Let’s talk. According to my BMI (which I know has been proven to not be accurate but for arguments sake, let’s roll with it…) I am obese. I put on a bunch of weight due to the contraceptive pill I was prescribed and according to my doctor, I am obese. Since starting Heathers the musical, I have lost a stone and yet still, according to my BMI, I have only just made it over the line between obese and overweight but I am very far from the lovely sliver of green that I *should* be in. I would need to lose another TWENTY-ONE POUNDS in order to even begin to hit that shade of green. Now let's not get carried away. I'm all for exercise and getting your five a day. There's a gym in my building that I regularly use when I'm not in a show. However, I'll be honest, it was shocking to me that a 5ft 5”, size 12, 25 year old woman could be considered *obese* and told by her doctor that she should join Slimming World.
So, considering I am factually, medically obese, it’s strange that the same kinds of people who were up in arms about Tess Holiday on the cover of a magazine, haven’t come after me about also being an “advocate for obesity” or “promoting obesity” considering that I get my top off in every performance of Heathers the Musical in front of an audience every night. Aren’t I also then promoting obesity if I’m publicly putting my obese body on display in front of hundreds of people every evening? Isn’t that in the same vein as Tess Holiday being on a magazine cover and apparently telling the world it should be fat? I know I’m not a global super model like Tess Holiday and so the volume of people paying attention to her is far greater than the amount of people that will ever pay attention to me, although, I know there is a portion of my audience that are prone to grumbling about other people’s bodies as I've put up with comments about my shape and size since the dawn of my time on the internet (even back when I wasn't obese....). More recently, there was a little bit of moaning when I was first cast as Veronica considering I don’t look like the women who have played this role before me. However, no one, as of yet, has used the term “promoting obesity” or even the word "obese" for that matter. Because by most people’s standards, I don’t “look” obese. Because this is the thing. Those people who are always the first to jump on the "you're too fat" wagon, don’t actually care about health. They care about looks. If you don’t “look” obese, if you don’t “look” injured, if you don’t “look” ill, if you don’t “look” unhealthy...no one cares! No one moans! No one sends abuse! So, when are people going to stop pretending that it's all about the welfare of others? That they know someone’s medical history, the risks they’re potentially at or their current state of health, just by looking at someone else’s body? Because you can't! When are we also going to understand that IT’S NO ONE ELSE’S FRICKIN’ BUSINESS?!
Someone’s body isn’t a promotion. Someone existing exactly as they are, isn’t a statement. Just because I have curly hair and I exist in the world, doesn't mean each time I open my front door, I'm making the statement that everyone should have curly hair. I just…have curly hair. That’s where it ends. Tess Holiday being on the cover of a magazine at the weight and size she is, isn’t a promotion of obesity but simply her existing. Even if she's existing more publicly than most, it still isn't an advert unless specified otherwise. She's simply unashamedly existing and it seems that quite a lot of people are offended by that but they're gonna need to get over it because fat people exist. Obese people exist. Putting fat people on the cover of magazines isn’t telling the world it should be fat. It’s about enforcing the belief that everyone is worthy of love, respect and happiness no matter what their weight and size because quite a lot of people seem to have forgotten that or didn't understand that notion in the first place. Tess Holiday's magazine cover was not a promotion of obesity but a promotion of self-love and confidence which everyone deserves to have regardless of their appearance.
If someone can give me a valid reason why that is a bad thing, I’ll happily hold up my hands and delete this post. I’ll put my obese body away! But as of yet, I’ve not seen anyone able to explain why someone isn’t worthy of being loved or respected because of their appearance. Because it’s unkind and hateful and wrong.
Amazing - I am so glad that people are saying this out loud!! Thank-you Carrie, you are an inspiration to us all and an example of how loving and caring and open to others people should be! <3
ReplyDeleteyesss carrie! In your 'all i know now' book you listed your measurements, and when i read it, i had all the exact same. as we've both got older, I've stayed having a body that looks just sooo much like yours. and its been such a boost seeing you confident in the ways your body has changed, and its allowed me to feel more at ease with mine. i love this post so much. x
ReplyDeletelove this carrie, so much respect for you <3
ReplyDeleteSuch a well written blog post Carrie 💙
ReplyDeletePREACH IT!!! Ik I look like an idiot in the audience cheering my ass off during Dead Girl Walking, but it is the most liberating thing in the world. As long as you're happy and comfortable in your own skin that is all that matters. You're a beautiful human being!!
