their lives as they see fit, we live ours as we see fit. What others do that have no direct bearing on our lives is a pointless endeavor to engage in worrying about, when we have our OWN lives and all the difficulties that come with those lives.
 
Gathomas88 said:
Ummm... Wut?

If anything, she's too thin, IMO. Just look at her thighs!
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I thought you liked thinner girls. :lol: That's an Amazon! Probably almost as tall as you, and likely taller in heels.

Don't see what you mean about her legs. Her shape just doesn't carry most of its weight there. I'd imagine she's right smack in the middle of what her healthy range is. But definitely not actually "plus sized," no.
 
SmokeAndMirrors said:
I thought you liked thinner girls. :lol:
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This is true. BUT, you have to keep in mind what I meant by that. I meant it in the sense that women who are petite, while still managing to have a moderately shapely figure, are my "ideal."

i.e. I'm more into "lithe and graceful" than "ba-donk-a-donk." :lol:

Something like this, basically. She's 5'3", only weighs around 110-120, and she's not rocking much of anything more than a B-Cup in the bust department. However, she's also got nice legs, a nice butt, and plenty going on with regard to her W-t-H ratio.

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Yea, sure. Women like that are probably completely out of my league, in many cases. :lol:

However, that's why it's an "ideal." :mrgreen:

(While this obviously varies to a certain extent) Barring the ideal, a woman who is at least somewhat "shapely" will still usually win out over one who is just "thin."

That's an Amazon! Probably almost as tall as you, and likely taller in heels.

Don't see what you mean about her legs. Her shape just doesn't carry most of its weight there. I'd imagine she's right smack in the middle of what her healthy range is. But definitely not actually "plus sized," no.
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Ah. Gotcha. I wasn't aware of her height.

I was primarily commenting on how her thighs and hips didn't appear to be especially "rounded." However, that would be pretty easily explained by her height, and how the tissue has to stretch across a longer frame than most women.

Either way, I would agree that she's certainly not "plus sized" or "overweight." She looks perfectly healthy.
 
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PirateMk1 said:
I come from a very large and independent minded family. We barely listen to each other let alone outsiders. You obviously come from a nuclear style family. I don't. Mine is extended, very. And we are very clannish and insular. That said, we realize that yes our children will be exposed to concepts other than ours, its one of the reasons we raise them to be independent minded. We know we cant control all the information that our children see, and we DONT try to either. We consider our business what we ourselves do, we don't worry about others whom we have never met, nor will we likely meet and have no business with. They live their lives as they see fit, we live ours as we see fit. What others do that have no direct bearing on our lives is a pointless endeavor to engage in worrying about, when we have our OWN lives and all the difficulties that come with those lives.
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I'm not going to argue the personal idiosyncrasies of you or your family. But I can't help but think you are being stubbornly dishonest to claim you zero concern to what your children are exposed to. I'm not from a nuclear family - I'm a gay black man and I'm about as liberal minded as one can get, but there is no denying that without some filtering and monitoring of what children are confronted with when they are in their most impressionable stage and are easily persuaded that it can lead to some damaging results.

Would you care if the channels your children deliberately watched started broadcasting adult material?

If their teacher was stepping out line and discussing topics too mature for them?

Anything?

Or do you seriously simply not give rat's ass about what children are exposed too at all?

at some level there has to be some concern. Because there is no denying, not matter how "Independent" your children are that they will be effected by external influences from the world around them. To think otherwise, that your child is above the fray, is normal - but typical naivety of parents.
 
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The polls are turning somewhat halved surprisingly! One half states that "Yes obesity is glamorized!"

There are a variety of other diseases out there. Why glamorize obesity specifically?
 
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