Plus size model on Sports Illustrated cover unhealthy?

[ravenclawtrekkie]

One of my cousins is a size 18, and she runs marathons and teaches yoga. "Healthy" is not limited to people with a single-digit clothing size.

 

[low-key]

Now Cheryl we both know when I was a fat boy reaching puberty I kept a poster of you in my room, now you better not make me sorry I did it, decades later

 

[Cantw8]

Now Cheryl we both know when I was a fat boy reaching puberty I kept a poster of you in my room, now you better not make me sorry I did it, decades later

You would think a woman of her advancing years would be a little kinder.

 

[low-key]

You would think a woman of her advancing years would be a little kinder.

, yep if you were hot when I was 12, your old

 

[Chocolate Cake]

One of my cousins is a size 18, and she runs marathons and teaches yoga. "Healthy" is not limited to people with a single-digit clothing size.

Size 18 Gasp! Pearl Clutch! Hand Wring! I am concerned about her health. So very concerned. AKA--A size 18 should hide in her Troll Hole and not emerge until she is a size 8.

 

[summermom2]

That model is pretty, but she is fat. If you asked people in the 1980 s and before they would say she is fat.People are so use to seeing overweight people that people are starting to think it is normal to be overweight. I am fat I am not fluffy or big boned I am fat. Doctors use to tell people they were fat. But now we have to make sure we do not use the word fat. People do not like to hear the truth, Yes thin people can be unhealthy but being fat is unhealthy and just because society normalizes something does not change the fact it is unhealthy.

 

[powellrj]

Now Cheryl is trying to back peddle on what she said. Sorry, like I tell my kids, you can't unsay things.

 

[Chocolate Cake]

That model is pretty, but she is fat. If you asked people in the 1980 s and before they would say she is fat.People are so use to seeing overweight people that people are starting to think it is normal to be overweight. I am fat I am not fluffy or big boned I am fat. Doctors use to tell people they were fat. But now we have to make sure we do not use the word fat. People do not like to hear the truth, Yes thin people can be unhealthy but being fat is unhealthy and just because society normalizes something does not change the fact it is unhealthy.

So, what do you think is unhealthy about this model? Her high blood pressure? Her high cholesterol? Does she have heart issues? What are her current health problems?

Give us the facts about Ashley Graham's health and how her life is going to be cut ever-so-drastically short that everyone is so concerned about her health.

 

[Christine]

So, what do you think is unhealthy about this model? Her high blood pressure? Her high cholesterol? Does she have heart issues? What are her current health problems?

Give us the facts about Ashley Graham's health and how her life is going to be cut ever-so-drastically short that everyone is so concerned about her health.

No one is saying this particular model is unhealthy. Not sure why we keep trying to focus on her individual health status. Carrying too many pounds long-term can increase your risk of many diseases. That's a known fact. Does it mean that it will happen? No. I'm sure that at age 21 (or whatever age Ashley is), she's perfectly healthy at this point in time. And she may stay that way for the rest of her life. My 75 year old aunt weighs 250 lbs and has no diabetes, blood pressure, or cholesterol problems. Her knees are shot and she can no longer walk without assistance, but everything else is fine. My other 250-ish lb aunt (who has been heavy since she was about 10 years old), can no longer walk, has choking fits on her food all the time due to the compression of fat on her diaphragm, etc. So, there are anectdotal cases where people don't get diseases from it.

No one is specifically saying the model is unhealthy today. The point some of us are trying to make is if it's okay to give acceptance to being overweight? I don't think it is. That doesn't mean I don't think she should be on the cover as Cheryl Tiegs feels. Just stating that I see some of the points people made about acceptance of heavier weights. No matter what is said, statistically, carrying too much weight has a health impact. It is like smoking. Statistically, you have a higher change of many health problems if you smoke. Doesn't mean it will happen to everyone though.

