Too Too Much//Days 19 & 20

I had planned on writing about allowing oneself to dream about the "What if's" in life, and how different one's life could be from it (and the advantages and disadvantages to doing so as a creative outlet), but I decided to shift gears and talk about an article that is receiving tons of national attention right now. Maura Kelly wrote an article for Marie Claire titled "Should Fatties Get A Room? Even On TV?" about the new CBS show Mike & Molly, dealing with 2 overweight people that find love after meeting at an Over-Eater's Anonymous meeting. I actually read a few counter-pieces BEFORE reading Kelly's original article, so I was already quite angry and inflamed before heading over to Marie Claire's site.

I still think the title is terrible (I liked the title that shows up on the browser better "Overweight Couples on TV: Do Fat Characters on TV Offend Viewers?" more and think it fits the article better). But Kelly is nowhere near the monster she is portrayed by others. I think sometimes she definitely heads into murky waters, but sometimes it does appear that political correctness= no one can actually speak their minds.

Face it. Obesity IS unhealthy. Obesity DOES cost tons and tons of money- in healthcare, in insurance, in therapy, as well as the more obvious clothes and food and other essentials. I don't think I agree with Kelly's assertion that obesity is something people have "tons and tons of control over" (there are health problems that can cause uncontrolled weight gain- thyroid issues, Cushings, and any disease that requires steroids as a treatment), but it is true- in the end, the power to change lies within each one of us. Much like with alcoholics and drug addicts, you have to WANT to change and better yourself- and a food addiction is the same.

Yes, we should embrace all kinds of people- regardless of weight, age, sex, religion, race, etc etc etc. But then there is the unhealthy. There is a difference between being overweight and being morbidly obese. A (pardon the pun) big difference. Perhaps if Kelly had discussed more tips on healthy eating or getting help for obesity rather than discussing the "displeasing aesthetics" of seeing overweight people be intimate, she wouldn't be criticized as much. Honestly, I don't really like seeing ANYONE be excessively intimate. As liberal as I may be, I still believe some things should be kept behind closed doors, and I am definitely NOT a fan of PDA.

Mind you, I loved the show Too Fat for 15: Fighting Back on the Style Network, and I cheered for the kids when they lost weight and hoped they'd be able to keep the weight off and continue down a healthy path for the rest of their lives. But was I grossed out sometimes? Yes. Why? BECAUSE YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE. You are supposed to be scared for them, worry about their health, and hope that you never reach a point in your life when you have to lose 150-200 lbs to be able to walk up a moderate hill. You aren't supposed to strive to weigh over 400 lbs, but that doesn't mean you are supposed to strive to weigh 100 either. Kelly posted an apology to her article and went into her own personal life, stating that perhaps her battle with anorexia has left her with distorted ideals of body image. I am sure it has. While anorexia would be the polar opposite of morbid obesity, they are still both food addictions.

This whole hoopla made me think back to my college Italian classes. In Italy, as well as most of Europe (and the world), there isn't this squeamishness with being "politically correct". Our professor told us that if you were in Italy and you are overweight, they'd describe you as fat. They don't have terms for "overweight" or "obese" or "hefty" or anything like that- just fat. If you're short, you are short, not fun-sized. They call it like they see it. And they aren't being offensive. Just honest. While an American might be upset if they were described in this way, Europeans are fine with it. In fact, I remember reading an article from a Florentine newspaper about Americans extreme sensitivity, something that baffled the Italians. They, too, battle with obesity, eating disorders, and the same issues that we face, and I have no statistics as to depression or anxiety rates or anything over there, but it seems to be working out ok for them.


I don't disagree with all political correctness, but sometimes it is just used as a crutch. If you call someone fat, overweight or obese, it all means the same thing, and we also shouldn't be creating a culture where EVERY SINGLE WORD needs to be heavily analyzed before being written or spoken. I saw some comments to Kelly's article saying (in essence) "If you think her article is ok, what about if she had changed the word "fat" and had used a racial term or sexual orientation based term instead?" I'm sure people would still be freaking out, but at the end of the day, being gay or straight (unless you are having unprotected sex), or being white or black or Asian or Hispanic, or being Jewish or Muslim or Christian or Mormon, won't effect your health. But being overweight can kill you. DIRECTLY kill you.

But perhaps I'm just being insensitive too.



DAY 19
I don't really have too many nicknames (Aileen doesn't lend itself out to too many), but my friend Amos calls me "Swede" because of my love of all things Sweden (Ikea, The Hives, Alexander Skarsgard, lingonberries, excessive coffee drinking). An ex of mine (with a gloriousssss British accent) calls me "Lee". I tried to get everyone to call me that, but it never caught on, unfortunately


DAY 20
I don't really have a specific person in mind that I see myself marrying. I do tend to like the somewhat "nerdy" guys...in that I life smart guys with a dry sense of humor and as much random knowledge as I have. He would definitely need to be able to make me laugh and make me not take everything so seriously. I don't really need someone to like everything I like, but at least know about it so we can actually talk. Because I LOVE to talk.

As for celebrities I'd enjoy marrying= Jake Gyllenhaal, Leo DiCaprio, Pelle Almqvist (of The Hives), Chris Evans, and probably others but I'm lazy.