obesity - Jezebel

posts about #obesity more →
Study: Fat People Dare To Think They're "Normal"
Tyra: Men Who Are Obsessed With Obese Women
Shine On The Dotted Line
It's The Obesity, Stupid!
Has Calorie Restriction Jumped The Shark?
Hitler's Skull Is Female • Domestic Violence Shelters Close Due To Schwarzenegger's Cuts
Obesity May Or May Not Become Leading Cause Of Cancer In Women
Low Body Confidence Leads To Drunken Sex? • Drunk Mice Make Bad Decisions
Women Today Are Fat, Unhealthy — And Full Of Themselves
WTF Moment On Morning TV

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BytheSea
11/18/09

In reply to Study: Fat People Dare To Think They're "Normal"
When we learned about these charts in abnormal psych, the prof said that people who measured their ideal far off from their perceived real were psychotic. Or something.
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Sputnik_Sweetheart
11/18/09

In reply to Study: Fat People Dare To Think They're "Normal"
Here's an idea. Why don't we focus on lowering blood pressure and cholesterol and managing or preventing diabetes rather than on losing weight? Kinda of like, "hey get healthy and have more energy and feel better!" rather than "hey, you're a fattie!"
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femme-bot
11/18/09

@Sputnik_Sweetheart: Psshaw. Next you'll suggest comprehensive sex ed.
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morninggloria
11/18/09

In reply to Study: Fat People Dare To Think They're "Normal"
When I first read this, I saw that the lead researcher was "Tiffany Pollard" instead of "Tiffany Powell" and I had a moment of extreme confusion that melted into delight at the thought of VH1 reality star New York asking people about their bodies.
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Benevolent_Dictatrix (patently absurd)
11/18/09

In reply to Study: Fat People Dare To Think They're "Normal"
See, I knew those frat guys who moo at fat people on the street were just performing a service for the greater public health.
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tiredfairy
11/18/09

In reply to Study: Fat People Dare To Think They're "Normal"
The misperception of body size can also be Body Dysmorphia. It's common in people with eating disorders, like anorexia, where you still think you "look" fat even when you're starving to death. The reverse can also be true. I don't know if they considered that, though.
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madeofawesome
11/18/09

@tiredfairy: Body Dysmorphia is very common. However, I don't know that it's what's going on in this case. I know people who medically classify as "obese," but who I'd never think of as obese. The people in the study probably base their perception of their weight and what is healthy on the people around them. It's a given that most of America is above the "healthy" size. It's also a given that the BMI is flawed and a person's physical "size" often has little to do with his or her overall health.
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tiredfairy
11/18/09

@madeofawesome: ::nod:: Agreed. I'm just curious because the study seems to be suggesting that these folks are somehow being "willful" about it, when there are any number of reasons. The ones you suggested are good examples of that.

#tips
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Elaken
11/18/09

In reply to Study: Fat People Dare To Think They're "Normal"
Really, isn't it time we just round all these fatties up and put them on an island? God, clearly all of society's ills are due to them.
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Flackette Goes Retro
11/18/09

In reply to Study: Fat People Dare To Think They're "Normal"
35% of obese people who felt this way had high blood pressure, 15% and high cholesterol, and 14% had diabetes.

Just curious, what are the rates of hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes in the population at large? These numbers may be elevated, but it also means that 85% of obese people had normal cholesterol, 86% were non-diabetic, and 65% did not have high blood pressure. If obesity marks people for death, I would expect these numbers to be higher.

See, statistics are fun!

And if "normal" means "normative", then a person who is of average rate is indeed "normal."