ReplyDeleteME TOO!!! I saw Heathers on Monday and when he ripped her shirt open my sister and I (and most of the audience) screamed our faces off. and Carrie is such a lovely person and an amazing influence in todays negative world
DeleteCarrie your all woman look great your partner should appreciate who and what you are or whoever comes I to your life don't listen to others you don't have to be a barbie doll to be beautiful person I think your a bonny lass.
DeleteThis...
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly what I needed to see.
I constantly worry about others’ opinions of my appearance. As a UK size 28-30 I was so inspired by Tess Holiday’s cover shoot but then so crushed by all the negativity and backlash it attracted. I’m a teacher and I worry that people will hate me for “promoting obesity” in the college that I work in simply for existing and doing my job. They don’t care that I feel fit and healthy and generally do a really good job. I’m fat. So I must be unhealthy, lazy and generally no good.
I'm about your size and I recognise a lot of these thoughts. I'm cheering for you! Live that life and do your thing and be the great person you are <3
DeleteI know you probably won’t ever see this Carrie but I just wanted to say what an amazing and inspirational woman you are! I’ve had the exact same problem with a contraceptive pill that I went to the doctors and asked them to change it but they refused due to my weight, even though the one I was taking did all the damage. I’m now on a massive path to try and loose weight but mainly to make me happy. Just wanted to say thank you on behalf of all the 20 year olds like me ❤️
ReplyDeleteWhich pill was it, just so I know to avoid it?
DeleteThe only legitimate reason why obesity should be considered "bad" is on health grounds, where excess weight is harmful to the body and/or impacts the person's day to day life. Such as heart issues or mobility issues. If these are absent and the person is happy with their body image it should be no-one else's business.
ReplyDeleteSo you’re still saying that if someone has health problems due to their weight then it should be everyone’s business? It doesn’t matter whether one is healthy or unhealthy as a result of being overweight, it’s still none of your business. Do you regularly comment on anyone who posts pictures of drinking alcohol telling them they’re “unhealthy” and that “they shouldn’t be promoting alcoholism.”? Do you regularly comment on anyone’s photos of them in the sunshine like “I hope you’re wearing sunscreen” “Not wearing suncreen is unhealthy.” I very much doubt it. If someone has weight issues and has health conditions because of their weight, it is their business and only their business, regardless of what images they post online or what they write online. The only business you have regarding health is your own. Unless an individual has come to you for a comment or advice on their health. It really is that simple.
DeleteI'm amazed that you've managed to find some kind of offence in this post. That's pretty impressive... Well done. You're really good at that.
DeleteYou speak to me in a way no other creator has carrie, it makes me feel so normal reading your stuff, so much less isolated
ReplyDeleteas someone who is overwheight but doesn't "look" fat, i relate to this in a spiritual level. it's a very tricky spot to be in cause you feel like you don't quite belong in any "group" of sorts. thank you for talking about this <3
ReplyDeleteI'm really thankful that you're speaking up here not only for yourself but for people who are fatter! As a (really) fat person, it really is overwhelming how much hatred there is out there. My mere existence is "promoting obesity" (also I hate the word obese with the passion of a thousand burning suns). If people like me are shown happy or loved or successful it is "promoting an unhealthy lifestyle". No one is "promoting" anything we just want to live our lives. And surprise: fat people can be happy. Fat people can be loved. Fat people can be successful.
ReplyDeleteSomewhere along the way, being fat became a signal of some moral failing. Of lack of self-control, greed, laziness. People project their own body-issues onto actual fat people. They use fat people to feel better about themselves and to convince themselves that they'd never be fat because they make the RIGHT choices. If anyone knew how many times I've had conversations where people who've been thin or at least thin-ish their entire lives want to tell me what THEY do to keep in shape, what they eat to keep their flat stomach, what they think I should do based on their own lifestyle. But I'm not them. Having a thin body and staying thin is an entirely different ballgame than having PCOS and already being fat. The conversation serves nothing except give the other person a reassurance that they're doing all the right things and that's why they're thin, and I'm doing all the wrong things and that's why I'm fat.
If people truly cared about our health, they'd worry more about the many studies that show that fat people are discriminated against in health care, that many nurses/doctors are biased against fat people, that fat people don't receive adequate health care. And not only that, but discriminated against in the job market both when hiring and in terms of salary, in education, etc. If people truly cared about our health and well-being, where is the outcry for all this?
So, yes, thanks for this blog post! And please get a new doctor.
I couldn't find a button to "like" your comment, so I just wanted to say thank you for sharing this.
