First, I want to make it clear that this is not about aesthetics. You don’t have to have a visible six-pack to be healthy. You can have a visible six-pack and still get cancer. So, there’s that.
Second, this is not about “shaming.” Being obese doesn’t mean you don’t deserve basic respect.
With that out of the way, let’s get to it…
Remember when the obesity epidemic was the worst health crisis facing America? Starting in the early 90s, the problem was a regular feature on every news network. At least once a week, there would be a segment on the rapid rise in obesity, complete with stock footage of Americans (from the neck down) waddling along with sodas or ice cream cones, and a voice-over full of terrifying statistics about life expectancy, the impact on the health care system, etc.
Currently, the U.S. obesity rate is over 40%. If you include the merely overweight, it’s around 70%. But it wasn’t always so. In the 1950s, the obese comprised 10% of the U.S. population. In the 60s, it was also 10%. Ditto for the 70s. Guess what happened in the 80s? Not much. It was still right around 10%. But in 1990 we hit the 12% mark, and that’s when the media started regularly fat-shaming the whole country. Over the next fifteen years, the obesity rate nearly doubled to 23%, and in the last 15 years it has nearly doubled again.
And yet… despite the fact that obesity is at the root of several co-morbidities like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, and the fact that obese people shed more virus for more than twice as long as a lean person, the media have largely ignored the subject since March of 2020. For nearly thirty years prior, we were constantly being told we were too fat. Now, despite two years of solid evidence that it’s true, Cosmo is now telling every woman in America that it was never an issue.
Women have always gotten the worst of mixed messages when it comes to health and fitness. Be proud of being “big and beautiful,” but change the shape of your butt. Let’s clap for that woman who lost 300 pounds on The Biggest Loser, but hey, did you see the latest episode of My Big Fat Fabulous Life? The “You Go, Girl” mantra is great — until a new flu comes along, and you can’t go anywhere. I said earlier that this wasn’t about shaming anyone. I lied. Shame on Cosmo for promoting this nonsense.
Thanks for reading,
Dan
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