Of course I'm for positive body role models, supporting women with curves and healthy self-esteem -- the whole shtick.
But when obese young actress Nikki Blonsky boasts about her glowing self-image in this article, I groan.
From the Us article:
"I play a character called Willhelmina. She's awesome, she's totally against the grain," Blonsky tells Us. "She doesn't want to
lose weight. She thinks fitness camp is stupid and that's why I love her, because she doesn't want to do anything that the camp wants her to do."
And like her character, the actress admits that she's proud of her full-figured shape.
"I feel awesome," Blonsky tells Us. "I think there's nothing better than just showing by confidence and showing that I love my body. Why not share it with L.A., New York, everywhere?"
Based on the way she gloats about her self-image, it seems like she's trying to convince us that she has the body she's always wanted in an attempt to reconcile her insecurities.
But even if I'm right, there are countless women -- and even men -- who feel they look better if they're a couple dozen pounds past overweight, dribbling the word "voluptuous" as a trendier way to describe being fat.
At first it seems refreshing to read, in contrast to the poor self-esteem that usually accompany obesity. (Thanks, western society.)
But supporting notions such as "fitness camp is stupid" is unjustifiable.
Boasting about how proud you are of your weight when you're obese represents a complacency with an unhealthy lifestyle that should be unacceptable. There's a difference between accepting your flaws when they come in the "those last stubborn ten pounds" variety and tolerating a destructive lifestyle.
Blonsky is only 21 years old and clearly in the "obese" category -- potentially "morbidly obese." Her negligence for health and fitness in favor of proving that she can be happy with herself among the unfairly perfect bodies of Hollywood frightens me. This shouldn't be the only way she markets herself.
This does apply to famous men too. Though being "fluffy," as Gabriel Iglesias might say, may provide great material, comedians often fall into a habit of using their obesity for laughs and are unwilling to shed the weight.
These entertainers may fear they'll lose their fan base if they do trim down to a healthier range. Yet Jennifer Hudson, who was also praised for her larger figure, recently became a spokesmodel for Weight Watchers and still garners the same support for her talent and character as she did before.
The Hollywood obese may want to sacrifice years of their life for a few more years of fame and success. If that's how they feel fulfilled, then that's the case. However, like it or not, they have a responsibility to be role models to their legions of fans that make them the celebrities they are.
Some of the responsibility falls on Blonsky, comedienne Mo'Nique, actress Kirstie Alley, and several others to lose the weight themselves.
At the same time, part of the responsibility relies on the rest of us.
Entertainment magazines, have a field day publishing quotes from Jennifer Love Hewitt and Tyra Banks defending their weight gains, because by any account, they're physically more gorgeous than most of us. But stop praising shows like Mo'Nique's Fat Chance, as they're probably harming women's bodies much more than they're promoting self-satisfaction.
If your daughter is 10 years old and 200 pounds, there's no reason to tell her she's ugly, but stop telling her she's just "fabulous" and leave it at that. Change her diet, get her active, and don't let her fall into a habit of rejecting fitness.
And if you're obese, know that you're not ugly either. Nor is Blonsky. Nor is Mo'Nique. In fact, they are both beautiful, and I bet you are too. But you're not at your best when you're much fatter than you need to be. When your metabolism can sustain you through your fast-paced day, you'll love your body heck of a lot more. And trust me, your body will love you back.