DeleteExcellent post. Thank you.
DeleteHi, Carrie! I'm 16 years old and I am the same height and weight as you. I went to my doctor after being prescribed the contraceptive pill (Rigevidon) as I had put on some weight, and I was told that I was overweight, bordering on obese (for my age category). I'm pretty healthy, actually. I dance 4 times a week, and I go to the gym twice a week. So I know for a fact that I am healthy. I agree with the points you make, but I quite frankly think that the BMI is rubbish. Thank you for making this post!
ReplyDeleteWhen you put a body on the front cover of a magazine, you are promoting it. For years we have been growing increasingly aware of how magazines photoshop women’s bodies to make them slimmer, sleeker, leaner, more ‘perfect’, in order to portray a certain image. We have been growing increasingly aware of how modelling agencies specifically select women with stereotypically ‘perfect’ bodies, that most of us have never and will never achieve in our lifetimes.
ReplyDeleteAnd we get angry about this because, although most of us can’t, won’t and don’t look like that, a huge number of us still try to. We exercise to the point of exhaustion, we try wildly unhealthy diets, we starve ourselves, and we develop a multitude of mental illnesses, directly because of the message portrayed to us by magazines.
I’m not entirely sure why it suddenly stops being promotion when it’s an overweight, rather than underweight, body on the cover.
Body positivity is endlessly important. But for years we have been criticizing magazines for encouraging women (and men) to love, accept and want bodies that are not healthy. We have incorporated social media education into our curriculums specifically to address the fact that there are portrayals of the human figure out there that are not healthy and that we should not strive for. And it is not with the intention of telling people that if they are anorexic then they should hate themselves, but rather with the intention of telling people that they should love themselves as PEOPLE, and strive to be healthy and happy.
If you love yourself as a PERSON, then you should want the best for yourself. That includes, almost first and foremost, your own health. Just like putting an unhealthily thin body on a magazine cover tells women that they should want and love such a figure, so too does putting an unhealthily large body on a magazine cover tell women that they should glorify such a body.
Again, I am not saying that these bodies are unacceptable. I am not saying that those who are overweight should hate themselves. I am saying that putting unhealthy body types out there gives people an excuse not to care for themselves. It gave people excuses and reasons to starve themselves, and now it may give people excuses and reasons not to lose weight that they need, for their health, to lose.
I am not saying you are only entitled to love your body if you fall within a healthy weight range. Many simply prefer living unhealthy lifestyles. They would rather eat fast food and stay seated all day. That’s their prerogative. All these people are perfectly entitled to do what they do and love their bodies. That does not mean it is ok to promote it. People are perfectly entitled to smoke, but we don’t promote smoking on the television. People can drink to excess if they choose, but we don’t promote it. We encourage people to make the healthy choices, and if they still prefer the alternative, they have every right to choose it. But we don’t promote it.
The problem has never been that there are thin people on magazine covers. The problem has always been that there are almost exclusively thin people on magazine covers. Or in movies. Or on TV shows. Seeing one type of body a few times will rarely make people go "oh I want to be that exact body" but seeing ONLY that body type represented makes people think that's the only acceptable body type.
DeleteThe problem with very thin models has partly been that certain rules or customs within the fashion world has literally forced people to manipulate their bodies to fit into those customs. It isn't "oh we happened to find this size 0 person to model our clothes" it's more of a "we only accept people this size, lose weight or get lost". That's not the fault of thin people. They have the right to be as happy in their body as anyone else, and are more than welcome to be on magazine covers. But that's the way thin bodies are promoted - by forcing everyone to be exactly that way whether they're built that way or not. So if the industry as forcing people to be a size 20, then yeah, they would be promoting a larger body type.
My point is: if you show a diverse range of bodies, if people are allowed to model or act or sing with whatever body they happen to have, then we're not promoting any one body type. We're just allowing people to exist.
You seem to think all fat people "eat fast food and stay seated all day". I'll be the first to tell you otherwise. More women are 'overweight' or 'obese' than in those little green boxes. Personally I am fat, technically obese by categorisation, and yet I eat healthier than the majority of people I know and am currently training to hike mt kilimanjaro. I'd love you to say to my face that i don't take care of myself, I'd give you a right good lecture. I do want the best for myself and that is why I live every day to the fullest - reaching for my goals and not living purely to lose weight because someone else says I need to before anything else about me matters. Why is someone else's body so offensive to you? Don't assume things about people you either don't know or simply haven't even thought to ask.
