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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Good lord.
ReplyOkay, here's the thing. No one that I can see (unless I missed it, which is possible) is trying to argue about Jordin's exact height or weight or BMI or what category those numbers put her into. I can't speak for anyone else, but what I am saying is that, unless she is Ms. Sparks's PHYSICIAN, MeMe Roth does not know whether this young woman is unhealthy. Simply looking at her and labelling her unhealthy is ignorant and obnoxious. You cannot tell health from looks except in extreme cases.
Wow, you must have really limited musical taste, cause musicians in a whole bunch of genres and lots of rock subgenres just stand there and sing and sometimes, they even play an instrument. Crazy, huh? I'm taking it you don't listen to jazz, blues, classical, most of country, and countless rock subgenres like shoegaze, singer/songwriter, folk, etc.
ReplyMichael Says: "WHAT MEME NEEDS TO DO IS PUT A FEW POUNDS ON SO HER BONES DONT STICK OUT OF THAT ANOREXIC BODY OF HERS!!!"
This is something that truly bothers me about this whole debate. So many of the people who are attacking MeMe for her comments are making the same judgements about her health.
I'm very offended by this - in terms of body shape - I look a lot like MeMe. I'm 122 lbs, 5'4, and a size 4. I am in no way "anorexic". I do not have protruding bones, am not a stick, I do not starve myself, and I am healthy. How can someone be so hypocritical as to attack MeMe's comments and then make judgements as to her own body size?
ReplyShe is carrying way too much fat, which caused her to look distorted standing next to a normal-sized Blake.
It's just as bad to justify being more than a little overweight by saying "I'm just naturally like this," as it is to justify being dangerously underweight by saying "I'm just naturally like this." Most people who say they are naturally underweight often really have an eating disorder. Most people who say they are naturally overweight/obese often eat *a lot* of unhealthy food, don't exercise much, and will develop related health problems in their futures. Plain and simple.
ReplyThere's an amazing amount of silly things being said in this thread, and all with great passion. (There's good stuff being said too, of course).
ReplySo, I disagree with "plain and simple", too ^_^
ReplyBelieve it or not, it doesn't take massive amounts of food and total lack of inactivity to get fat. You only have to consistently eat a little too much over a period of time, which is very easy to do. And it actually is possible to be stable and healthy at a slightly overweight size like Jordin's. Just because someone's overweight doesn't mean they're completely out of control!!! and eating nothing but cheeseburgers and fried chicken and doomed to weigh 400 pounds in ten years. Look around you. There aren't that many 400 pound people.
ReplyWhat is wrong with that lady? Jordin may not by disgustingly thin like most celebrities these days, but she is NOT obese AT ALL. She's actually very beautiful, she just has meat on her bones, which is a GOOD THING!! Jordin winning this competition will send a good message to people everywhere.
ReplyGet your facts right: she is a PUBLICIST, not a dietitian, and no, she does not know what she is talking about any more than you, me, or anyone else on this blog.
ReplyI kept my judgement to her *mental health*, which to me, due to her quotes and arrest for attacking sprinkles, seems to be a bit impaired. Of course, I'm not her shrink or anything - then again, I think if she did have a shrink, she'd probably not go around doing this stuff, but I digress.
Amen. When we are talking genetic predisposition to be a bit bigger, we are talking people like Jordin and me and tons of others, not people who are 400lb. My ancestors are not tall skinny Vikings, they are short, stocky Southern Italians and Irish people who worked the fields growing food. Those with small weak constitutions didn't survive the several famines they faced; is it any wonder I'm not a delicate flower? I can lift more weight than most men that are a foot taller than me though, and when I close a bottle, these same men often can't open it. For my height, the "near perfect BMI" MeMe Roth has, of 20, is 105lb. My lean body mass alone is 103lb. I'd have to be dead to have that "near perfect BMI". Aside from muscle, I'm in the top 3 percentile for bone density (I recently had a scan), so I'd need to lose muscle and develop osteoporosis to be "near perfect" - sounds like a healthy plan! Except, not.
African-Americans have ancestors that survived the trip from Africa with barely any food - again, it is no surprise they tend to descend from the sturdier people.
What is my point here? That there is a great deal of prejudice/racism in these body ideals. They expect people of all ethnicities to conform to an Aryan ideal when they want to see people who are historically built differently to conform to some skinny blonde chick's "near perfect BMI" - and this is weird, considering said chick is Jewish (is she? I thought the last name was Jewish, but it may be by marriage). That makes the whole thing even more bizarre, that she is off spouting the perfect Aryan "women must look like Barbies" (which was a German doll for starters) ideal if she is Jewish. That BMI may be "near perfect on her" and way too skinny for a ton more people, even other blonde chicks. No two people are alike.
ReplyI dont think Jordin looks fat/unhealthy. Maybe a little teenage fat...like other girls around the world, especially one's that get their periods at a younger age. Also, the camera adds 10 pounds.
I feel sorry for American girls, they have so much pressure to be skinny. It's sad. American people want their children to grow up too soon....weight loss, awareness of sex and sexiness. Let children be children and teenagers be teenagers. Let them enjoy life.
And yes, Meme Roth sounds like a B****.
