[RonMexico]

Mother of god I'm sorry I used the adele article to bring up what I thought was an issue that could be discussed in a broader context. Apparentlt not. Forget it, close the thread I won't be posting here again.

[KittyeeTrix]

Originally Posted by RonMexico

Is there a growing narrative that overweight is the new "normal" and that it is ok because you are "happy"?

Would appreciate your opinion on this.

Okay then, here is my opinion...........

There is a difference between being overweight (holding a few extra pounds) and being obese. If your happy enough with those extra few pounds on ya well, fair play to ya!
I'd be happier having a few extra pounds on me than fretting like a mad thing for my remainding days about it and constantly dieting.

[iguana]

Originally Posted by Babooshka

She doesn't look obese to me if that's what you're insinuating. She is not an athletic looking person but so what, she isn't obese and if you don't think he should have said what he said, why drag it up?

Actually in a lot of pictures she certainly looks like someone with a bmi over 30 which does make her medically obese. Most people think that being obese is someone who is shockingly fat but it's not. Carrying 2-3 extra stone is classified as obese for most people. I'm 5'1" so a weight of 9 stone 6 puts me at 24.9 and is my maximum health weight (roughly - not counting for if I was very muscular). If I was 11 stone 6 my bmi would be 30.2 so I would be obese. You don't have to be carrying much excess weight at all to severely compromise your health and be classified as obese.

[Da Shins Kelly]

She's a singer, not a model, so I don't think it really matters. Like someone already said, people are way too obsessed with weight. Adele may be a bit overweight, but it's her body and she's entitled to be whatever way she wants without being judged for it, and as has been said, men are very rarely subjected to similar scrutiny.

As for Lagerfield, I wouldn't pay him too much heed. This is the same man that used Amy Winehouse's image to sell his own over-priced product at a time when she was extremely unhealthy both physically and mentally. Exploiting a severely depressed, alcoholic, drug-addicted woman to make money is very distasteful in my opinion, so I'd be inclined to think that that man's views are very questionable anyway.

[blatantrereg]

Originally Posted by mariaalice

For most of my life I was skinny/average now I have a bit of middle age spread.

People going on an on about weight use to drive me mad but then I started working with someone who was very over weigh and unhappy about it, she would be on one mad diet after another including one that involved only drinking shakes, she would sit in the office at lunch so she would not see the rest of us eating it drove me insane, until the day she said you don't know what its like to have been a fat child and fat teenager, she also told me that last thing at night and first thing in the morning she think about how much she weighs! so now I make an effort to understand how unhappy people can get about being over weight.

But that's the thing. It's not rocket science. It's not a disease. If you are unhappy about being overweight then all you need to do is eat less. Some people prefer cursing the darkness even if they're carrying a bunch of candles and lots of matches. It's just self indulgence.

This sort of pandering about the subject is just as bad as the opposite - overemphasis on the importance of maintaining a healthy weight.

If someone is overweight and doesn't care then that's their business. If someone is addicted to cigarettes and doesn't want to quit then that's their business too. Both are unhealthy states though. Pretending otherwise for fear of effecting someone's ego is ridiculous. Just the same as demonising or shaming them over it is ridiculous.

[tatabubbly]

I don't think that Adele's weight should be anyones business apart from herself.

I think Karl should keep his mouth shut. He send girls/woman up catwalks who are clearly classified as being underweight by BMI and keeps smuck about that.

Double standards??

Who cares really about how one person in this world weights? It's utter madness.

Just because Adele is overweight, looking at her doesn't make you think "I need to eat some more pastries"..

[baby and crumble]

Originally Posted by blatantrereg

But that's the thing. It's not rocket science. It's not a disease. If you are unhappy about being overweight then all you need to do is eat less. Some people prefer cursing the darkness even if they're carrying a bunch of candles and lots of matches. It's just self indulgence.

This sort of pandering about the subject is just as bad as the opposite - overemphasis on the importance of maintaining a healthy weight.

If someone is overweight and doesn't care then that's their business. If someone is addicted to cigarettes and doesn't want to quit then that's their business too. Both are unhealthy states though. Pretending otherwise for fear of effecting someone's ego is ridiculous. Just the same as demonising or shaming them over it is ridiculous.

That's oversimplifying.

[Lia_lia]

Originally Posted by RonMexico

Mother of god I'm sorry I used the adele article to bring up what I thought was an issue that could be discussed in a broader context.

