CP commented on Fat:
That’s a good video. People need to accept themselves. Being overweight or underweight has health implications. When did our society become so focussed on appearance? Yes, it’s always been that way with women, but it’s so much worse now, and with younger and younger people (girls mostly but boys, too). It’s fine to want to look nice, but who do you listen to about what “nice” means?
I guess you should listen to yourself. But too many people listen to Madison Avenue.
And it’s not just Madison Avenue anymore. It’s tv, movies, music videos, magazine covers …. Have I left anything out?
I think it’s great to look great. But when so much emotional energy (not to mention money) is spent chasing an image of perfection it leads me to believe that a person is fretting over the external and not paying attention to the internal. What’s on the outside is just packaging. It’s what’s inside that counts.
Scoop added:
I liked this video also…a lot. There’s a truckload of truth in it.
And if we wanted to (not sure you do), we could get into a whole new area of discussion, namely, about how it is often easier to find colorful, stylish plus-size clothes in stores designed for the African American market…even if you happen to be white. “Fat acceptance” is an area in which the black community is way ahead of the white community.
I’m probably the last person in the world you’d want to engage in a discussion on fashion. I like clothes, but can’t say that I’m “into” fashion. My needs are simple. If I could get away with wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt every day I’d do it. I have a lot of t-shirts. I’ve never taken inventory, but I think I could wear one a day for a year and not wear the same one twice. Still, if fashion and clothing are topics that people want to explore I’m game.
To facilitate this, I did a few Google searches on “body image” and “fashion” and found some interesting stuff.
For one thing, I am an avocado. There are two general body shapes, apple and pear. Apple people tend to store fat around their midsection. Pear people store fat more in their hips, thighs, and butt. I’ve always thought I was more pear-shaped, but I calculated my waist-to-hips ratio and it’s 0.807 which is barely into apple territory. The Uniquely Woman Web site mentions that people who fall in between the apple and pear categories are avocado-shaped. This site also gives fashion tips for apple- and pear-shaped women. But nothing for the avocado. I feel left out. How do you dress an avocado?
