To think that skinny celebrities do have a negative impact on women and girls?

[thatisnotcoffee]

How could they not? When you constantly have this ideal body type pushed in your face as the only right one and and when size 14 is considered to be overweight then how can that not effect you?

Dakota Fanning is considered to be a good role model for teenagers and young women but she's a stick! How can that be healthy? She's 21 and still has the body of a child.

I watched an interview with Amanda Holden recently and she's wasting away. I also looked up Gillian Anderson recently when I found out the X Files was coming back and I was shocked to see that she's also very thin. I was even more shocked when I looked at even older pictures of her from 10-20 years ago and I realised she was very skinny even back then. I just don't understand how being that thin can be healthy tbh.

This sort of shit just makes me feel like crap and that I must be a hippo at a size 16 even though that's the average size.

"However, I have enough understanding of society's values and enough imagination to see that a few FB memes aimed at making fat people feel better about themselves or a marketing campaign aimed at selling shit to fat people do not compare to the whole sale shaming of fat women that goes on."

Yup. The internalized message that "thin == better" is very powerful. The last time I was very thin (for my build), I had largely lost the weight because I was very unwell (bad PND that meant I never felt like eating and was really twitchy, plus a bad gastro bug), and I still remember the voice in my head going "ooh, I might feel like shit but at least I'm a size 8 now, I don't have to worry about fitting into tiny shorts, etc. etc.". Very strong sense that I now had a socially "better" body.

Theword the fact you find it uncomfortable frankly shocks me.

It's that sort of attitude that is leading to it being increasingly difficult to speak out about obesity and if you do, it's 'fat shaming'. We're now expected to praise these 'brave' bigger women who decide to take a nude photo or take a beach photo, but at the same time we have this 'skinny shaming' going on, either indirectly with all this 'real women have curves (aka fat)' or ridiculing thinner women just like this thread has done.

Society is definitely approving of thin.

Yes, there may be more fat people out there than ever, but they are relatively rare among the rich, and almost invisible amongst the famous.

And I think this is an issue for young women.

They live in a society where the food companies make it more difficult to remain slim than ever. Yet successful women are portrayed overwhelmingly as very slim, often too thin. With huge tits.

It's a horrible thing.

Completely agree with Grays.

grays if people really care about obesity levels then they should be speaking out against the food companies, the sugar lobby which is wields unbelieveable power!

Tutting about fat people and getting hot under the collar if they dare to show their bodies is not caring. It's the opposite.

In much the same way that I might smart at a racist comment from a black person. But as a white person I understand that it is not in the same ball park the institutionalised racism that others face.

But that comes across as you still saying someone doesn't have the right to be hurt by body shaming.

Or are you telling people to woman up because being thin and body shamed is less hurtful than being fat and body shamed?

That ^^ is what you have no right to do.

They own their bodies, they don't need anyone brushing aside their feelings because they've deemed them 'not as important' as someone elses.

"grays if people really care about obesity levels then they should be speaking out against the food companies, the sugar lobby which is wields unbelieveable power!"

This makes no sense. So, thin people don't eat sugar?

Wrong.

And food companies are not to blame for obesity imo - poor health yes but not obesity.

When I look at the overweight people around me, it's not about what they eat, it's about how much they eat and how little exercise they take in comparison to their calorie intake.

When I went to my DS's football tournament recently, there were 120 boys and girls and not a single overweight child amongst them. Plenty of overweight parents and grandparents though.

These are children who are constantly active...just like the constantly active and slim children on the netball, swimming and gymnastics teams.

I've seen many of them in my local chip shop, Mcdonalds and walking around town eating/drinking unhealthy things like lots of other children.

I also live in one of London's most deprived boroughs, so imo it's a bit of a cop out to blame the food industry and lack of wealth on obesity.

Just as it's a bit of a cop out for parents to expect celebrities to provide a 'role model image' for their children, when those parents can't or won't provide it themselves.

And, yeah, what Worra said.

You've got no right to tell anyone they have faux feelings...

Agree - exercise is a huge factor. Perhaps we need to lobby against playing fields being sold off.

if people really care about obesity levels then they should be speaking out against the food companies, the sugar lobby which is wields unbelieveable power!

The ol' blame everyone but ourselves game.