Teehee

[Dudess]

I don't get why he felt the urge to point it out.

[careymary]

Originally Posted by neuro-praxis

I'm overweight. My weight has fluctuated since childhood. I am finding addressing my weight much easier now that I am giving myself permission to be happy with myself. To hell with what anyone has to say about my weight, dressed up as "concern" for my health. The small number of people who actually might be concerned for my health are interested in me, not on the number on the scale.

Seriously, I am done with the fat stigma. I don't care what anyone thinks of me, or any other woman's body. I just don't care. I am happy with me, my husband is happy with me, lumps and all, and my focus now is on caring for all aspects of myself, and trusting that weight will fall into place as I do so.

It's not about big being beautiful. It's about me being beautiful, no matter what my size or shape. And recognising that beauty isn't all about aesthetics. Our bodies are instruments, not ornaments.

PS Adele is freaking gorgeous

Well done you, I really admire your attitude.

Personally speaking, I am overwieght, size 20-22, I am unhappy about this, I have tried to lose weight and failed, i have tried to accept myself as I am and failed - I see this as being my issue.
A little while ago I was shopping in Tesco and a man (approx mid thirties) passing me, sneered "fatty" at me
I promptly dropped my basket, went to my car and cried my eyes out. I dont feel he had never encountered somebody of my size before and was shocked, he said what he said to be hurtful,

Like Adele, each and everyone of us are in contact with people everyday, we influence these people every day, by how we act and what we say aswell as how we look.

I know that I never once saw a "fat" person on TV and decided yeah thats how I want to look, maybe I'll gain some weight.
I do know that when i had gained my weight I never really saw "fat" people on TV, this made me feel more alone and ostracized,
When i see people of various sizes on TV I begin to think maybe we are becoming more accepting of people and not judging them on appearence, then I see some of the replies on threads like these and it makes me a little sad,

We have no right to judge anyone on how they look or how they feel about how they look. Some poeple say Big is beautiful because they believe it, some say it because they want to believe it and it gives some others strength.
All I know is I have never heard anyone who was overweight saying Big is Beautiful, average is ugly - I dont know anyone who is overweight who would promote it as a lifestyle choice for somebody else

Adele is not responsible for how others perceive her, neither am I or anyone else

[WindSock]

Largerfeld. Hah!

[Gyalist]

Originally Posted by Dudess

I don't get why he felt the urge to point it out.

[memind]

Originally Posted by RonMexico

Ok a few points here:

I think Karl Lagerfeld should probably have been a bit more careful when making his comment, or indeed maybe he shouldn't have made it all. Weight is obviously a sensitive issue for a lot of people.

The bit in bold about Adele not wanting to be stick-thin looks like it was the journalist putting words in her mouth. The part in quotes was where she said she didn't want to look like a model on the cover of a magazine.

However the next bit I found to be quite the claim. In my opinion Adele is certainly not representative of the majority of women. Am I incorrect in thinking this? I do think that she is overweight and I don't think it is something that should be celebrated.

I also found her comment about weight having nothing to do with her career to be equally odd. Of course it has nothing to do with your career, but it has everything to do with your health.

The reason why I am posting this is that I have noticed a lot of talk recently about the whole "big is beautiful" and "A real woman has curves" being used to justify being overweight and also another trend of equating being thin with being miserable. What about simply being proud to be healthy?

Is there a growing narrative that overweight is the new "normal" and that it is ok because you are "happy"?

Would appreciate your opinion on this.

I can sympathise with anyone who has a weight problem. There is a big difference between curvy and overweight. We all know OUR OWN healthy weight. I have never met anyone who is overweight and happy about it. For some people it's easier to come across as confident about there weight than do something about it. At the end of the day....... health and happiness!

[Kooli]

Everyone always seems to have SO much more 'concern' for the 'health' of fat people than they do for the health of people who smoke, drink too much or are unfit/sedentary (without being fat).

How kind that we want so much to look after these fat people...

[bluewolf]

Originally Posted by Kooli

Everyone always seems to have SO much more 'concern' for the 'health' of fat people than they do for the health of people who smoke, drink too much or are unfit/sedentary (without being fat).

How kind that we want so much to look after these fat people...

probably because it's quite obvious at a glance whereas their smoking or drinking habits aren't as obvious unless you see them doing those things