DeleteIf you actually read my post without the immediate bias that anyone who disagrees is a terrible person, you might see that I didn't say that at all. If you don't want me making assumptions about you, DON'T make assumptions about me.
DeleteI NEVER said that all fat people eat fast food and stay seated all day. That was simply the only group of overweight people I addressed, because they were the only group relevant to my point - again, a point you would have understood had you not been so determined to be angry.
My entire post was about health. About looking after your body. And YES, there are people who are both overweight and healthy. I didn't address them because they weren't the group I was talking about. But if you're so determined that we're all included, I'll also acknowledge that Asian people and Jewish people and trans people exist.
If you're healthy and overweight, FINE. You might recall (if you read properly), that I said we can, and should, all love our bodies. The problem is when loving how we LOOK becomes an excuse for not loving OURSELVES enough to look after them.
Magazine covers don't distinguish between healthy and unhealthy. Many slim women on the cover of magazines are extraordinarily skinny just by nature. They're healthy. There will be many others in the world who are the same. But achieving a similar look isn't necessarily going to be healthy for someone else. Yet they will still attempt to do so, because the magazine tells them that it is OK to look like that - and so they justify it, even if it is not healthy for them personally.
It is the same when you put an overweight model on the cover. Maybe that particular model is large and healthy. Good on her! There are a lot of other people out there in the world who have bigger bodies and are extremely healthy, like yourself. Or people who are overweight due to medical conditions, not poor life choices. But there are also a lot of people out there in the world who eat terribly poorly, exercise very little and are overweight in an unhealthy way. Maybe your own bias has shrouded you from this, but does the obesity epidemic sound familiar? It's a chronic health issue.
THESE are the people I was talking about in my comment. YES, when you put a larger woman on the cover of a magazine, you are telling the smaller proportion of healthily overweight women that their bodies are beautiful. I am ALL FOR THAT. What I am NOT for is giving people who deliberately make unhealthy choices an excuse, justification or even encouragement for doing so.
Maybe the model is healthy. But if her body looks the same as someone who eats McDonalds three times a day, that person is going to think their choices are ok. And sure. They're free to make their own decisions. Like I said, that's their prerogative. I'm not here to stop people doing what they want. But like I said, whilst we don't stop people from smoking, we don't promote it. We don't stop people from getting drunk, but we don't promote it. You show people larger bodies, they believe their unhealthily large body is ok; JUST LIKE when you show smaller bodies, they believe their unhealthily small body is ok.
I'd encourage you to tell me where I said I was offended by other people's bodies. They do not offend me. I do not care whether you want to be obese or not. It's your choice. But I do care about health, and it does bother me when we give people justifications to be unhealthy.
This is why I don't normally comment on things online. For every 10 people who can read with an unbiased and critical eye, there is always someone who is so biased and so determined to be angry that they can't even read a comment properly and understand what it's saying.
Yeh no. I read your post exactly as you wrote it so don't go on about bias or angry responses. Shall I post a textual analysis to prove the point? I'm trained in bias in text and in ripping apart text to grade it. The issue is not that you disagree, I've had many conversations with people who disagree that fat women should be models. The issue is comments like "If you love yourself as a PERSON, then you should want the best for yourself. That includes, almost first and foremost, your own health. " "I am saying that putting unhealthy body types out there gives people an excuse not to care for themselves. It gave people excuses and reasons to starve themselves, and now it may give people excuses and reasons not to lose weight that they need, for their health, to lose." Those are the core of your text, your thesis if you like. You consistently go on about how you're not saying that fat women should hate themselves or that fat women shouldn't love themselves BUT you then go on to say quite clearly that they must not love themselves. Fat is not a moral failing, nor is it a lack of love for oneself. If you are so concerned with fat peoples health than I'd encourage you to read Ing's post above who posted at September 2018 at 06:01. They wrote an excellent post of medical and societal bias against fat people. In your second post you continue to state "The problem is when loving how we LOOK becomes an excuse for not loving OURSELVES enough to look after them." Why are you so concerned with other people's health and bodies? Are you a medical professional, a coach? I'd encourage you to take a step back and look at your own bias. Do some research.