Grays, are you really 'shocked' personally I'm more shocked to see mobs of men lynch a woman for having an opinion, for daring to be something other than what men have decided we should be. The concern for the nation's health is justifying an archaic belief that the sum of a woman is her 'body' and that only. It is not progressive. It is shocking and disturbing that we are tolerating it! My mum and Dad were politically active 60's students and without a doubt my Dad thinks that things are going 'backwards' for women!

What crap- 'difficult to speak about obesity', as if it's some big cover up. People are always talking about, obsessively!

Well of course people are talking about it because it's a very serious issue

I think the 'difficulty' often lies in accepting personal responsibility for our own bodies and those of our young children.

While pointing the finger at

Celebrities
The food industry
Men
'Other'

The shining light on ourselves can be somewhat dimmed. But to be realistic, the only people who have the power to change our bodies, is ourselves.

No point in expecting other people or industries to do it for us.

Sorry yes I am shocked we can be shocked at multiple things of different levels so you're going on about women being lynched is irrelevant

Are you a HCP? Do you have to speak about obesity? because I do. And yes it's bloody difficult. But it is for anyone. There was a metro Facebook share the other day and everyone was praising a woman for 'daring to bare' whilst being fat. One voice of reason said we shouldn't be glorifying obesity and was quickly and promptly shot down, abused and called every name under the sun for 'fat shaming'.

This isn't about women, it's about us as human beings. It's about us being slowly brainwashed. When people are coming out with comments like '16 is average so why is that unhealthy' you can see we have a problem.

What crap- 'difficult to speak about obesity', as if it's some big cover up. People are always talking about, obsessively!

Actually, no. I feel I must bite my tongue on obesity. Must tread on eggshells, be 'PC' yadda yadda. And that being smaller is being fair game for abuse. As is evidenced on this thread...

To be fair Grays I think only one poster (the OP ) has ridiculed/insulted thin women.

Oh dear... If you were really happy with your own body as you keep saying - you believe you are healthy, not overweight etc - then why oh why are you starting threads like this, basically slating other women under the faux-concern of them making other women feel bad about themselves? Seriously, you need to actually take stock of what people are saying. These women you are calling are not too skinny. The fact that you say Marilyn Monroe was a size 16 and considered beautiful, well you only have to look at photos of her to see that her measurements are far smaller than a size 16 of today would be (even a size 12 of today).

I don't even know what else to say as you are set in your idea and it seems that nothing is going to make you see how offensive you are being to a large section of the female population! YABU.

Well said GreysAnalogy

I watch what I eat.
I exercise.
I try to keep my weight at or just under 9 stone (BMI just under 21).
I do not have an eating disorder.
I just care more about being a healthy size than eating another bit of food.

People like Gillian Anderson are not underweight.
She is lean and toned and looks fantastic - for her frame shape.

In the 50' and 60's it was common for women to be described according to their bust - waist - hip measurements

Marilyn Monroe was 5'5" same as me her bust was about a 36" more than me her waist was 23" in my dreams her hips were 37" about the same as me but I'm a lot older than she ever was

If your waist is more than half your height you are overweight.
Don't argue, just exercise.

Why on earth are women only being valued for their dress size or what it says on the scales. Im a size 16 down from a 28. Im aiming to stay at the weight i am because i lose inches everywhere EXCEPT for my boobs. I now have a 34 back size supporting HH boobs. And yes i do get proffessionally measured and am NOT wearing the wrong size.

Women need to be valued more for other attributes like compassion and their contribution to society. Its mostly women in caring roles but are we valued for this NO They would rather value us for how we look instead.

Having said that can anyone give me at least 3 examples of a mainstream film or television drama where the female romantic lead was/is over a size 12/14. Thats the romantic lead not the sympathetic friend.

After all if being overweight has become so normalized this wont be a problem will it!

I was speaking with TalkinPeace on another thread She mentioned the strain obesity is having on the NHS.

Yet funnily enough when i mentioned that if i was ever prescribed meds that said "may cause weight gain" on the leaflet i would flush them down the toilet as i dont want to take any risks with gaining the weight.

Did she mention anything about the waste to the NHS that would be caused by that Nope Zip Zilch Nada Not a peep.

So if you want to shame overweight ppl dont insult our intelligence by pretending you care about our health or the cost to the NHS Because we know thats bollocks as my example proves.

That post makes no sense.

I meant i wouldnt want to take any risks with regaining the weight. Including IF i was prescribed ANY meds that "may cause fluctuations in weight"

I meant that she didnt mention the waste to the NHS that would be caused by flushing meds down the toilet