This is not about vilifying folks who are overweight. I could stand to lose 20 lbs myself but I'm honest about it and not trying to gloss it over by thinking that society is just treating people bad who don't look like models.

A few years ago, there was a backlash against the media about presenting unrealistic body images but that backlash was about presenting too much "thinness." I do think the media took some note and has definitely gotten away from portraying the skeletal type bodies that were so in vogue in the 90s. If we can have that discussion, as a society, in that direction (too thin is unhealthy and changes what people think is normal) then I think we can have it in the other direction. But, again, I'm all for showing all sorts of body types in the media (I often like the Dove campaign that shows people with all of their flaws).

I think what's really been interesting about this thread and the one two weeks ago, same subject, is the aggressiveness against anyone who even dares to talk about being overweight in a negative way. It's just not allowed to be discussed even if it's respectful. The same folks who think we shouldn't talk about someone's weight have no problem slamming the person who had the opinion (Cheryl Tiegs in this instance) over their looks using pretty negative terms. Cheryl Tiegs is a 68 year old women who, in her latest foray into the media, obviously didn't get "done up" to present herself. Many 68 year old women have "lost" their figures, are showing the effects of too much sun, and don't look like they did when they were 20. I have actually been astounded to read the comments about her aging. It seems to me that all bets are off when it comes to women who start to wrinkle.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

There is a heap of denial on this thread about obesity and health issues. You don't need to listen to an ex model. Listen to the doctors who treat heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, World Health Organization, Center for Disease Control, American Heart Association and American Cancer Society.

It's pretty crazy that we have to use an example of My 600 Pound Life to finally be concerned about someone's health. Like, as long as you aren't that big, you shouldn't worry.

 

[Chocolate Cake]

I have actually been astounded to read the comments about her aging. It seems to me that all bets are off when it comes to women who start to wrinkle.

No. All bets are off when an admitted alcoholic, plastic person tells the media that they shouldn't glamorize a fat person because "she is unhealthy". Oh. I am so concerned about the health of that poor fat woman on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The magazine where I once resided. Me! I'm pretty! I'm skinny! Remember me? Don't glamorize the Fat Lady. Only skinny people should be glamorized. But, but, I'm saying this only because I am concerned for Ashley's health. Very concerned

For me, the comments about her aging are said to prove that Cheryl Tiegs is nothing but a jealous has-been, upset that people dare think this fat person is pretty (under the guise of being concerned about her health, of course).

 

[Chocolate Cake]

There is a heap of denial on this thread about obesity and health issues. You don't need to listen to an ex model. Listen to the doctors who treat heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, World Health Organization, Center for Disease Control, American Heart Association and American Cancer Society.

It's pretty crazy that we have to use an example of My 600 Pound Life to finally be concerned about someone's health. Like, as long as you aren't that big, you shouldn't worry.

I don't think a 180 pound, 5'10 person is damned to a horrible, life ending situation and years of pain and suffering. I just don't. But I do think people can't stand the thought of a 180 pound woman being viewed as sexy.

 

[Kimberlyann11]

So it's decided then. Let's not accept "fat". What do teens do when they're not accepted? Do they go to the gym? Do they go to the beach? No. Do they sit in their room and mow a box of oreos? Well, oreos don't treat you like you're gross so, yeah, that's what they do. Like a PP said, nobody is going to go buy a doughnut so they can go look like Ashley Graham - however they might see Ashley Graham on the beach and think if she can do it, I can do it too.