DeleteCarrie I'm so proud of you for writing this and being open about it. You encourage body positivity, self love and acceptance of others which people should get behind! You are positive ray of sunshine when people spread so much hate... Carrie you never fail to amaze me
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of Tess Holiday before this magazine cover controversy. And quite frankly I don't care if an obese model is on a cover of a magazine. I agree that her weight is nobody's business. Or your weight for that matter. But when the extra weight is causing medical issues, being loved and body positivity is just simply an excuse. Those people who are obese because they don't look after their body and now they have medical issues because of that should not hide behind body positivity. I'm saying this as someone who has a sister who is overweight and her doctor told her multiple times that she has to change her unhealthy habits. She already has problems with her blood pressure and her condition will get worse if she isn't changing her diet soon. But she just doesn't care. She always says she will, but doesn't at the end. So what I'm trying to say is if you or this Tessa Holiday does not suffer from medical issues, body positivity is a great thing. But we should not let people who are potentially shortening their life span hide behind body positivity. But it's not the internet's job call out those people.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many concerns over how the media can affect us. I did a module on media and body image for my degree and there is an awful lot of concern for girls aged 12 to 17 that are already overweight. Because they perceive a slimmer and of course often a severely underweight model as unnacheievable they aspire to go for the image that has been promoted in this situation and gain more weight. It's happening more and more often and because our education system focusses so much on academia, it forgets important things like how to look after ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI also think there is a difference between a character played on the stage to that in a magazine. A character is exactly that. A character. Usually with huge flaws, in magazines celebrities interview in such a way that they appear to have no character flaws because that's the image they wish to portray. We see a magazine image as perfection in a a way that we never see a character in a book or or on the stage, because we see those characters flaws. Therefore there should be less of an affect for a body type that is on the stage in influencing the audience. For example, in a book we can see a characters alcoholism, but in a magazine the only stories about that usually include how they are on a better path and no longer touch alcohol.
I think it's important to have different body types in magazines because we are all different, but this particular model, same as the terrifyingly underweight ones is promoting a life threatening life style. Whether they mean it to or not, people admire models and will always aspire to be like them. I understand where Carrie is coming from saying that this model is just living her life, but unfortunately it will have an affect, especially on younger people.
I'm sorry if this is completely incomprehensible. And I am more than happy to read up on anything, because I'm definitely not the most educated person out there and people will know way more about this than me.
I completely agree with this. The same exact thing could be said about extremely thin models! I'm guessing most of them are underweight and that's not healthy either but just because it fits into the standard that society has placed and it's "pleasing to the eyes" (whatever that means) doesn't mean that it's healthy or should also be promoted.
ReplyDeleteWell, Carrie... I think you look perfect :)
ReplyDeleteNow, I could be wrong, but I don't think your size/weight has any affect on your talent. We should be praising people by their skills and talents. I speak from experience her. Love and hugs xxx
Yes. So much this. Everyone is worthy of love and acceptance no matter what they look like.
ReplyDeletesociety is so effing hypocritical, especially in regards to celebrities and the way they look. It's ridiculous. We are all human, and some humans are fat!
From one “medically obese” woman who doesn’t really “look like it” to another (we have the same size/body type): THANK YOU!
ReplyDeleteAnd whoever says putting Tess Holiday on a cover promotes obesity: go frick yourself, you have no idea about the health of a person, or the circumstances of their weight, or know how much they work out (or don’t) or what kind of food they put on their tables just by looking at them. And why should they justify their bodies to complete strangers,who don’t like to see them on covers (and who stay surprisingly silent when super-thin people are EVERYWHERE on covers/in movies/in catalogues etc.)?! Hypocrites they are,they are not about being healthy, they are just about bullying people who don’t fit into their mindset of what beauty and health is. There is no reason as to why she shouldn’t be on that cover,NONE. Health is SO much more than the number on a scale.
Carrie, this post made my heart warm!!! Feeling stronger on what was a less than strong day. Xx
ReplyDeleteI’m 4’11 & a size 14..... That does not make me evil, undeserving, unlovable, undesirable or any thing else. I have a kind heart & a lot of love, care, compassion & (to quote Veronica) “I believe I’m a good person”. You have actually been able to give me the courage to be able to say that about myself Carrie, because you are all those things & much more too. You would’nt have been able to do that for if you were anything less than you are now. You are incredible & most importantly, happy & healthy!! Keep doing what you’re doing & thankyou, from one “hell on wheels” to another ������xxx
ReplyDeleteso beautifully put Carrie! Thank you so much for writing this :D you inspire so many people you should be so proud of who you are and how much magic you have to offer the world!
ReplyDeleteThis! Couldn't agree more with everything you've said. You're absolutely slaying it as Veronica, and your size whether that be over or underweight has no bearing on that (although you do look incredible!). Wishing the world was full of more people like you 💕
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of what you said except for the part about bmis being wrong. It is true that excessive muscle will make the bmi be less accurate but aside from bodybuilders it is actually a good way to get an estimate of your health. Btw I don't think you're obese.
