I recently shared a Facebook post about the fat acceptance movement and got a lot of positive feedback from people agreeing with me. My intention is never to make anyone feel bad, or start a Facebook war, so I was pleasantly surprised when others felt the same way as I did.
My post was sparked by the recent publicity that Tess Munster has been getting for being on the cover of People magazine. I am a plus size woman, and have been for most of my life, therefore I fully understand the dangers and health risks associated with it. My issue with her being on the cover is this- If she was severely anorexic, would she still be getting praise for body positivity and accepting herself? Absolutely not.
If People magazine featured a woman with a severe eating disorder- progressed to the point of being just skin and bones and glamorized her, the public would be outraged.
So whats the difference between being morbidly obese and being anorexic? Obesity is everywhere and we see it everywhere we go. We are used to it. We ALL know someone who is morbidly obese. Whether its a family member, co worker, spouse, child, or yourself- obesity is everywhere.
It's much less socially acceptable to say to someone "Hey, I've noticed you've gained a lot of weight recently, is everything okay" then to say "You're losing a lot of weight, are you okay?"
When someone is losing weight rapidly to the point of being unhealthy, they get comments almost immediately, and usually an intervention of some sort follows. Why doesn't this happen when someone is becoming obese? People tend to tiptoe around the subject, afraid to hurt someone's feelings. If you really care for someone, you should be honest with them, and do everything you can to support them on their journey to getting healthy.
Tess Munster is as much of a body positive role model as the severely anorexic models we've all talked about. She is promoting an unhealthy image and showing people that it's okay to be unhealthy.
She is a beautiful woman, but she is an unhealthy woman.
There is nothing wrong with loving your body, but part of loving your body is taking care of it. We should be setting good examples by showcasing healthy, strong woman on the covers of magazines.
One of the main reasons I am changing my lifestyle is to promote a healthy image for my son. It bothers me to know that children will be seeing unhealthy role models on the cover of magazines and think that its okay to be like them. This goes for all unhealthy role models- both under and overweight.
Just some food for thought (no pun intended).
One of my favorite ways to exercise is by getting outdoors. There is something so renewing about being surrounded by beautiful trees, and having dirt under your feet. I went for an early morning walk at our local Botanic Garden with my cousin, Amber. We took a trail through the woods, leading out onto the gardens at the bottom. It was so hot out! Like almost too hot to be walking outside, but we made it:)