Since we are all buddies here and getting all personal, here's my little story. Y'all can rip on me afterwards all you want - it is the Dis after all. When I was in high school in the seventies, I thought I was the fattest pig in the universe. My mom had it in her head that I should weigh 100 pounds and that was that. In fact it started when I was younger. She put me on my first diet when I was three. Three. She still tells the story of how bad I embarrassed her when we went out to eat begging for a piece of bread. LOL -that story still makes me laugh. Go me! It went on all through grade school. At school parties I had to write down what I ate so my mom could see. I remember her yelling at me once because I couldn't remember how many potato chips I had. So in high school, at 125, I thought I was the fattest, most obese pig in the galaxy. I didn't see my beautiful blonde hair or my sense of humor or my 34 ACT score. I saw someone that, as my mom told me, no one would ever love. I didn't realize that taking my jeans in two sizes in the waist meant I had an hourglass figure. I thought it meant I had humongous legs. I had no clue why all the boys kept asking me out. There must be something wrong with them. I somehow managed to get a steady boyfriend, I don't know how, but I knew for a fact that he was just biding his time until he found someone who wasn't huge.

We won't even discuss some of the choices I made in college. I pretty much thought I didn't matter and anyone who was nice to me felt sorry for me.

So - we'll fast forward to adulthood. I left the resort town where I grew up and moved to the big city. Got a job. Went to the mall and found a magazine, BBW, I think it was, that had overweight (or fat if that makes everybody happy) models doing all kinds of fun things. I was astounded. How the hell could that be? They almost look - happy. It wasn't overnight, but my attitude began to change. I got some counseling and slowly built some self-esteem. Dated some guys. Got some good promotions. Started going to the gym. Got married and had a child. Lost weight. Gained weight. Found a happy medium. Actually - at times - felt positive about myself. My mom still doesn't understand why I get irked when she looks at my old high school pictures and remarks on how skinny I was back then.

A lot of things have changed in my life, good and bad. I could write a novel because there's always more I would love to say on the subject - I just wish I had seen that magazine with those models sooner and had taken advantage of some of the opportunities that I thought I wasn't good enough for. And my story's not unique.

I have a ton to say about Cheryl too - but for now I'll just leave it alone.

 

[Christine]

So it's decided then. Let's not accept "fat". What do teens do when they're not accepted? Do they go to the gym? Do they go to the beach? No. Do they sit in their room and mow a box of oreos? Well, oreos don't treat you like you're gross so, yeah, that's what they do. Like a PP said, nobody is going to go buy a doughnut so they can go look like Ashley Graham - however they might see Ashley Graham on the beach and think if she can do it, I can do it too.

Since we are all buddies here and getting all personal, here's my little story. Y'all can rip on me afterwards all you want - it is the Dis after all. When I was in high school in the seventies, I thought I was the fattest pig in the universe. My mom had it in her head that I should weigh 100 pounds and that was that. In fact it started when I was younger. She put me on my first diet when I was three. Three. She still tells the story of how bad I embarrassed her when we went out to eat begging for a piece of bread. LOL -that story still makes me laugh. Go me! It went on all through grade school. At school parties I had to write down what I ate so my mom could see. I remember her yelling at me once because I couldn't remember how many potato chips I had. So in high school, at 125, I thought I was the fattest, most obese pig in the galaxy. I didn't see my beautiful blonde hair or my sense of humor or my 34 ACT score. I saw someone that, as my mom told me, no one would ever love. I didn't realize that taking my jeans in two sizes in the waist meant I had an hourglass figure. I thought it meant I had humongous legs. I had no clue why all the boys kept asking me out. There must be something wrong with them. I somehow managed to get a steady boyfriend, I don't know how, but I knew for a fact that he was just biding his time until he found someone who wasn't huge.

We won't even discuss some of the choices I made in college. I pretty much thought I didn't matter and anyone who was nice to me felt sorry for me.

So - we'll fast forward to adulthood. I left the resort town where I grew up and moved to the big city. Got a job. Went to the mall and found a magazine, BBW, I think it was, that had overweight (or fat if that makes everybody happy) models doing all kinds of fun things. I was astounded. How the hell could that be? They almost look - happy. It wasn't overnight, but my attitude began to change. I got some counseling and slowly built some self-esteem. Dated some guys. Got some good promotions. Started going to the gym. Got married and had a child. Lost weight. Gained weight. Found a happy medium. Actually - at times - felt positive about myself. My mom still doesn't understand why I get irked when she looks at my old high school pictures and remarks on how skinny I was back then.