ReplyDeleteWonderful, open, honest & blunt! Just the way this needs to be spoken about. Your body is no one’s business except your own. As long as you are happy and healthy, that’s all that should matter. Keep being fabulous!
ReplyDeleteLove this Carrie. I'm in the process of losing weight, purely for myself and my health as it was getting worse. I've lost a lot but I'm still classed as obese and I get shouted at from cars and people mutter fat as I walk past. This blog post is so true and powerful!!!! Love it =)
ReplyDeleteI agree with every single word! :) Thanks for bringing a little more warmth into the world.
ReplyDeleteThank you for being so open about this. As a 20 year old who is roughly the same size and shape you are, I cannot thank you enough for talking about this publicly. I was lucky enough to not gain weight due to my contraceptive pill, but my doctor didn't want to prescribe it to me at first because I was "already big enough" and only because I insisted on getting it he did. It just makes me mad that it is still somewhat unacceptable in our society to be fat even though you're living healthily. It makes me mad that people assume that bigger people must always be sitting at home and eating everything they can get their hands on. It makes me mad that people still give me strange looks at the gym even though I go there at least 3 times a week for over a year now, just because I still haven't lost a lot of weight or gained any muscle. They don't understand that I don't go there to lose weight necessarily, but because I want to do something good for my body. But then I see posts like this from people like you and i realize again that I'm not the only person that feels this way which then makes me fell better about myself and my body again as well. So thank you so much for not being ashamed of your body and giving girls like me inspiration to just be ourselves and love our bodies, no matter what other people say.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an inspirational post. I applaud you for being so brave and showing people your body where i wouldnt have that confidence. I am the same height and dress size as you and find it hard to lose and maintain a lower weight. I work in a hospital and know where i sit on the bmi chart and eventhough i know its not correct I often feel too fat and obese but its posts like this that make me feel confident and inspired! Ao thank you for helping me boost my own confidence! Keep being you because your beautiful no matter your body shape 💛
ReplyDeleteXxx
I agree with this to an extent. Body positivity should be a thing and it's great that she is confident. On the other hand though, it would be wrong to say it is just her 'simply existing'. She is on the cover of a magazine, wearing a green swim suit, promoting her body as she speaks about her haters. It puts her body on show which is the whole point of the cover. That and to grab people’s attention. I also agree that someone’s body is not a promotion but you have to deal with that facts here as well. She is a plus sized model and does promote her body.
ReplyDeleteHer being obese looks to be nearly a defining part of her personality. I only say that because before your blog post I have to admit that I didn't have a clue who she was so I googled her and went onto Wikipedia. Just a five minute search of her brought up a lot of articles of Holliday speaking about her body and promoting it. Talking about how they can kiss her ass and don’t worry about her weight etc. I read the articles objectively and just saw someone making excuses as to why she is obese and promoting it. Her Wikipedia says 'that people should be able to eat as much and whatever they want without suffering from social ostracism'. Which is fair enough, they shouldn't but a part of growing up is learning about control and portion sizes etc. You don’t see (most) kids eating what they want. Schools have bans on sugary foods and sweets as obesity rises. At home you don’t give them whatever they want because it’s not healthy. The same should be said for adults and the ‘I can eat what I want without anyone judging mentality’ can be very dangerous. There is a big issue under all this body positivity that everyone seems to not want to talk about. This woman is 5 foot 5 (according to wiki) and weighs 280 pounds (according to wiki). No matter what body positivity preaches, this is not healthy. She’s a model and someone that promotes her body for a living, to say that it is no one else’s business because you don’t know their medical history is a bit naïve as there is evidence to prove why being obese is bad for you, just like how being underweight is also bad for you. There are two sides to every coin, on one side you have a young girl or boy looking at these articles and photos who gain a positive outlook on their issue’s around their bodies. Then there are others who look at it and use it as an excuse to not be healthy and if you say anything about it your ‘fat shaming’ them. So while I agree with the sentiment a major point is being missed as to why people are worried over seeing this.
