National Action Against Obesity: Jordin Sparks Too Fat
Sure - angry debates are part of building television ratings - but this one had my stomach churning.
Meme Roth - president of National Action Against Obesity speaks on Fox News (prior to the final of American Idol).
It appears Roth has confused a singing show with America's Next Top Model.
"When I look at Jordin I see diabetes, I see heart disease, I see high cholesterol. [...] That's what's so sad about this - she is not the vision of health - she is the vision of 'unhealth'".
"The second Jordin wins, she's going to drop 40 pounds - her handlers will make sure of that"
Hey - I believe in positive education about healthy eating and enjoyable fitness - but this sort of vitriol causes more harm than good. I simply fail to see how publicly judging someone can have any positive impact on the nation's health.
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I see nothing wrong with the young lady in question. So you people are basically saying you are unhealthy if you do not look like you've been shoving your finger down your throat. What is wrong with you people?? Talent is talent and has nothing to do with size or shape..a perfect example..marilyn Monroe.
ReplyAnd when I look at Meme Roth, I see misogyny, dislike of others for the way their body looks, and basic friggin' nonsense.
I've never watched an episode of American Idol in my life, and probably never will (it's just not my bag), but just from those pictures, I think Ms Sparks is very, very beautiful. I'd date her! (Jordin, call me! Haha!) For all Ms Roth knows, Jordin works out daily and is very healthy. You can't see health just by looking at a person.
(Oh, wait, the notion that persons larger than a size 4 can be healthy would completely destroy the whole "OMG WAR ON OBESITY! ELEVENTY ONE!11!1!!1!" thing, wouldn't it?)
ReplyGod forbid the kid isn't a Size 0! She's probably what, a 10 or a 12 maybe? What kind of message does this send to kids teetering on the edge of an eating disorder?
GAD, I hate the media.
ReplyWords cannot describe how disgusted this video makes me feel. What a vile repulsive hateful woman that Roth woman is.
All the "messages" being sent in advertisements, magazines and TV about size 4 and below women just aren't enough. God forbid a normal sized woman be famous for winning a singing talent contest.
Disgusting.
ReplyAnd she was all snooty about Jordin's "health", saying she's at risk for diabetes and crap. 'Scuse me, Ms. Roth, I don't see an M.D. after your name! I doubt Jordin is even overweight. But oh noes, she doesn't wear a size 2, that means she's the vision of unhealth!
MeMe Roth can kiss my fat ass. And I hope Jordin tells her to kiss hers, as well.
ReplyIf MeMe (I have trouble reading that as anything other than 'meme' (pronounced meem) is in 'cliche') is truly concerned about individuals she percieves as having a weight problem, I wouldn't mind. I however don't think that Ms. Jordin is so beyond the pail as Roth makes her out to be. Ignoring that her genetic heritage predisposes her to carry a little extra poundage, she still seems to be a very active, vibrant person, pouring her heart and soul into her singing, while all MeMe seems interested in is protecting the media image of "the thinner, the winner".
I highly doubt that Jordin winning American Idol will make all teenagers (or whoever) rush out and gain 50 pounds (Or 5 pounds, whatever Ms. Roth may constitute as being overweight).
Sadly, young Jordin probably will intentionally lose weight (or perhaps under mild duress, I'm not sure how these things go) if she wins. I doubt it will be in homage to MeMe Roths overwhelming criticism, however (Was it me or did MeMe add 'Healthy weight loss as an afterthought'.
ReplyI just think there's a better philosophy than tit for tat.
On the face of it it would seem to me that she isn't actively singling out Jordin, it's just that Jordin happens to be in a (supposed) position of influence. Roth's ideas of obesity (and at what point a little extra poundage becomes a liability) may be a little skewed, but it's not for us to say whether or not her heart is in the right place, and I feel it's only fair to, as I said earlier, give her the benefit of the doubt.
ReplyI'm not meaning to whitewash Ms. Roth, naturally, much of what she said could be taken in an offensive and quite personal manner. It's just possible that she is truly concerned for the welfare of overweight individuals (no matter what her definition of overweight is), and I think that possibility should be kept in mind.
I mostly agree with Roth. Peoples weight has increased and therefore our perception of normal weight has increased also. If this girl at only 17 is this size, by the time shes 25 and her metabolism starts to slow down shes going blow out like a balloon. I'm not saying shes obese, perhaps a little overweight but she looks curvy, healthy and toned, however thats not the point i'm making, there are kids out there that AREN'T healthy and toned, but they'll look at her and go "Awesome, its ok to be a bit of a chunker...yes, i WILL have fries with that" and there starts the bad food cycle.
