The Curvy Goddess

Catch Up with the News...

I have been rather slack in paying attention to whats been happening in the news lately, focusing some what on just me, me and me...  Actually the truth is I have been very busy at work, been having early nights and needing to spend my evenings relaxing with a DVD.  Despite that a couple of news stories have caught my eyes...

Refreshingly rather than obesity getting all the attention - it seems that the world has now got its claws out for skinny models.

In Spain models with a BMI of less than 18 were banned from the Madrid Fashion Show.  Then at the Milan Fashion week an announcement was made that from next yet all models would have to carry a health certificate and started the week with plus size fashion.

On a personal note, for years I have also not wanted to lose weight because the feminist in me did not want to attempt to fit in to an ideal of women which I cannot be in my mind.  I have no desire to spend much of my life grooming to become an orange (fake tan), highlighted, C list soap star celebrity lookalike.  However my feminist principles will not save me from poor health and I have further confused my own principles through my love of clothes.  But I guess that ultimately clothes are irrelevant and it is having them presented on unrealistic body images is what I find so unacceptable.

Channel Four will soon be airing a new show called Super-Skinny Me: The Race to Size Zero, in which female journalists will try various crash diets in order to become a UK size 2.  Yes thats right a size 2 - I am sure everyone out there has some tiny friends who are 8, maybe even size 6 - I can't begin to grasp what a size 2 is, it's bloody scary.  The press has raised some concerns about the health of the journalists, I know that these are valid concerns but I think this is an excellent idea which will hopefully show how utterly ridiculous it is that some celebrities and models are actually striving to be that size!  I do hope that the show offers a balanced perspective on this all though as I do have some slender friends who struggle to gain weight and all to often I think this is ignored...  Really looking forward to watching this documentary.

Fat Bashing News...

On Friday the news was awash with this story.  England it seems will have record numbers of obese people by 2010.  The BBC made it a topic of 'Have your Say' which had a mass of cruel and derogatory comments about obese and overweight people and not to mention the patronising comments about eating and exercise!  Grrr!!!!!  I would love to tell some the people on HoS to just f**k off!

Once again these issues are discussed purely on a diet related basis.  There is no mention of any emotional problems or difficulties that people might face in trying to lose weight.  It's focusing on food, food and food.  Not good for a diet.  No mention of support or making exercise more accessible to everyone.  I wonder if they government has ever tried looking at things from our point of view?  If the government actually acknowledged the views of overweight people, rather than scaremongering with these report's - they might actually find better ways of combating obesity - rather than adding to the social stigma of it.

You gotta laugh...

The BBC Have Your Say section on their website often seems to have the most unpleasant people on it.  The topic of 'Are you responsible for your own health' had a lot of people ranting about obese people, but this comment really made me chuckle:

"Added:                                           Wednesday, 26 July, 2006, 12:09 GMT                 13:09 UK                                               

         

stop smoking, eat properly and exercise and you wont get ill, so you will live forever then, wake up, the care homes are full of 80 and 90 year olds who did just that and now they cost the tax payers a fortune having their diapers changed, the truth is we are all going to get old, get ill and then die, it is just a matter when. Maybe heavy smokers and the obese should get tax rebates as they die earlier and therefore cost us less.

       

                                                    david shepherd, Withernsea, United Kingdom"

You gotta laugh, sometimes...
       

In The News - July 9th 2006

The Observer newspaper published a very interesting article about obesity.  The journalist spent some time in a 'fat suit' and felt terrible as a size 30 woman.  Along with the journalists thoughts & feeling about her time in the suit it also has a lot of information about how the media is twisting the facts about obesity...