This this this!! You explained it perfectly Carrie, thank you for posting 💖
ReplyDeleteSuch a good read, thank you for posting this Carrie :) x
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this Carrie. I am a size 10-12 and 5ft 2 and should apparently weigh 7 stone or thereabouts. I have had this commented on by several doctors, most recently when I was pregnant and was automatically high risk and told I should join slimming world. Not only by a midwife who was bigger than me (though may well weigh less) but by one who had asked about any past health issues as part of my appointment and knew I have battled eating disorders half my life. Luckily I was in a good place and just cherishing becoming a mum but it outrages me the damage this bloody BMI can do. I politely informed her that even when wearing a uk size 4 I didn't weigh little enough for my BMI and so short of losing a limb I don't think I am likely to get there...
ReplyDeleteTess Holiday being on the cover of a magazine isn't merely just her existing. If it was a skinny model, some may consider that promoting eating disorders, so why does the rule change for curvier women?
DeleteBecause the skinny frame has been praised as beautiful for ages.
DeleteIt's not the person on the magazine that promotes eating disorders. It's the idea that ONLY that body is beautiful.
If we manage to get rid of that and we promote acceptance and beauty for all body types and not just one, then a body on a magazine will be just a body and not an idea of perfection.
The problem is never the body, the person. It's the idea behind the industries.
Plus, people body shaming skinny people with phrases like "throw her a sandwich" and such are ALSO horrible and should stop.
DeleteI admire and appreciate you Carrie as a woman who has struggled her whole life with weight
ReplyDeleteI have always been on or near obesity so well done
You look great
So sorry i was talking about me not Carrie I think you look fabulous Carrie
ReplyDeleteNot body shaming here, but if your doctor recommends losing weight, why not believe him? Isn't he supposed to be the expert?
ReplyDeleteShe's not saying losing weight is bad. Just the fact that he said she is obese, based on a stupid BMI model that shows nothing.
DeleteExtremely well said Carrie! x
ReplyDeleteOn behalf of medical professionals, I am so sorry! admittedly I'm training in Australia so we may have different education, but we are taught body size categories are based on more than BMI (Because you are right, it's a horrendously incorrect formula where fyi because of muscle density body builders are also termed obese), we look at waist to hip size ratio, actual waist circumference as well as a horrendously uncomfortable "fat pinch test".
ReplyDeleteThat doctor shouldn't have made such a blatant target based on weight alone.
I also agreed that these terms can be harmful and hateful, and encourage internalized hate which is awful!! Unfortunately from a health professional point of view we do need them, as there are health risks with higher body fat percentages (though these titles should not be public).
THANK you for sharing, sorry if I get misunderstood, I just wanted to clarify from the "health" perspective as a lot of people argue on behalf of us with no information.
YOU'RE RIGHT AND YOU SHOULD SAY IT
ReplyDeleteif i'm honest, i haven't watched your videos in years so i was happily surprised when i checked in and i saw that you had put on some weight. i immediately thought 'now there is someone who looks more like me and she's confident and unashamed to be exactly who she is.' i struggle with my self image like any other person are just from watching a couple videos, you've inspired me and i've gained some confidence that i didn't know i could have at my size.
ReplyDeleteand for anyone out there saying that you don't suit veronica's role, skinny isn't the only kind of beautiful. you fit the character perfectly and i can't wait to come and see you in november and kill it!!
Thank you so much for this article Carrie - it’s made me respect you even more ( which I didn’t think was possible!)
ReplyDeleteThere’s no denying im a big girl (and bigger than I should be) and I’ve recently decided to turn my life around by eating healthier and going to the gym - it’s going well so far. Even though it’s going well, I feel that achieving a ‘healthy’ BMI for my height is comletely unattainable, so reading this has been a breath of fresh air.
You are an incredible woman, and such an inspiration.
And to paraphrase Heathers - my god you’re beautiful.
Keep being you - we love you dearly for it.
Thank you!
As someone who’s all for this, I think this is something the world needed to hear. That’s sad on it’s own that we already don’t judge on weight. xx
ReplyDeleteI think the issue is those people cannot fathom a way to lose weight that isn't "hating your body". They believe that if you love your body, you won't wanna change it.
ReplyDeleteBut you can do both if you WANT to lose weight cause it could be better for your health. You can love your body and also change it, and love it after.
You can also think your body is beautiful and also lose weight for health reasons.
Thinking you're beautiful has nothing to do with health. And loving myself and thinking I'm beautiful it's not gonna stop me from trying to be healthier.
People who think that are those who can't conceive the fact of losing weight for any other reason than hating your body.
But also, no one knocks cigarettes out of people's hands for promoting smoking.
No one tells someone who's sitting down to go run because they're being sedentary, unless they're fat, of course.
And that is because no one really cares about your health �� they care about how you don't fit into what they call beautiful.
