It's easy to demonize me because I'm the guy who says what everyone is thinking. Everyone didn't sit there and say "She looks terrific." They sat at home watching the TV and said "My God, that poor girl, it's disturbing!"...Don't blame me for saying it. Name a movie where the lead woman was a morbidly obese person. And where that person went on to have a career?
Well, we relentlessly scorn people who have anorexia. Why don't we do the same for people who are unhealthily obese? It does seem to be a double standard.
However, let's think about this for a moment. At one time, women couldn't be thin enough and were praised for it (You can never be too rich or too thin, eh?), so now there seems to be a team of watch dogs out when anyone gets to looking too thin. Also, there are women who were put down because they had a few extra lbs but were still in a healthy range. Now people come to the defense of the obese. It seems that people are scorning or coming to the defense of the dichotomies, but not praising and emphasizing enough, the importance of being healthy and in-between those dichotomies.
My opinion is that instead of being made fun of or publicly scorned, that people should be guided and encouraged to be more healthy, no matter if too thin or too obese. Jonah Hill was unhealthy and obese, and he did something about it. Seth Rogen lost weight, too. I think people's obsession with weight goes too far Kate Winslet being called fat-- I don't get it. Adele-- I don't think she's morbidly obese, but she is getting a lot of criticism. However, Gabrielle Sidibe is extremely obese and endangering herself. There is no way that her weight can still be in a healthy range, and it could definitely limit her roles as an actress, especially because she might not be physically healthy enough to take on demanding roles.
Lysser wrote:Well, we relentlessly scorn people who have anorexia. Why don't we do the same for people who are unhealthily obese? It does seem to be a double standard.
Have you seen Supersize Me? There's an interview with Jacob Sullum of Reason Magazine in which he commented on the political correctness, or at least, social acceptability, of chastising an obese person for their own good. Basically he compared it to smoking, pondering at which point it will reach that stage at which Stern, Powter et al. take less flak for hectoring the obese. So basically he sees it like I do, as a matter of "when" and not "if."
Hell, I'll upload the clip to YouTube. Here's hoping the copyright Gestapo don't silence it post haste.
My opinion is that instead of being made fun of or publicly scorned, that people should be guided and encouraged to be more healthy, no matter if too thin or too obese. Jonah Hill was unhealthy and obese, and he did something about it. Seth Rogen lost weight, too. I think people's obsession with weight goes too far Kate Winslet being called fat-- I don't get it. Adele-- I don't think she's morbidly obese, but she is getting a lot of criticism. However, Gabrielle Sidibe is extremely obese and endangering herself. There is no way that her weight can still be in a healthy range, and it could definitely limit her roles as an actress, especially because she might not be physically healthy enough to take on demanding roles.
My interpretation of Stern's rant is that he is not scorning Sidibe. Though he does have some fun at her expense. Or at least I see it more as disdain for the backwardness of an overly PC society. Impolite dissent, if you will, but far from malefic.
Like if you listen to the original tape, he's very tasteless but in an almost sympathetic way, e.g., "It's so sad to see this girl, they're lying to her" "poor Gabourey," etc. In particular, I echo his contempt for Oprah and how full of shit she is. In general, everything about Winfrey feels fake to me. Even when she breaks down in tears and gets all gushy about whatever, it all feels so rehearsed.
And sure, it will affect her career by limiting job opportunities, but...I agree with Stern that this is of minor importance relative to the considerable shortening of her life expectancy.
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