We're here at the Great Hall at the Cooper Union which, as you may know, is an esteemed college in lower Manhattan. And we're here to debate the "F" word. It is a 3-letter word that's thrown around often like a four-letter word. We're talking F-A-T fat, and the question of the moment is: Is it OK to be fat? But I'm not here to ponder this question alone. I have a panel of experts, as I'd like to call them, um, here to discuss it with me. It's a loaded question, ladies. I'm gonna start by introducing the panelists. We’ll start with Maryann Kurby. She is the leader of the Fat Acceptance Movement. She believes that fat women should not be ashamed or mean for that matter, that we should all accept our bodies the way that they are, no matter what size, without judgment. Over on this side we have Meme Roth. She is head of the National Action against Obesity. Obesity runs in Meme's family. She will tell you she does not believe that fat and healthy can go in one sentence together. She also believes that the cost of obesity to society is out of control. Immediately to my right is Christol Rin who I've interviewed before. She is a successful model. She started modeling at size zero. She dieted her weight to an eating disorder and a slew of health problems, and is now the highest-paid, plus-size model in the world. So she has a lot of opinions on this topic. And then over here to my left is Kim Benson, she has spent a lifetime yo-yo dieting, tip the scales of 347 pounds, right? And she has changed her health by losing a lot of weight and, oh, changing cholesterol levels. Oh that, she believes that fat and healthy are oxymoron.
So before we begin, let me get a little bit of sense of the audience here, what we're thinking. How many of you actually think of yourselves as fat? Show hands. That's kind of a lot of hands, right? And how many of you think that is a good thing? A similar show of hands. OK, we've stacked the back here I can see, we've got ringers in the audience. And so how many of you would like to be called fat? Not a raiser. Interesting. So this is part of the provocative debate that we're gonna have tonight. And the question at the moment is: Is it OK to be fat? So let's get a sense of where our panelists stand. Meme, let me start with you. Is it OK to be fat?
It's not OK to be fat when we realize that in almost every case being over-fat is a result of habitual improper eating. Obesity ravages the body. There's an untold cost of human suffering, and there's a financial burden to all of us, not just the person who have eaten themselves into obesity.
But is there a way to be fat and healthy？
Not if you have feet, hips and knees, not if you have endocrine system, and not if you have an arterial system.
Maryann, you would respectfully disagree?
Like I have feet, and absent knees it's very exciting. I...
I'm sure that all the peters find the results of your weight on those hips and they don't think it's very exciting.
Actually no, I'm actually a very healthy person. It's kind of amazing. I'm far healthier now than I ever was when I started dieting, you know, at seven and continued for a life time. And…What do you make of the question though? Is it OK to be fat?
I think it is kind of an unfair question, because that's like asking: Is it OK to be anything other than white middle class had a normative mainstream body type. I mean it's my body, it's totally OK, it's no one else's business.
I have a question for you. Absolutely. Will you be willing to forfeit any payout from an insurance company or Medicare or Medicaid for any medical cost associated with your obesity?
I don't understand why you think that that's even a good thing.
Well, you said it's your body and it's no one else's business. I'm just curious if you'll be willing to forfeit any payout of a sickness associated with your obesity, the Medicare and Medicaid which we all pay for or insurance. I'm just curious, if you would.
I think that Meme is going a little bit of ahead in the debate, which is the idea of sort of the cost of the burden to society of medical expenses, we know that something like 9% of all medical expenses are related to obesity-related diseases. I think that is the topic. But we can get to that in a minute. Why don't we continue with our opening statements, to the extent that we're giving them? And I'll turn to Kim. Is it OK to be fat?
Well, I think first of all you have to define OK, what is "OK" mean？Do they’re permission? Because once we start policing what goes in our mouth, from a legislative point, that's very scary. And what is fat? Are you talking about a term that the governments set up? Is it a pound overweight? How long if you carried it? I mean I think that it's very difficult to be overweight and healthy. I think there are exceptions, especially when you're young. There can be exceptions, but I think it takes a toll on our body. I speak from experience. But my husband told me I was beautiful when I was 350 pounds. It's not a beauty thing, it's a health thing.
Christal, for your industry, it's very much a beauty thing. Is it OK to be fat?
I think that it's OK to eat well, a balanced diet. I also think it's good to exercise in wherever your body falls, whether that is actually a four or at eighteen, I really think that it's about, you know, the actual healthy eating habits that you have in wherever your body falls. So I believe actually cause I have met people, you know, in my side of things, you know, my division is the plus-size industry. And you know, I meet quite a few women who eat a very healthy, balanced diet and they just happen to be size 18s or 16s even.
But doesn't the fact that you're a plus-size model, say, speak volumes about the fashion industry. Because looking at you doesn't look like a plus-size person to me.
Well, absolutely, I do know that society. When they hire plus-sized model, they have a picture in their mind. But what, in the industry basically, plus-size means is anything above 34 inch, 35 inch, and that goes all the way up to 20. What I'm fighting for is a variety on the runway. I won all different types of women in magazines. Because I think that that's accurate portrait of what women are. And I think that they could look at those magazines and those ads and feel really positive from that, because people are all different sizes. And no matter, you know, if you’re starving yourself, you know, down to be healthy, I don't agree with that. And you know, an interesting point that was brought up earlier was about the hips and the knees, you know, and causing problems when you're obese. Well, I remember when I've been exercising for eight hours a day, what that did to my hips, was quite amazing, because I found it very difficult to walk down the street.
So you're saying the quest for being thin can be unhealthy as well?
Oh, absolutely. I think it's all about moderation which is my stands. |