So to put pressure on a young person, and teach them sensible eating, portion control, and educate them so they can avoid weight related disease is a damn good idea in my opinion. And if it takes someone like Meme Roth to stir the pot a bit, so be it.
Its not OK to be overweight. And anyone who belives big is beautiful is making excuses for themselves, embrace the fact that you're fat? It's incredibly irresponcible in my opinion. Of course that doesnt apply to everyone esp those with hormonal disfunction and weight as a result of genetics, but it doesnt exculde them from taking care of themselves.
The best thing this kid could do, is lose a couple of kilos, become some kind of spokesperson for girls, big girls and small girls, and encourage a healthy life style, get snapped at the gym or shopping for fruit and vege. She doesnt need to lose a tonne of weight, just a little and then she needs to maintain it. Shes a beautiful girl.
ReplyIs Jordin "healthy and toned", or is she a "chunker"? Make up your mind.
Do you think seeing skeletal supermodels and actresses all over the media encourages girls to become anorexic?
If not, then why, suddenly, does seeing a girl who may or may not be, like, five pounds overweight inspire people to become obese?
If so, which do you suppose is the bigger problem, the 90% of Hollywood that has succumbed to the "bones are sexy!!" ideal, or the handful of singers and actresses who embrace their curves?
ReplyI am morbidly obese. My starting weight was 263lbs at 5'3". I am tired of being fat. Currently, I am on the Optifast modified liquid program which includes one regular 550 calorie meal and taking Phentermine to suppress my appetite. The drugs work great! I have decided to eat the fewest calories possble and working out. I made it one day only eating 415 calories! I do have to eat the bars, shakes & soups since it costs me soooo much $$$$$$. But that's all I eat. The bars, shakes & soups are approximately 160 calories each. I lost 17 lbs in 4 weeks. I am looking to lose 100lbs.
Wish me luck!
BTW Jordan will lose the weight just like Kelly, Ruben & Taylor Hicks. She'll be on the cover of People Mgazine in 3 months gushing about her weight loss. Even Jennifer Hudson lost weight and she won an Oscar! In all honesty Jordan was thinner during the auditions so her weight may be stress induced.
However, I see fat kids everyday eating crap. They roll around on Heeleys all day when they should be running. It's the lazy parent's fault. They brought children into the world but too lazy and neglectful to feed and educate them properly. Just like my mom. I ate McDonalds every friggin day and night becuase she was a lazy/lousy cook. I never had a chance!
I am taking charge now and thin is where it's at!
Peace!
ReplyMeMe is a rabble-rouser: she wants to get people talking. Here's the mission statement of her organization:
MeMe is working on the statement in the next-to-the last sentece.I've never watched American Idol either (I'm part of the "shoot the TV" organization ^_^) and I frankly have no idea what Jordin's body fat percentage is. She's attractive. But, MeMe is out to change the world. And, I have to say, I really like that mission statement she wrote. So, I'm happy with her taking trash about Jordin. It's not slowing Jordin down an iota, and I doubt that she's crying over what MeMe said. But, through the magic of being obnoxious and this blog, MeMe got me to read her mission statement.
ReplyI would consider skim milk a fake food, which she recommends. As with the many others who push the low-fat, high-grain, lean-protein dogma for the entire population, I wish to stop her dead in her tracks.
ReplyThe stupid thing is, I could really get behind a lot of the stuff in that mission statement -- our eating and exercise habits do need to be normalized, and the crappy food does need to be gotten rid of.
But her whining about how Jordin Sparks is faaaat! and unheeeealthy! makes her lose all credibility with me. MeMe has no business making any pronouncements on Jordin's health. Period. And using one person as a scapegoat for a whole country's weight problem, calling her the "vision of unhealth" and saying that she, personally, is going to make people fat is stupid and vicious and wrong.
Why does there need to be a scapegoat? Jordin and her debateably-big fat ass are not the enemy. The zany, gonzo portion sizes are the enemy. The HFCS packed in everything is the enemy. The lack of bike paths and unsuitability of walking as a way to get around anywhere and the general suckitude of public transportation is the enemy. Why doesn't she rail against those things? Then she might actually accomplish something other than being yet another hateful skinny bitch who has nothing better to do with her time than put people down.
