to think that its not weight thats the issue, its US!

[TheLadyOfTheGreenKirtle]

ffs. some women are small because thats the way they are, some women are small because they dont eat enough. some women are big because thats the way they are, some women are big because they eat too much.

bullying is bullying, whether its because of the colour of your skin or your hair, because you are over or underweight. what gives other people the right to pick on others? hating other people because of the way you look wont make you like yourself more.

ive been a variety of sizes and men have found me attractive, but tbh i couldnt really give a flying fuck. im no more real or better than the next woman, and i pity those who feel the need to put others down. its not a pretty trait.

People like ccp will only be happy when we are all identical androids being churned off a production line.

We NEED difference in society so hear hear Op I totally agree with you.

The thread is about weight, yes? 'Its not weight thats the issue, its us?'

I disagree. Weight IS the issue.

There are extremes of course - being bitchy sells magazines and you will never stop them cruelly picking on failing celebrities.

On a whole though, as a society 'Us' have the stigma balance about right.

ccpccp - oh right - so it's just fine to stigmatise people is it, based on their weight?

Yep, because bitchiness and stigma will make a real difference, won't it? Nothing like good, positive action

Individuals, no.

As a society, yes.

Too fat or too thin should be actively discouraged, and if a stigma works best then then so be it. These unwritten codes of acceptance have been in place for generations. They arent new and we all know them.

I dont agree with the way magazines portray these things, but they are just using it as a vehicle to destroy some minor celebrity they created in the first place.

Postitive action is overrated and barely gets results.

The UK is now one of the most obese countries in the world.

CCPCCP, I hope to God none of your children grow up to have a weight issue, be it overweight or underweight. (Mine don't, BTW, before I hear echoes of 'defensive'). Perhaps then you'll rue the day that you suggested we stigmatise people and make them feels like outcasts because of their weight.

I have never, ever experienced criticism over my weight, but I know people who have andit's not fun. Nor is it an effective way of encouraging or helping them to gain/lose weight.

YANBU

ccpccp - how exactly is it supposed to help? You have said yourself - stigmatising overweight people has happened for generations - has it made us 'thinner' as a nation? NO! so why do you think it will now?

FFS - do you really want to know what being ridiculed does to people who are obese? It makes them stay home to avoid it, it makes them stop walking, running, cycling because you get FED UP of the stares and rude comments - so yeah, you pile that stigma on.

Prevention is better than the cure NotFrom. We dont start out over or underweight.

I'm sympathetic to people who have weight issues and want to fix them. But I have no time for the people who are 'loud and proud' over their size. In most cases its just obvious self delusion anyway.

Threads like this do no good for a growing problem.

Then why did you post on it?

Riven you try wearing something different from "the norm" AND be overweight.

I'm happy with my weight. My BMI is 24.7 and I can still walk up mountains without getting too out of breath.

In my twenties I was under 8 stone and had sticking out breast bones and hip bones but ate like a horse!

Having children changed all that and I actually got to my proper weight for the first time ever.

Just hate seing really stick thin people, OK when under the age of 30yrs, but after that it just makes you saggy, especially on the neck.

Once a person has a weight issue, then of course the stigma of size is of little help.

But getting there means they have ignored years of dirty looks, 'helpful' comments etc. People may be FED UP chippingIn, but not fed up enough to have done anything about it when they had less of a problem. Thus sympathy for their plight from society is in short supply.

So really, anyne who is over- or underweight has no-one but themselves ot blame because to get there they have igored years of dirty looks?

Silly them

Moving on...

There are people who have weight issues through no fault of their own. But not many.

ccpccp - nice little generalisation there.

You really have no idea what you are talking about. I really do hope that one day, your life isn't as perfect as you seem to think it is, then maybe you will realise that not everything is as simple as it sounds when it's not your problem.

I can't see anywhere that fat/obese people are asking for sympathy - just to be treat like normal, decent human beings and not have their entire lives judged on the basis that they are 'fat', not be be called names on the street and not be given 'dirty looks' - why is that so hard for you to understand?

Oh yeah and your last post - really does show you up for the ignorant twit you are.

You're making this personal where it isnt ChippingIn.

I dont care if you are fat or thin or healthy. I do care if we as a society develop a weigh problem.

I suspect that to prevent this we have to make things a bit tougher for people over the next decade.

How on earth do you think making things tougher will help?

What would you do to make things tougher?

Op you are completely right.

This competitiveness between women leaves no one the winner.

Another thread got me thinking and I have an example of how no woman can win the whole weight issue thing.

A couple years back I went for lunch with a group of women. I myself am too skinny ( not through choice), a good friend of mine was there too, she is on the larger side. Anyways we all had this big lunch, and due to comments I knew I would get from a couple of ladies in the group I decided to go for a bigish quite heavy meal, when all I really wanted was a salad. If I had ordered the salad I knew I would comments of "so your starving yourself" variety, off of those couple of ladies.

After the meal I was talking to my good friend and we got onto the topic of these women (yes bitches aren't we). she told me she wanted what I had but didnt dare to because they would have ripped into her about shouldn't she be watching what she eats. I would have loved my friends salad, but didnt due to the same women!

No one can win!! Women are our own worst enemies!!!

The things that would make it tougher for people to get over or underweight are:

1. Education for parents on helping their child to have good self-esteem and good eating habits.

1. Education at school about the same.

1. The government getting tougher on manufacturers and sellers of cheap, bad foods and subsidising healthy alternatives to ensure that it is as cheap to feed a family healthy food as it is to feed them junk.

1. being kinder to one another.

I'm not sure that's exactly what ccpccp had in mind, though...

ccp - think you started the personal comments with the fold fungus remarks!

Well said Lady

We are so hung up on appearances, we should be encouraging healthiness and fitness.

And Lifeissweet, encouraging people to develop their child's self-esteem is key I think, great point. I have only managed to maintain a healthy weight/fitness level when I have realised that I am worth making an effort for.