Once you appear in the public eye whether it be on the cover of a magazine or any other forms of media, then you open yourself up to commentary. In this case the commentary is focused on body size, it's irresponsible to promote the idea that being heavily overweight (or underweight) is desirable. Collective pressure is what changes people's lifestyle, back in the 1980s Medical campaigners trying to get people to stop smoking deliberately targetted children since research showed that people tended to stop smoking when pressured by their children. The rates of smoking have fallen dramatically and so have smoking related cancers. Obesity related cancers on the other hand have increased dramatically especially kidney cancer. Cancer Research UK in recent months have been criticised by the 'body positivity' brigade for 'fat shaming' but as they pointed out they have the data to show the rates of cancer going up and being obese contributes to health issues. Fit but Fat is a myth, you might not have any health issues in your 20s but in your 40s,50s,60s? The older you get the higher the likelihood of major health issues if you're obese. The obese category is not the same as morbidly obese which is what most people picture when reading the word obese.
ReplyDeletePublic pressure has changed laws in various countries over using hyper thin models, so commentary over people's size isn't restricted to just overweight but perhaps there's more of an outrage as far more people are overweight than underweight. People born in the 1980s and 1990s have a 1 in 7 likelihood of being obese compared to Baby Boomers where it's 50%, this current generation are the fattest of modern times, that then means there's a huge medical crisis looming in the future as they age.
So yes people should be making comments about obesity and making it as socially unacceptable as smoking.
Here's a good article explaining the health issues
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/10/fat-pride-obesity-public-health-warnings-dangerous-weight-levels
Thank you for saying this. And whilst it's fine people loving their bodies, they should love their bodies enough to keep them healthy. The other problem with being severely overweight as Tess is, is the fact that when faced with a lot of straightforward medical procedures, there is a higher risk of complication.
DeleteThere are so many people out there that suggest that overweight people aren't beautiful. That isn't what I'm trying to put across here, (everyone is bloody goreous) but please take your health seriously. It's so important.
As a young adult (I'm 20) of a little larger size (a 12) I know that I am chunky but I am trying to loose weight and I eat healthy and I do what I'm "supposed to do" to loose weight but for some people its harder for than others. And Carrie you have been a HUGE inspiration to me over the year and a bit that I have followed you and you have helped me started to accept myself and my body and that its ok to not be a twig. And I feel like people never stop to think that you might be trying to loose weight or that your birth control has made you add on a bit of weight and I am so upset by these people who think you have to look a certain way and weight a certain number to be happy. And the worst part is is that they are lashing out at you for your body when they clearly need to be looking at themselves and working on their nearly ignorant view of people
ReplyDeleterespect! speaking up like this is never easy but u do and i amdire that very much.
ReplyDeletethis is so very well said and very well done i wish u all the best keep that spirit <3 <3
Thank you so much for this post! Too many people judge each other by their size! This phenomenon has caused me a lot of grief, so thank you for making me feel better!
ReplyDeleteI am 14 and i really enjoyed seeing heathers (especially DGW) Because sometimes i dont feel skinny enough to be as beautiful as other people see me. Your veronica has really made me feel better about myself. Thank You SO much!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry some people say hurtful things to you. Its completely unearned and childish. You look great and if your body is at this quality then your doing excellent.
ReplyDeleteThat part about it not really being about health is so true, though! Recently, my brother-in-law told me I'm looking well, which I'm taking to mean I'm looking thin, because I know I've lost weight recently. But the reason I've lost weight is because I've had serious issues with my mental health, and these have led to IBS. So I'm not particularly healthy right now (at least not mentally), but because I don't look overweight, I'm not perceived to look ill.
ReplyDeleteWhat on earth is the point of you turning comments on, asking for people's views if you then delete their comments...
ReplyDeleteGunna post a more blunt version of my comment that got deleted;
ReplyDeleteIt's the job of your doctor to talk about your weight. It wasn't the contraception that made you gain weight; it was the excess food and drink you were consuming on tour with the Addams Family. Models are the ideal of a human. Tess Holliday is morbidly obese. Morbid obesity is not healthy. We don't promote smoking on magazines. Neither you nor Tess Holliday are being honest in this conversation...
inner beauty is definitely more important and to me physical appearance means nothing. thank you for passing on that message carrie
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the information keep updating, looking forward to more post. Nice post ! I love its your site after reading ! thanks for sharing. This is such an inspirational post. I applaud you for being so brave and showing people your body where I would not have that confidence.
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