ReplyRead. this. slowly.
I'm not saying shes obese, perhaps a little overweight but she looks curvy, healthy and toned, however thats not the point i'm making, there are kids out there that AREN'T healthy and toned, but they'll look at her and go "Awesome, its ok to be a bit of a chunker...yes, i WILL have fries with that" and there starts the bad food cycle.
________________________________________________________________
yes i think supermodels make girls want to be skinny and as a result, anorexic.
Both extremes are wrong - too thin or too fat. At least the "90%" of Hollywood eat and exercise properly.
Embrace their curves? That girl is 17, shes not going to look like that forever and shes gonna have a whole lot more curves to 'embrace' when she grows up unless she sorts her self out quick-smart.
ReplyJust curious Ren, since you apparently can see in to the future, do you think that I have a chance of winning the lottery? Seeing any looming disasters on the horizon? For one what makes anyone besides this YOUNG girls GP, think that they can comment on her health? You don't even know this person but you are assuming very personal facts about her. Always remember what your mother said about assuming. I should hope that I wouldn't have to spell this out for you. So sorry Ren but unless you gave this girl her last physical please keep your guesstimating to yourself. This message goes out to the woman who decided to go on national TV and make herself look like a fool.
One point that I would like to make was the fact that two men on either side of the this woman seemed to have borrowed all her intelligence, reason and humanity through out the segment. Honestly I think that I would rather poke out my own eyes then watch American Idol but this stuff really annoys me. This young girl won because the PUBLIC wanted her to win. Fine everyones perception on what is healthy may be off-kilter. But how far can we get in solving this problem by feeding it with fear? And really the problem with perception is that it is personal so really are we ever going to be able to reach an agreement anyways?
ReplyI do recall typing alot of "if"s and "looks" in my first post which obviously means I'm not predicting the future, but looking at the possibilities. I never once commented on her health, I commented on her appearance.
In my second post in response to chickengirl I stressed the possibility and likelyhood that poor eating habits combined with a slowing metabolism is not going to do her any favours.
Your entire argument as to what I've said is completly irrelevent as I have not once assumed anything about her.
So instead of attacking my anti-fat opinions, perhaps if you read my first post where i'd encouraged sensibility and looked to think of her as a role model for FAT AND THIN GIRLS you might see my point.
I believe in taking care of your body. i believe in excercise and healthy eating and it kills me to see people disrespect themselves, take what they've got for granted and then suffer from disease while they lay the blame on someone else.
My opinons.
ReplyDisgusting. I feel shot through the heart. I'm about the size of Jordin and man, I've struggled with weight all my life and to see this video, its extremely disturbing to me, and also extremely depressive. I maybe a little bit unfit, but my blood pressure is perfect, and I am in great health.
Just because Jordin has a little more weight doesn't mean she isn't healthy, ESPECIALLY for her height, the girl is tall.
Of course, I do think this woman is right about her dropping weight soon, I mean they are gonna pressure her to live up to the media CRAP standards, this world is a joke.
ReplyAnd why, exactly, are you so convinced that Jordin has poor eating habits? You are not her doctor or her personal trainer or her parents, so obviously you know nothing about her lifestyle. You're assuming you know what her lifestyle is by the way she looks.
ReplyOh for gods sake.
Poor eating habbits doesnt mean stuffing herself with fried foods. Poor eating habbits can mean anything from skipping breakfast to not drinking enough water to eating too much or not choosing the right foods.
You dont need to be a doctor or a personal triner or her parents to see the girl is carying excess weight which is MOST LIKELY a result of poor eating habbits.
Shes probably still in school right? Kids dont eat the right food's at school and the under stress of exams, so thats not necessarily their fault, I had the worst diet when I was that age, but like I said before, she will need to start to look after herself, he metabolism WILL slow down. Thats just the way it is. So what do you do? Pat her on the head and tell her shes pretty how she is and its ok to be a big girl? Or do you tell her like is - that being overweight can evenually kill her? No scare tactics, just the truth.
ReplyAppearance isn't always everything. We know that even the most healthy looking person could be unhealthy because of the dangers inside the body. It's our common misconception regarding healthy persons
ReplyI'm disgusted... Did anyone stop to consider the feelings of Jordan? To put attention onto her weight at the eleventh hour is outrageous in my view.
ReplyYeh but trying to make the most of life isn't pathetic. And neither is feeling confident. So if you want to live your life that way, i dont care, i really don't. But its my opinion and my choice to look after myself.