A lot of things have changed in my life, good and bad. I could write a novel because there's always more I would love to say on the subject - I just wish I had seen that magazine with those models sooner and had taken advantage of some of the opportunities that I thought I wasn't good enough for. And my story's not unique.

I have a ton to say about Cheryl too - but for now I'll just leave it alone.

I'm thinking your problems had way more to do with your cruel mother than the fact that someone like Ashley was not on a regular magazine at that time. You were treated pretty poorly by your mother over your weight. I don't understand that.

Again, I don't think anyone on this thread is saying Ashley does not belong on the cover. Cheryl Tiegs is wrong to say that, but as I said a million times already, it's about what we perceive as okay when it comes to body size.

Just on the flip side, I grew up sort of exactly opposite of you. I was always fairly underweight through high school (I am overweight now). In high school, I had remarks said to me almost daily about my weight. I used to buy pants and have to take in all the pants legs so I didn't walk around with baggy pants and get teased for that. There was always some remark. In order to just be "normal" I would eat a lot. I started trying to eat a pint of ice cream every night. I never did put on weight (back then) but the remarks surely changed my relationship with by body and food. Funny thing though, it was the late 70s and early 80s and the media portrayal had me fitting right in with those models, but my peer group just could not stop making snarky remarks.

Things didn't get better 30 years later when my own daughter was very tiny and thin in high school. Again, around 9th grade she was pretty much harrassed about her weight. Around that time Abercrombie and Fitch had come out with some T-shirt that was so fitting for what was going on--it was some sort of insulting T-shirt that is meant to be worn by a thin person who is retorting back to people who were obviously against thin people and suffered remarks. That T-shirt was big internet buzz for awhile because of how "insulting" it was to people who weren't thin. Astounding, really. I don't think anyone ever cares about the hurt feelings on the flip side. Thin people are certainly fair game for insults and discussion. But for some reason we can't even talk about it in the other direction without people getting angry.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

Being overweight is a RISK FACTOR for various health problems. That's all.

 

[Sydney2977]

Being overweight is a RISK FACTOR for various health problems. That's all.

That is something I think we can all agree on.

I think it is sad that we as people (myself included) are so judgmental of each other- not just in regards to weight though. Like a PP said, we can all see weight/"fatness or skinniness" of others, but we can't "see" other issues that could be judged as equally as risky, like drug or alcohol abuse, being in an abusive relationship, etc. We are quick to point out what others are doing wrong instead of what they may be doing right, or offering up things that could help them.

While it's true that those that put themselves out there in the media (like Graham and Tiegs) are opening themselves up to scrutiny, and should know they will have to defend themselves against negativity for what they say and do, the average person shouldn't feel like a simple trip to the beach in a swimsuit should open themselves up to public ridicule- no matter what their size. It's their business, and unless you are willing to help them- MYOB! No one deserves cruel comments just for they way they look.

I should probably tell y'all that I am extremely blessed in the fact that I don't struggle with my weight- part of this I believe is genetic based on my parents. I danced when I was younger and my metabolism has always been good, even now as an adult when I'm not as active as I once was. I'm 5ft. 6in. and weigh between 118-124lb.

My DH on the other hand has had struggles with his weight. He was active as a kid, but based on his family has the potential to be big. After an ankle injury in the military he went through years of not being treated properly by doctors, not being able to work out like he used to, yo-yoing weight, feeling depressed and down about it, and finally two different surgeries, in between which he gained weight and then tried to lose it again. They always seemed more concerned with him losing weight so he could fit into their "chart" and not about actually fixing the underlying cause of his injury. No matter that he could do so much physical work that the smaller guys couldn't do- he was overweight. He was finally medically discharged from the military and now can work on getting healthy on his terms. I think he gained weight after he got out from spite- like "I can eat what I want now, not work out, and it won't affect my job!" He's 6ft., and at his heaviest was 280lb. Now he's about 235-240 and is still slowly working on losing weight- to be healthier, not to fit into anyone's image. His mom has diabetes and heart disease runs in his family, so he doesn't want that to affect him.