ReplyFIRSTLY: if jordin stays the same weight she is now all her life, she'll be just fine! she has a 21 pound leverage from being considered obese (222). its funny though. its like as soon as someone gets to the 200 pound range, everyone starts flipping out about they are too big! there nothing wrong with not being in the 100 pounds range!!!
SECONDLY: i apologize to you norma for being a little rude before about the anorexic comment. im just mad at meme. im sorry if i offended you.
THIRDLY: everyone today always attacks people who are slightly overweight, instead of attacking those who are extremely overweight! why is that? i guess everyone seems to think that the cure for obesity starts with ppl like jordin, instead of those who already are really big. thats messed up that all the pressure is put on the shoulders of those who are only slight overweight, like jordin! its like society has already given up on the morbidly obese like they are too far gone from beating the battle of obesity.. but luckily its shows like THE BIGGEST LOSER that proves everyone wrong!
ReplyI wasnt trying to prove a point. just trying to state the facts thats all. and yes i know about the capital letters. im always used to using it for IM's. i guess i need to downgrade, lol.
Reply1) jordin is fine/sexy just the way she is!!! if she never auditioned for idol, never made it on and lived a regular life like all of us, then anybody who would pass her by would never say to themselves: "dam she's fat she needs to lose weight." Now that shes not a regular person anymore and shes famous, now.. now.. shes fat and needs to lose weight!! what the fudge is wrong with a famous person being a little overweight for god's sake?!!! SOCIETY IS THE REAL PROBLEM HERE!!!!! the need to be skinny and not fat bc being chunky/fat is "unnatractive". who the fudge made up these rules huh?!! someone give me a really good answer. there are tons of chubby girls out there who are hot as hell, to be blunt!
2) plain and simple, everyone needs to mind their own damn business and stop worrying about everyone elses weight situations and everyone elses lives that they live!! if someone likes being overweight and thinks they are hot, let em be that way!! its none of our business to change them bc we dont like them being overweight bc they contribute to the overweight problem of the USA!!
3) i want to thank the people who run BODACIOUS MAGAZINE!!! without them, bbw's of the world would never have a chance to show the world how beautiful big girls really are!! for those of you who never heard of it, bodacious magazine is basically the big girls version of PLAYBOY!! instead of skinny girls modeling naked and in bikinis, you got big girls modeling naked and in bikinis!!!!!! THANK YOU BODACIOUS MAGAZINE FOR GIVING ME HAPPINESS EVERYTIME I OPEN UP A NEW ISSUE!!!!!!
4) LASTLY..... for all of you skinny people out there who hate seing big girls in short shorts and dressing provacitvely, go blame the designers who design skinny girls clothing. they are the reason why big girls designers make the clothes they do, which is a good thing in my opinion!!! if a skinny girl can dress half naked, then so can big girls!! whats good for the skinny girls of the world, is good enough for the big girls of the world as well!!! : )
5) ok so obviously im a big girls fan and supporter!!! THANK GOD FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME IN THIS WORLD! WITHOUT PEOPLE LIKE ME, THERE'D BE NO HOPE!
NOW GO AHEAD JORDIN!!!, PUT ON A BIKINI AND SHOW EVERYONE WHAT 200 GORGEOUS POUNDS OF BEAUTY LOOKS LIKE!!!!!!!!!!!! : )
AMEN I HAVE SPOKEN!!!!!!!!!! NOW I DARE ANYONE TO RESPOND TO THIS BASHING MY TASTES AND OPINIONS! B/C HONESTLY, I DONT GIVE A SH*T ABOUT YOUR OPINIONS! ITS ABOUT TIME SOMEONE SUCH AS MYSELF, STANDS UP FOR BIG GIRLS, AND TO STOP EVERYONE'S HATEFULL, BIASED "FAT GIRL" JOKES, WHICH ACTUALLY ARE FUNNY B/C THEY ARE SO REDICULOUS! it just goes to prove to me that the people who go to great lengths wasting their time to try and make fat girls feel bad about themselves, are actually the ones who have no self-esteem and no self-confidence and are jealous of big girls for having more self-esteem and self-confidence than they do!!!
ReplyMeme is an idiot. Jordin is soooo not overweight. Yeah, she's got some curves on her but believe it or not. Not all ppl that sing perfessionally are a size 2. My gosh. God forbid she isnt an anorexic like Meme. Meme is one of the most hateful ones out there, she's rude, she's hostile. I dont think she looks unhealthy. Just because she's not thin does not mean she cant be healthy.
Reply"She is carrying way too much fat, which caused her to look distorted standing next to a normal-sized Blake. "
she is not that fat. If this was one of those bulimics you would not hear two words about her weight. But jordin who's got some curves on her, ppl always hatin.
Replyim not a hypocrite! id be a hypocrite if i were to bash someone for being big, while preaching that i like big women! in this instance i made fun of meme for her FAT comments by making fun of her for being SKINNY!! 2 DIFFERENT THINGS NORMA!!! GET YO SH*T RIGHT!Reply
Wow, Michael - what an eloquent way to phrase an argument.
My point - if you are angry about one woman's statements, do not turn around and make similar proclamations about body size.
Reply