Its not an issue of perfection. Its not an issue of being a size 2. it's health and being fit and taking care of yourself.
Anyone can drop dead with a heart attack at any stage of their lives, so why wouldn't you try to prevent that?
i just dont see the logic in not doing something about it?
ReplyMost haven't. However, 4 models (I'm not gonna call them super models, but all of them were doing shoots and catwalk for major designers like Gucci, etc. - so they were definitely not your local tv ad model either) have died just in the last year. That is 4 too many, as far as I am concerned.
If we are gonna guesstimate about her health and eating habits, don't you think that as the daughter of a former NFL player, she had more access to information on the importance of exercise and healthy eating than your average child?
ReplyAnd how do you know she is even carrying "excess weight"? Most people have a range of 30-40 pounds where they are perfectly healthy. (Per BMI) Why, exactly, are you so sure that Jordin is medically overweight? You don't even know how much she weighs. That's a determination for a doctor to make, not you.
Also, being five pounds overweight has never killed anyone. It's being obese that's dangerous, and even then you have to be pretty heavy before it's ZOMG going to kill you!!1!1! (Before that point it just may or may not give you diabetes or heart disease or something, if you don't watch it.)
I don't see the logic in not doing something useful about it instead of picking on some girl whose health is none of your business. Like getting the pizza and burgers out of school lunches. Or getting better bike/walking paths and public transportation in cities. Or getting rid of all the crap HFCS-filled processed junk food and replacing it with real food. Or getting P.E. reinstated in public schools (and a good P.E. program, not the crap I had to suffer through that put me off all sports for life).
You know, stuff that might actually fix the problem. And stuff that doesn't presume that you know about the personal habits of other people just from looking at them or that people who look a little tubby to you are the only ones who could have health problems. Skinny people suffer from eating crap and being out of shape too.
ReplyI just heard of both these women for the first time reading this. Both look fine.
ReplyThe vision of health is for me is people with healthy looking skin,clear eyes, decent breath and balanced measurements. People are so much larger than they were years ago. Go sit in old theatre seats, or walk in a house with 7' ceilings. Look at the adult clothes in a museum that would fit a 10 year old by today's standards. Maybe someone with bones 2X as big is entitled to have 2X the flesh?
I do agree with Ren that people have to be vigilant and take care of their health. It also makes sense that chubby now often equals chubbier later. Too bad everything has to be taken to such extremes to get a point across. I also believe the anorexic hollywood starlets are a much 'bigger' problem in the influence of the general public than Jordin's idol status.
ReplyShe's right about the handlers telling Jordin to lose 40 lbs after she wins. Look at Kelly Clarkson, etc. They all lost weight after they won. So if it REALLY didn't matter, then they wouldn't be told to lose weight, ever. So, yeah. She has a point. A small point, but nevertheless a point.
ReplyI didn't watch Idol this year, but I did the year Ruben Studdard won. He was way bigger than Jordin, but was he criticized for it? No, he was nicknamed the "Velvet Teddy Bear."
ReplyKelly (whom I love) doesn't look any thinner now than she did on AI, in fact, you could argue she looks a bit heavier. She lost a bit of weight (nowhere near 40lb, maybe like 10lb) for the release of her first album and soon gained it back and has maintained a comfortable weight since then.
Carrie Underwood has lost tons of weight she didn't need to lose for starters, but Ruben lost a bit but is still considerably overweight, and Clay has *gained* a ton of weight since been on AI (I know he is not technically a winner, but one could argue he is the biggest success story). Fantasia has not lost a gram. So "they all lost weight after they won" is not quite true.
ReplyWhat crap! No she's not thin...but she is NOT obese either. She's gorgeous! Even my husband said that if he was single and Jordin were 10 years older, he'd go after her. Lack of calories have obviously affected Meme Roth's brain.
ReplyMeMe Roth has really done a lot of good, bringing either positive or negative publicity to those which deserve it. She might have gone over the top here, but someone did need to point out that Jordin Sparks might not be the best role model for the youth. And that is what Roth is good at doing, and done here probably the only way possible.
