TresSugar

Mother of Obese Teen Charged With Criminal Neglect

TresSugar — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:30:00 -0700

Jerri Gray, the mother of a 14-year-old boy who weighs 555 pounds, has been charged with felony child neglect by South Carolina. Her son has been taken to foster care, and she faces 10 years in prison for putting her son at risk by neglecting his medical needs. Gray, who works three jobs, has told the media that her son got so overweight because she could not keep track of what he was eating.

Gray was a fugitive this past Spring, going to Maryland with her son while authorities attempted to bring the abuse charges. At that time, South Carolina's Department of Social Services said: "This agency doesn't get involved in such cases based on a child's weight alone, but will take action in cases where health care professionals believe the child is at risk due to the parent's possible neglect in providing medical care."

Still, Gray's attorneys say the case could potentially set a dangerous precedent that could, for example, be used to charge parents of anorexic children. If you can charge a parent for a kid being overweight, could you charge parents with underweight children too?

Should childhood obesity be considered grounds for charging a parent with child abuse?

Can "Fat" Ever Be a Neutral Term?

TresSugar — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:00:00 -0700

Plump. Curvy. Or, my personal favorite section of girls' clothing, "husky." (Yes, it still exists.)

There all sorts of ways to euphemize the weighty issue of surplus body fat (there's another!). Overweight is probably the most accurate and least sugarcoated, but "fat" may be the most oft used, at least in unmixed company. And by that I mean among thin people.

Although a study reported that fat celebrities are normalizing obesity, I wonder if this is even possible. Susie Orbach, author of Bodies and Fat Is a Feminist Issue, has said that part of the problem is that the word "fat" has been moralized. Fat is not a neutral term, but rather a condition to be scorned and derided. Could fat ever be a neutral term?

Photo by Flickr User DavidDennisPhotos.com

Anna Wintour in Minnesota: People Are Little Houses Here

TresSugar — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:00:00 -0700

"I'd just been on a trip to Minnesota, where I can only kindly describe most of the people I saw as little houses. And I just felt like there’s such an epidemic of obesity in the United States. And for some reason everyone focuses on anorexia."

On 60 Minutes last night, Vogue editor Anna Wintour recounted a recent trip to the Midwest and her "concern" with America's obesity crisis. It might surprise Anna that Minneapolis, MN, was ranked America's third most fit city, while New York City came in fifth on "the top fattest cities" list.

To see the clip, read more,

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Overweight Dating Show - Discrimination or Inspiration?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:30:51 -0700

Fox has unveiled the latest dating show to hit TV - More to Love. The series will feature "a single average guy with a big waist and an even bigger heart" looking for a full-figured soul mate.

Images of impossibly thin models, actresses, and other celebrities saturate popular culture. Perhaps a show about regular sized people could help us all embrace our natural sizes.

But, I can't help but think of the show's theme as a gimmick, that will further the idea that our weight should dominate our identities.

Do you think the nonskinny will look at the show as a breakthrough? Or would they rather be featured on TV not as an "overweight" person, but just as a person?

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Too Fat to Father? Authorities Tell Obese Man He Can't Adopt

LibertySugar — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 09:45:16 -0800

Fearing that wannabe father Damien Hall might die due to his 340 lb. weight, Leeds City Council has declared him and his wife ineligible to adopt a child. Officials told the UK couple, who cannot have children naturally, that they might be considered after Damien gets his BMI down from 42 to below 40.

While responsible adoption officials should consider the lifestyle choices of would-be parents, I wouldn't blame this couple for feeling like victims of discrimination. Do you think officials should consider the weight of a potential adoptive parent? Do you think an extremely underweight person would be excluded, too?

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New York Weighs Tax on Non-Diet Soda

LibertySugar — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:01:00 -0800

Tough times have hit state governments, and as a result New York's Gov. Paterson plans to put his state's budget on a diet by cutting funding of education and health care. But he's also hoping lean measures can raise money - the governor wants to tax non-diet soda, that he claims will bring in $404 million for the state.

Other revenue-raising ideas include: requiring new license plates, reinstating sales tax on clothing purchases, and requiring Indian retailers to collect taxes on sales to non-Indians. Paterson has to get creative if he wants to reduce the $12.5 billion state budget deficit.

If New York is going to tax soda, should it just go all the way and tax regular and diet?

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Obese Air Travelers in Canada Have Right to Free Seat

LibertySugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:30:34 -0800

As a tall woman, I am relieved when the seat next to me on a flight ends up empty, since the space I paid for is painfully too small. As of today, obese people flying Canadian airlines officially have a right to that extra seat, at no extra cost.

The Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear airline objections to the Canadian Transportation Agency's regulation that states that people "functionally disabled by obesity" do not have to pay for an extra seat.

Earlier this year the agency implemented the nondiscrimination "one-person-one-fare" policy because those with severe disabilities had limited traveling opportunities due to the doubled price of travel. Do you think the decision is a blow against discrimination, or the beginning of a slippery slope for troubled airlines?

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Could a Mandated Fast Food Ad Ban Cut Child Obesity?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:30:58 -0800

Experts have gone back and forth on whether the pause in kids' weight gains is permanent, but a new study shows a ban on fast food television ads could help reduce the number of overweight children in the US by 18 percent.

The study, which was compiled by the National Bureau of Economic Research, questioned whether government regulation (something that's been done in Sweden, Norway and Finland) could help the US trim the unhealthy fat off children.

Estimates suggest 13.9 percent of children aged two to five are overweight and 18.8 percent of those aged six to 11 are as well. Exposure to TV is known to raise obesity rates and the Institute of Medicine put together evidence linking food advertising on television and increased childhood obesity.

Fifty-six percent of CitizenSugar readers believe the lull in childhood obesity is one thing, but kids are still too far from having healthy habits. Do you think government regulation of fast food ads help tip the scales in the right direction?

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Richard Simmons Might Run For Office to Fight Child Obesity

LibertySugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:00:05 -0700

When you think lobbyist, workout guru Richard Simmons comes to mind, right? Well yesterday Simmons testified before Congress, lobbying for more physical education in the nation's schools. He also found time for some dancing in the streets.

Ditching his patriotic workout outfit for a suit, Simmons told the House Education Committee:

Our children today will not live as long as their parents. What have we done? What have we done to the kids of the United States of America! This is wrong! And I will dedicate the rest of my life! And chairperson George Miller - I just may run for office to help this really get through and not have one kid feel lousy about himself because he can't throw a ball!"

Simmons says that as a fat kid who never took PE, he wants to do what he can to help every child, every day, engage in physical activity. PE may need the help - public school budget cuts often mean PE gets cut, and sixteen-percent of American children are overweight or obese.

While PE funding should be a priority, perhaps schools in a pinch could make healthier lunch menu choices, while leaving the exercise to the parents.

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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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