TresSugar

Some Overweight People Are Calling For a Law to Protect Them

TresSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:00:00 -0700

Overt racism is not tolerated in most places, but fatism is flourishing in our society. Many overweight people say that the normal rules of decency and common courtesy don't seem to apply to them, and they're trying to organize a new rights movement.

In a news article yesterday, the BBC recounted the plight of an overweight train passenger who was beaten up by another commuter for taking up two seats. The aggressor yelled "you big fat pig" before she kicked the victim in the stomach. In addition to suffering verbal and physical abuse, overweight people who are speaking out say they are victims of systemic discrimination. For example, many airline companies in the US now charge larger passengers for two seats. Such a policy is considered illegal discrimination in Canada, where there is a one-person-one-fare law. The US has no such rule, nor is there a federal law forbidding employers from firing people because of their weight. (Michigan is alone in prohibiting employers from firing people for being overweight.)

Last year, a study from Yale revealed that weight discrimination is tolerated because many believe that people have control over their size. The truth is more complicated. Economics, health issues like type 2 diabetes, and genetics can affect a person's weight.

The study also revealed that overweight women are twice as vulnerable to discrimination than overweight men. If you want to find out if you have implicit biases against overweight people take this quiz developed by Harvard researchers. You might be surprised by the results.

Would you like to see a federal anti-weight discrimination law?

"Fat" Kate Moss Is a Sign of Lean Times?

TresSugar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:00:00 -0700

Kate Moss, fairly or not, has been a symbol for heroin-chic and anorexia since the mid-90s when, at the tender age of 14, her modeling career took off.

Making her the symbol for unhealthy thinness has always seemed unfair to me for many reasons. Some healthy teenagers are scrawny looking; Kate's body type has always been on the waifish side (especially compared to the size-six early '90s glamazons like Claudia Schiffer and Cindy Crawford); and since then, her slender '90s frame has been replaced by the truly skeletal clothes-hanger body types on the runway.

But her body and its symbolism is back on the table: a recent article makes a connection between a heftier Kate Moss (yes, that's supposed to be visual evidence right there) and the economic crisis. Want to understand the reasoning? Then read more.

People are describing Kate as fat not as an insult, but with admiration. According to researchers, in lean economic times, men prefer heavier women (to make up for their leaner wallets and hence, depleted egos); people are eating more processed food because it's cheaper and gaining weight; and counting calories seems too self-involved. Whatever the case, it's fascinating that we haven't stopped looking at Kate's body as a barometer of what's going on in culture. She must be used to it by now.

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NYC To Require Back-to-School Student Weigh-Ins

LibertySugar — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:22 -0700

Back-to-school for New York school children will require stepping on the scale. A law going into effect this month will require NYC schools to report student weight and body mass indexes. The anonymous data will be kept by the state's Department of Health, unless parents opt out. In 2004, 21 percent of NYC third-graders were obese.

Recently Michael Phelps, Barack Obama, and John McCain have all come under fire from antiobesity groups. National Action Against Obesity thinks that Obama and McCain have failed to make childhood obesity, a major health problem facing the nation, a high-profile part of their platforms. In addition, they argue that the food and beverage industries influence the candidates' positions.

As for Michael Phelps, the Children's International Obesity Foundation thinks his deals with Kellogg's and McDonald's will do more to increase the problem. To see why, read more.

One activist explained that the "endorsement will undoubtedly influence more children to nag their parents for products that endanger their health so that they can go home, consume these products, and gain weight instead of becoming gold medalists."

Some students may fear the embarrassment of a back-to-school weigh-in, but I'm sure activists like Richard Simmons are proud of NYC's dedication to fight childhood obesity. Do people like Michael Phelps have a responsibility to help kids slim down?

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Alabama Makes Unfit Workers Pick Up Tab For Insurance

CitizenSugar — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 10:00:42 -0700

Giving up buttered grits for health care? As Alabama ballooned to take the #2 spot (right behind #1 ranked Mississippi) in the national obesity rankings, the state is cracking down on free health care payouts for state workers who are overweight. It's issued a get-slim-or-pay-up ultimatum for the nearly 40,000 workers on the state's insurance plan. They'll have a year to lose weight or start paying $25 a month toward their usually free plan.

Alabama already charges smokers - an incentive that has spurred some to snub out the butts - and other states reward workers for healthy habits. Ohio, for instance, pays workers $50 for getting health screenings and $50 for following the advice.

Not everyone is happy about the plan. To see why, read more.

One size-acceptance advocate says the new Alabama insurance policy will cause stress for workers. She says, "I'm big and beautiful and doing my best to keep my stress levels down so I can stay healthy. That's big, not lazy, not a glutton and certainly not deserving of the pompous, poisonous disrespect served up daily to those of us with more bounce to the ounce." The Alabama program will go by the body mass index chart - anyone with a BMI over 35 will be charged. Research shows that this demographic costs an average of $1,700 extra dollars in health care per year, far more than the $300 an overweight worker will be charged.

