tired"Isn't this the store that made that ad?" Mom asked.
"Which ad?"
"The one they wouldn't show on TV."
"Oh. Yeah."
For those of you who managed to miss this whole thing, Fox and ABC refused to air a Lane Bryant commercial, saying that it was inappropriate, despite the fact that both networks air commercials for Victoria's Secret. Now, I've seen both commercials, and if you want to talk comparative nudity, well. The new line from Victoria's Secret is actually called "Naked." The Lane Bryant lingerie, on the other hand, covers a lot more, while committing the dual sins of a) being made for plus-sized women, and b) being reasonably attractive. That's obscene! We can't show that to our children, especially not during Dancing With the Stars, a show that features women wearing costumes that are closer to rumor than reality! That would be wrong! That would be...that would...
Wait, what?
Of course, the networks insist that this isn't a comment about Lane Bryant's lingerie being worn by plus-size models, even though, well, it's either that, or a comment on the immorality of wearing bras that come in colors. Rainbow Brite should be ashamed of herself. Meanwhile, over in Victoria's Secret-land, all the models are modestly wearing undies the exact color of their skins, making them look totally nude if you're not paying close attention. Much more modest.
"Why?"
"Because the models were fat, Mom."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"But that doesn't make sense."
"Tell me about it."
The current culture of fat shaming isn't just depressing; it's outright scary. It's dehumanizing. Fat women are "whales" and "cows," not just, I don't know, fat women. Women come in all shapes and sizes! Women are healthy at all shapes and sizes! My youngest sister weighs about fifty pounds more than I do, and she is smoking hot, like a plus-sized Betty Page gone tattoo model. She dresses like she's hot, she walks like she's hot, and you know what? She's hot! She's also healthy, active, smart, and all those other things that some people think "fatties" aren't allowed to be. She looks better at her current weight than I ever would, because she's built that way.
This may be a bit of a shock to some of the folks out there deciding what is and isn't "decent," but not all bodies were created from the same template. If Kate and I were to eat identical things and do identical amounts of exercise for a week, we would not lose identical amounts of weight. If Vixy and I were to each gain ten pounds, they would not distribute themselves in identical places on our bodies. I know people who can gain weight on nothing but broccoli and lean meat, and people who can lose weight on a diet of chocolate bonbons. Fat shaming solves nothing. It doesn't make the world's plus-sized population disappear in a puff of Twinkie-scented smoke; it just makes teenage girls develop eating disorders, grown women lie about their weight, and small children tell their mothers they don't want dinner because they're scared of getting fat.
"That's just stupid."
"I know."
"Those people should cut that out."
Also, on the practical side of things...women are more likely to go out in public, and exercise voluntarily, when they're wearing good bras. This goes double for plus-sized women, who are (surprise, surprise) more likely to have large breasts, and thus need the support and stabilization of a good bra. So if the goal is really making all the fat women into thin women, they should be getting government bra service as an incentive to get out and move around more. Not that exercise is the absolute answer for everyone—that's another can of worms, and goes back to my "not all bodies were created from the same template" point—but hell, it would be a start. Saying "ew, that's indecent" doesn't do anybody any good. Except maybe the viewing public that gets spared the sight of all those "fatties," and well. I'm not so concerned about them in this particular situation.
"I wish they would, Mom."
"Tell them that."
"Okay."
Re: Fat Shaming is good
May 22 2010, 17:11:03 UTC 7 years ago
I didn't say that there were not other reasons for not burning enough calories, but you obviously attribute your own comprehension deficit to everyone else.
FYI, someone close to me has diabetes and I have known many others who have had it. By itself, it does not make one gain weight. In fact, many with the Disease are painfully thin.
Here is the FACT, No matter what the reason, 6,000 calorie a day intake minus 4,0000 calorie a day usage equals a 2,000 calorie surplus. Where do you think that goes? There. that wasn't so hard was it? Not even long division is required.
Before you criticize others, first of all, don't lie. Next learn some facts.
Re: Fat Shaming is good
May 23 2010, 02:13:44 UTC 7 years ago
Yeah, you did - in your first comment ("There is only one cause"), and again in the reply to seanan that I commented on ("There are not many causes of being over weight. There is only one..."), as well as several other places.
As for my friend with the thyroid problem, obviously he's taking in some calories, or he'd be dead. My apologies - I forgot one needs to be very specific with trolls or they'll go off on a tangent. At his worst, he gets 10-15 minutes of digestion time in before throwing up. On good days, he'll get to enjoy his food for almost an hour. And you're correct that he's not using as many calories as he's getting - because the disease and its side effects (like the constant vomiting) have left him too weak to do much of anything, much less exercise.
Unexplained weight gain (and difficulty in getting it back off) is one of the symptoms of PCOS. Difficulty in losing weight is a frequent symptom of diabetes and thyroid disease; oddly enough, sudden weight LOSS can also be a symptom of both.
So that's 3 reasons with medical backing for why someone would be overweight.
I'm not saying some people don't eat too much (tho I do wonder how anyone would manage 6000 calories a day on a regular basis without eating at McDonald's for every meal - even then, you'd have to have a 32oz chocolate shake with lunch and dinner to get over 4000 according to their calorie chart); I'm saying you're wrong if you think that is the one and only reason people are fat.
Re: Fat Shaming is good
May 23 2010, 10:38:11 UTC 7 years ago
Even at that, reading through your convuluted response, reveals that you admit that yes, you are a liar and yes, I am right.
Obviously, you like to read into my text things that aren't there so it fits your misconceptions about everything. I gave the 6,000 vs 4,000 calorie example so that even someone of your obviously limited mental abilities could see how the math works. Clearly, I overestimated your capacities.
I'm finished with this thread. Throwing intellectual pearls before mental swine is a waste of time. At first, it was mildly amusing, now, it's just boring. I have a character flaw in that I have little patience for stupid people. That's a problem, I know. As Albert Einstein said, "The two most common elements in the universe as hydrogen and human stupidity." For certain, this thread supports that statement.