Fat Rant

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 150613

 
> Magpie: 
> >> <snip> But to me it just encourages this swing from one extreme 
to 
> the other: someone that thin "must" be anorexic, imo, suggests 
this 
> idea that you're either "normal" (even if normal means unhealthily 
> overweight) or "anorexic."  Just as at the other end of the 
spectrum 
> having breasts is considered fat. <snip> << 
>    
>   Joe: 
> I have to agree but I think it goes even further. Most people are 
> totally focused on their weight as expressed in pounds. The truth 
is 
> that body fat percentage is far more important than just the 
pounds 
> you weigh. A person who has 14% bodyfat at 250lbs is going to look 
> and feel better that the person who has 22% bodyfat at 180 lbs.

Magpie:
Oh yes, I agree. I think my own body (as well as many peoples') 
falls outside of whatever is supposed to be "right" pound-wise. 
Actually, I just recently took some silly internet quiz about what 
my weight was and it was sixty pounds off.  Not sure what it was 
basing it on, but that seemed quite a bit off.
    
>   Joe: 
> I think it is far more complex though than any racial issue. There 
is 
> no doubt that people should not be judged on their weight. It can 
be 
> said however that on average overweight people are less productive 
> and require greater utilization of healthcare resources. Also 
fueling 
> the public debate is the perception, in most cases rightly so, 
that 
> obesity is controllable.

Magpie:
Yes, that's where I absolutely agree-well, that this is complex. I 
brought up racism because I thought that was very complex as well.  
That's partly why I think we should move beyond the whole "the media 
pressures girls to be thin and that makes them anorexic!" idea 
because I just hear it so much and I don't think it's accurate.  
Yes, thin is celebrated in the media and that's something that 
should be discussed as well, but as you said, obesity is a much more 
widespread problem at the moment.  And eating disorders, even 
anorexia, are not about conforming to Hollywood's idea, they are 
about control. Many eating disorders don't even result in super-
thinness or starvation.  So I think I've gotten to the point where 
this pov seems like a distraction to me.  And also it tends to 
encourage people to start talking about how "real women" look a 
certain way and "who wants to look like a pre-pubescent boy?" or 
whatever which imo is counterproductive.  It's not about women or 
girls being self-confident, it's just more cattiness on the other 
side, tearing down the other body type.

It connects to this for me:

Alla:
Now, Okay, she likes Hermione, she really likes Hermione, I 
understand
that, so it is understandable that she wants young girls to be like
her, but what is so BAD about Pancy Parkinson that she does not want
the girls to be like her, except that Pancy is in Slytherin House?

Magpie:
It just seems like JKR makes it very clear which types of girls or 
girlish behavior are good or bad--Hermione as a character is very 
judgmental of other women, which is fine because it's in character 
for her, but she doesn't get called on it too much. Luna does, but 
then with Luna Hermione is more disagreeing with the stuff she says. 
But I feel like Lavender and Parvati sometimes are being judged 
because of their giggling and interest in make up and boys.  Pansy 
is sometimes aggressively rude, but it seems like in the fat rant 
JKR is referring to Pansy's being interested in looks being her 
problem, she's being held up as a type, not a specific character.  
But I think a girl can be both a Hermione and a Pansy.  Hermione 
keeps saying Pansy's dumb but she doesn't seem dumb to me, just 
catty and mean.  And for all the talk about Hermione not wanting to 
be judged on her looks, JKR still writes an over the top Cinderella 
moment for her where she comes to the ball and of course looks very 
pretty, prettier than Pansy.  There's plenty of stuff that Pansy 
does that people shouldn't do, but it's not a case of growing up to 
be one girl or the other.  There's things to learn not to do by 
watching Hermione too.

-m