Is this plan fair? Is it a good plan to motivate healthy changes, or does it tip the scales in the wrong direction?

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It's Just Water Weight, No Big Deal

GiggleSugar — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 02:00:00 -0700

It looks like those late-night lasagne cravings finally caught up with good ol' Garfield here. Squeezing through this gate ain't as easy as it used to be, and that's assuming he actually makes it to the other side. It's questionable at this point, but if he sucks it in, hangs onto the wall for resistance, huffs, and puffs, then maybe . . .

Air India Attendants Too Fat (Ugly) to Fly? Court Says A-OK

CitizenSugar — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:00:23 -0700

India's state-owned airline, Air India, has just won the right to prevent attendants from taking flight for carrying on extra weight. The Delhi high court ruled on a case filed by five flight attendants protesting the fact that they'd been grounded by the airline for being too fat to fly. They're expected to appeal.

The judges sided with the airlines, saying a chubby crew presents a safety hazard - but then there's this addition to the judgment - in the highly competitive airline industry, flight attendant's physical condition and appearance play an important role in her overall personality. (Emphasis, mine.) How can someone's appearance dictate her personality? I buy that flight attendants have to be in a physical condition good enough to save people from a burning plane, but the beauty factor of the ruling is not so pretty.

The government-run airline is up against private airlines who don't clothe their employees in traditional saris, opting for Western get-ups, and they've pinpointed the crux of being competitive with their employees' looks. At a recent recruitment drive the airline refused applicants with acne or bad teeth.

Can a court rule that the attractiveness of an employee has business ramifications? OK, some industries - modeling, and the like - depend on appearance, but maintaining safety on an aircraft? Is the ruling fair justice, or just pretty ugly?

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Childhood Obesity Tipped Top of Scale - Are We Winning?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:15:19 -0700

A new survey out today shows that childhood obesity, after rising for more than two decades, appears to have hit a plateau. The data gathered from 1999 to 2006 by the federal Centers For Disease Control and Prevention is being greeted carefully.

It is not yet clear if the pause in kids' weight gain is permanent or even if the small success is the result of public antiobesity efforts to limit junk food and increase physical activity in schools. Even if the trend holds up, 32 percent of American schoolchildren are overweight or obese

The director of the childhood obesity program at Children’s Hospital in Boston says, “After 25 years of extraordinarily bad news about childhood obesity, this study provides a glimmer of hope. But it’s much too soon to know whether this is a true plateau in prevalence or just a temporary lull.”

In the study, the number of children who fall into the obese category decreased from 17.1 percent to 15.5 percent between the 2003 and 2006 surveys - though the decline is not statistically significant.

Are state programs, like the one in Arkansas, to eliminate vending machines in elementary schools, and adding a half hour of daily physical activity to the school curriculum - or the one in Somerville, MA, that included doubling the amount of fruit served for school lunch, painting crosswalks to encourage walks to school, and increasing physical activity in after-school programs the cause of this trend? Has education and outreach worked? Are we winning the childhood battle of the bulge?

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You Asked: Is My Boyfriend Making Me Fat?

DearSugar — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 17:00:00 -0700

Dear Sugar--

I am 19 years old and am in a stable relationship, but we have just moved to Europe together and I have really put on weight. When I ask my boyfriend if he can tell, he says yes, but he loves the extra meat on my bones. Now I just can't be motivated to lose weight. I am worried my weight gaining will spin out of control. I am now 5 ft 3 in tall and I weigh 125 lbs. Should I start dieting before I pick up more weight? Or should I stay the way I am now because it makes my boyfriend happy?

--Worried About my Weight Wendy

To see DEARSUGAR's answer read more

Dear Worried About my Weight Wendy --

First of all, you are NOT at all fat! Second of all, your weight is your business, so don't worry what your boyfriend or anyone else thinks about it. It's up to you to decide if you are happy with yourself or not. Your current weight isn't what's making your boyfriend happy -- YOU are making your boyfriend happy, and it sounds likes he's one of those amazing guys who loves you for the person you are on the inside as well as the outside.

Since you just moved to a new city, it will take a period of adjustment before you get back to your old healthy habits. Moving can be stressful and tiring, and it's easy to eat out a lot and not have time to exercise which can wreak havoc on your diet. Once you get settled in, you'll be more in control of your grocery shopping, your meals, and ways to stay fit.

If you continue to gain weight, and you're not happy about it, then I'd focus more on eating right and getting regular exercise. Just remember, the most important thing here is to be healthy and happy!

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Would You Be Honest?

DearSugar — Fri, 25 May 2007 09:32:48 -0700

Here's the situation. Your best friend just got a date with this guy she's had a crush on for months. You're out shopping together for the perfect outfit and she calls you into the dressing room yelling "I found it!" You walk in and she looks at you all excited and says "Well, what do you think? Does it make me look fat?" In your mind you answer yes, but to her face...

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WTF?!

GiggleSugar — Tue, 08 May 2007 13:00:00 -0700

Attention Kmart shoppers: Would you like some bacon along with that fat?

View 2 Photos ›

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