What we have here is a semiotics fail.
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Edited by Flackette Goes Retro at 11/18/09 5:11 PM

alouette
11/18/09

@Flackette Goes Retro: Taking statistics classes has made me even crankier than I used to be. This is purely correlational though.
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Dauphine
11/18/09

@alouette: Statistics made everyone in my "stats for artsies" class crankier. I think it's more than just correlation.
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alouette
11/18/09

@Dauphine: Let's perform an experiment!
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Dauphine
11/18/09

@alouette: Yay. We'll need equal representation of science and arts majors.
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alouette
11/18/09

@Dauphine: But of course. This is science, after all; can't go cutting corners.
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gwaste
11/18/09

@Flackette Goes Retro:
in the symbols of my friend - 6_9

I'm glad you passed statistics, now try doing a more thorough literature search on the topic you're speaking about.
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Flackette Goes Retro
11/18/09

@gwaste: Honestly? I'm not invested enough to look into this at the moment. That's why I wondered out loud whether those numbers were elevated. I'm neither a doctor nor a medical researcher, and have no idea. I'm just a humble professional PR person, who gets paid on a daily basis to flip statistics around and say what my client needs them to say. Therefore, I don't trust much of anything I read anywhere - because I know the number of hands that have filtered it.
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clevernamehere
11/18/09

@Flackette Goes Retro: I think the science writing for these piece both the Jez version and the Eureka version sucks, but I have a hard time believing they included the population numbers in the actual article.
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Flackette Goes Retro
11/18/09

@clevernamehere: The Eureka versions are not often written by scientists. I write a lot of them for my institution, often working based on half-assed information, and looking for a media angle more than anything. Personally, I always read the abstract, conclusion and most of the research involved in the paper, but most science writers throwing this stuff online don't have time to really parse it. It goes through another filter when it hits the actual media, and before long it really means nothing.
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clevernamehere
11/18/09

@Flackette Goes Retro: As a public health person, I wouldn't actually expect those numbers to be higher. Obesity can be a concern without all obese people having significant health problems. Its clear that obese people aren't dropping dead on the street. I have problems with this study in a couple of ways, but the issue with obesity isn't "all the fatties are going to die and die soon."

I think the problem with articles like this in the press is partly that the articles are truncated by journalists/PR people who are looking to make it interesting when the prevaricating of most journal articles is going to bore the average reader.

The other issue is that there is a difference between individual health and group health. People do come in lots of different sizes and it should be between them and their doctor to decide if their weight and habits are healthy. At the same time, the population's weight has gone up dramatically in the last 30 years as have a host of problems that are correlated to excessive weight. Just because Mary Smith is a totally healthy 200 pound woman doesn't mean that the state of Mississippi's 30% obesity rate isn't troubling. When you're looking at fairly large sample a 35% high blood pressure rate among "obese" participants when compared to a 33% high blood pressure rate in a matched control of "normal" weight participants is going to be significant. The numbers don't have to be shocking. (Cross sectional studies like these are hard to draw conclusions from, but cross sectional research like this played a role in determining smoking caused lung cancer. It is about the body of research and not one single study. The literature on obesity is still developing).

This study might be utter crap, I haven't read it. But I've read lots and lots of articles about obesity and in general, they aren't fat shaming IMO. I find it is the media's versions of these articles and at times physicians' reliance on them to be the problem. On the individual level the issue should be habits and not weight.

And before anyone tells me to read it, I've read Kate Harding's site and several other fat acceptance blogs. Some of it I agree with, some of it I don't.
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jemandtheholograms
11/18/09

In reply to Study: Fat People Dare To Think They're "Normal"
Anna, I think you should know by now, that if it doesn't involve shame, the American public wants no part of it.
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yvanehtnioj
11/18/09

@jemandtheholograms: The American public is better than that! Why do you hate America? You should be ashamed of yourself.
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Adah
10/27/09

In reply to Tyra: Men Who Are Obsessed With Obese Women
Hard to judge from two very short, unfortunate clips. But gosh, the woman looks uncomfortable. My hope is that he doesn't use her size as a controlling factor. I think these sorts of relationships sometimes strike people as unhealthy because they can go that way, especially when the woman is so large as this, and especially if there is a feederism aspect to the relationship. You can't really tell if either of those factors hold true just from watching these clips. But gosh, that woman does not look happy to be there. #tyramenobesewomen
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BlondeGoddess
10/27/09

@Adah: I have seen a documentary about this - how 'feeders' want to get their girlfriends/wives as fat as possible, which is beyond fetisj because it's also about control and power. It's beyond just having a prefecerence for 'fat' girls (or Asian, or whatever). #tyramenobesewomen
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elaborate bacon (princessprissypants)
10/27/09

@BlondeGoddess: I weigh close to 300# and I am totally afraid of feeders. It's not about love or a relationship with them- it's about control until they leave you dangerously obsese for someone skinnier who they can do it to all over again.

