My how times have changed! When I was a teenager in the 60's, if you were overweight, the clothing options were severely limited. I remember going shopping with my mom and there was only one store that actually had clothes for you if you were not "average" size. But then the section for these clothes were called "chubbies" -- how embarrassing is that!! The clothes were something my Aunt Sophie might wear to the church bazaar. At the time we called them "old lady" clothes. Well now I am an old lady (well at least middle aged) and still would not be caught dead in them. They had no style and were just plain ugly!
Now teenagers have a plethora of clothes, dating sites, blogs and websites dedicated just for them. This is fantastic. Now you can get a "plus size" prom dress or "plus size" wedding gown and they are beautiful and stylish. What a wonderful time to be "not average". We are BBW's-- big, beautiful women for those that are not addicted to the internet like me.
Although we have more choices now, American society still has deemed that being fat is ugly. We are stupid, lazy, and cannot control our eating. We just sit around all day eating bon bons and watching TV. Fat jokes are one of the last acceptable cultural stereotypes. People cannot use any racial or sexual slurs but think nothing of dehumanizing an overweight person with a fat joke or comment. Fat people are depicted as losers who cannot attract the opposite sex. Most sitcoms have at least one episode with the proverbial fat blind date. Then a bunch of silly jokes ensue but all is well in the end when they discover the fat person is actually a nice human being (how very enlightened we are!)
So if we hate being fat, why don't we change it? Well how long can you go without eating? While an alcoholic can go without drinking, a nymphomaniac without sex, a smoker without cigarettes, an overweight person cannot go without food. You can change the amounts you consume and vary the menu but you still fight the battle at least three times a day. There is always that gnawing hunger.
I am amazed that 40 years after "chubbies" it still does not matter how intelligent, funny, nice and giving a fat person is, the only thing some people notice is their size. So sad.
I really hope you have enjoyed this article. Please visit my blog for some stunning plus size prom and wedding dresses!
No comments:
Post a Comment