ReplyWhat a shock that this BS is on Fox Noise...Typical. This skinny bitch is NOT sending a good message to young girls who might look up to Jordin. What she is saying is that being a few pounds overweight is bad, and unhealthy, and you should go out and lose 40 pounds immediately! This country needs to have MORE girls this size in the spotlight letting them know you DON'T have to starve yourself. You're NOT supposed to look like Victoria Beckham, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan, The Olsen Twins, etc...The list goes on and on. Do THEY look healthy?? They all look sickly to me. Now we have a beautiful, normal sized, healthy looking (and YES she looks extremely healthy to me) girl to look to, and maybe help make young girls feel ok with themselves, and that stupid bitch wants to f**k that up! That is so infuriating!!!! She is causing so much more harm than she is helping.
ReplyYou obviously don't have teenage daughters!!!! How dare you presume to know what Jordin thinks and feels. If I were a 17 year old girl whose dreams just came true, and someone on Faux News just said I didn't deserve it because I was fat, and sending a bad message to kids...I would be absolutely devastated!!
ReplyI've read that Jordin is 6'3" and if you watch the show, she is clearly the tallest contestant. According to the BMI index, she can weigh up to 191 pounds and still be in the "Healthy Weight" category.
http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/bmi.php
I think most people here know that BMI is a more accurate scale of what is healthy as apposed to looking at weight alone.
And do you expect every 17 year old to be "toned"? Yes, she is in the spotlight now, but she was an unknown only a few months ago. Every single one of us would have flaws if they plucked us out of our lives today and put us under the watchful eye of millions of people and the media. Let's give her a little break.
And just as a personal note, I've been watching the show all season and have always that she was beautiful. It makes me sick and sad to see the video above. Thanks for this blog!
ReplyDid I say that I think people should shoot their TVs?
ReplyI see Jordan as having a large frame and being height-weight healthy. Very insulting and rude to say she is carrying 40 extra pounds. Thin might be in, but it's not always healthier.
ReplyBut thats what i'm saying, you need to learn how to take care of yourself, you can't sit around and wait for the world to fix everything for you.
Being over weight HAS killed people. A LOT of people and it claimed my father. He was not obese in any way. He was overweight he got diabetes and he died of a heart attack. He was an amazing athlete in his younger years and never drank or smoked, but he made poor choices with food and he worked a sedantry job from his mid 30's until his late 50's despite the fact he caught public transport and walked a few miles from home the the train station. Familiar story?
I dont want to die like that, i dont want to see other people die like that.
And to Sharon:
Good for you. seriously.
I'm getting quite sick of haveing to re-type the same things over and over again. So this will be the last time i sit here and defend my opinons.
i didnt say she was going to die from being a little over weight. i didnt say she was unhealthy. i did say that people her age, that are still at school are less likey to make the correct food choices and theres a likely chance they, judging from the way America looks to have fattened itself right up, will keep up bad eating habbits. So eat right, exercise, and you'll keep the risk of dying on your own fat to a minimum. Goes for thin people too.
Why do you assume that you need to be a 'toothpick' to be a figure of good health? That's a big misconception and flaw in your argument, i have never once said you have to be stick thin to be healthy. I have said however that hollywood wont die from overweight related diseases, and being anorexic, bulemic and starving yourself thin on crash diets is not healthy either which i have adressed in previous posts. All i have said is eat well and excercise in order to maintain or develope fitness and health.
The idea of a normal weight has increased dramatically.
So while she maybe in that normal weight range people get fatter so the average and what is 'normal' also increases. Normal weight now, wasn't normal weight 20 years ago.
The 'normal weight' for my height is way too heavy, and before my father passed away I was in that 'normal' weight range, since changing my lifestyle I sleep better, I dont snore, I can get up early, I feel awesome all the time, I dont get as stressed about things, I can wear whatever I want without feeling self concious, I cant get through a whole day of work without that afternoon slump, my hair and skin are the best they ever have been, I'm strong, I'm fit, I dont get sick as often I used to and I recover faster if I do, I have energy and becuase of what i gained, I would never go back to the way things were.
So as far as i'm concerned (and quite frankly i dont care if anyone is offended) there are alot of overweight people in this world, alot who do think its ok becuase theyre in that so called safe average.
I also find it quite amusing how on a website about dieting and health, you all sit here and whinge about how its OK to be overweight.
ReplyJP, shes a celebrity now, shes going to have to put up with far worse that once woman calling her fat.
ReplyShe's beautiful! I'm definately larger than she is... and I'm sure healthy. She looks to be, what, a size 8?
ReplyThat woman is disgusting to say those things. I can't believe they aired her on TV with that crap.
edit: one, not once.
Reply