When I first started dating the BF, he was a big eater- always wanting to go to restaurants and get dessert and eat, eat, eat. I sat him down one day and just plain asked if he was a feeder. He said no- that he just liked food and hated to cook for himself. Thank god he isn't but it's still something I look out for. #tyramenobesewomen
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BlondeGoddess
10/27/09

@elaborate bacon (princessprissypants): The idea that you have to be aware of such a thing -- how awful. How brave to confront him - and how great he's a good sort. #tyramenobesewomen
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elaborate bacon (princessprissypants)
10/27/09

@BlondeGoddess: I think a lot of women (larger or otherwise) are just so happy that someone wants to be with them that they'll put up with anything. I feel really lucky that my boyfriend isn't a) a feeder and b) is really loving, honest and supportive of me at any size. #tyramenobesewomen
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logruszed
10/26/09

In reply to Tyra: Men Who Are Obsessed With Obese Women
When is the program about people obsessed with brainless ex-models with giant foreheads? #tyramenobesewomen
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dumblonde
10/26/09

In reply to Tyra: Men Who Are Obsessed With Obese Women
What the hell! This is not the first time she's touched upon this topic! [jezebel.com] Is she running out of ideas? #tyramenobesewomen
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ahpooks
10/26/09

In reply to Tyra: Men Who Are Obsessed With Obese Women
Whenever I hear somebody talk about sexual obsessions, I always hear Elaine Benes saying, "He's obsessed, he's obsessed with breasts". #tyramenobesewomen
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run_sunshine
10/26/09

@ahpooks: YES! It's all in the delivery, she's a comedy marvel :) #tyramenobesewomen
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logruszed
10/26/09

@run_sunshine: Her pause for thought when George tries to sell her a computer is one of the few moment from that how that still makes me chuckle when I think about it.

George: It has porn!
Elaine:......still no. #tyramenobesewomen
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Jezebabe
10/26/09

In reply to Tyra: Men Who Are Obsessed With Obese Women
I used to know a girl who worked as a prostitute while she was at NYU and continued after graduation. She started taking meds for bipolar disorder and gained a very large amount of weight--she said she went from skinny to obese, pretty much. She was very happy that she could charge more as a large woman because her services were now considered a fetish. #tyramenobesewomen
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Truna
10/26/09

@Jezebabe: I once knew a woman who was 8+ months pregnant and working as a prostitute. She was working under a pimp and had little control of cost (to my knowlege) but i always wondered if he charged more. #tyramenobesewomen
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andromache
10/27/09

@Jezebabe: hmm... you just gave me an idea for supplemental income... #tyramenobesewomen
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KATE!
10/26/09

In reply to Tyra: Men Who Are Obsessed With Obese Women
wait, so being attracted to fat women is a fetish? because sex with a fat woman is an abnormal sexual expression?

does not compute.

also, TOTALLY disturbed by his description of sex "with a big girl" like boxing "you step in there and you knock 'em out" what the fuck is that supposed to mean?

and there are only two clips from the show but im wondering, does nikki ever get to speak about her sexuality? or is the focus just on him and how he has sex with her? #tyramenobesewomen
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DinosaurDanceParty
10/26/09

In reply to Tyra: Men Who Are Obsessed With Obese Women
Tyra is ridonkulous. Why does she have people on her show just to gape at them?! When his girlfriend said sometimes she was on top and Tyra made that "whaaaaa" face. Like yeah I imagine they figured it out TyTy, they're both alive to tell about it, don't look so shocked. Sheeeesh #tyramenobesewomen
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lonewolfer: lusty trollop
10/26/09

@DinosaurDanceParty: She's doing to her what people did to her when she was 'fat.' She's gross and I kinda hate her now. #tyramenobesewomen
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DinosaurDanceParty
10/26/09

@lonewolfer: I know it is so annoying. I know that these people agreed to be on the show so they kind of knew what they were getting into, but what if they just wanted a chance to talk about their relationship? And not have questions about "like, how do you DO IT?" and looks of disgust thrown at them. #tyramenobesewomen
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