You never know what someone's personal struggles are, so don't be so quick to judge.

As for Ashley Graham, I think she's beautiful, and I wish I looked that good in a bikini! And I don't care how beautiful Cheryl Tiegs is on the outside- she must be ugly on the inside to make comments like she did.

 

[mnrose]

Being overweight is a RISK FACTOR for various health problems. That's all.

And, we should all do what we can to minimize those risk factors we can control. Bad genetics (predisposition to cancers, epilepsy, etc) we cannot control. Our weight, subject to some relatively minor exceptions, IS controllable. I have 7 brothers and sisters. With rare exception (my sister and I), they are significantly over weight. Sorry folks, that is NOT genetic. Neither of my parents was obese. No one in either side of their families was obese. It's what they eat and whether they choose to exercise that makes all the difference. None of them were the least bit overweight as children. Rail thin was how my family was described by many!

I do what I can to control my personal risk factors...I don't smoke, I eat a healthy diet (with come cheats...no one is perfect), I exercise 5 times per week and I lift weights occasionally. I take vitamins. Try to control stress in my life.

I do think there is a difference between ostracizing overweight and obese people and glamorizing them. We should not glamorize being overweight. We should not glamorize being underweight. We should celebrate bodies which are within a healthy range (and that range is quite broad). Is the SI model within a healthy range? I can't say personally. I do think Rhonda Rousy (is that how it's spelled?) is a wonderful example of a body type that should be glamorized. She's not stick thin, she's not overweight (we can all agree on that I think). She's got curves.

I do see a trend toward normalizing being overweight that isn't good for us in the long run. Look at our skyrocketing medical costs...the HUGE number of secondary diabetes cases (for which being overweight is nearly always part of the problem). Joint replacements. Heart disease. And, the list goes on. No matter how you try to justify it, and "normalize" it, it is not the optimal way for humans of the species to be, just as being underweight is not the optimal condition.

I am not a stick figure person, but my weight is within good ranges for a person of my height. I work hard to keep it that way because I understand the risk. I have 4 siblings with type 2 diabetes. Duh. Now, that also means I have some overweight siblings who don't have this disease, so obviously there is not a 100% correlation. It is clear looking at my family though that being overweight is not allowing them to have optimal health.

 

[teller80]

On "The Talk" today, Sharon Osborne slammed Tiegs for what she said about Ashley Graham yet she kept emphasizing that Tiegs was old like that was a bad thing. So, it's alright to criticize someone you think made a disparaging remark about weight but it's okay to be ageist. Oh and Osborne is 63.

I watched "The Talk" also and thought it was so strange that Sharon was REALLY emphasizing that Cheryl was "OLD", like it was a horrible thing. The best part? After emphasizing how "OLD" Cheryl is several times, her friend Elton John came on the show - and guess what? He's older than Cheryl! I wonder if he had been listening to the show and what his thoughts were at that point.

 

[Kimberlyann11]

I'm thinking your problems had way more to do with your cruel mother than the fact that someone like Ashley was not on a regular magazine at that time. You were treated pretty poorly by your mother over your weight. I don't understand that.

Eh, I know why she was like she was and I feel sorry for her in a way. She has some background history that makes the reasons crystal clear. She honestly thought she was helping and being a "good parent". As the esteemed Dr. House said - all parents mess up all kids. Mine will probably be writing on a board thirty years from now about some kind of crap I'm doing now.

Of course teasing thin people isn't acceptable either. I don't remember it at my school, but I don't doubt that it was your experience and I'm sorry it happened to you. I do think I was luckier in that I didn't get any shaming from my peers. If I had been more open to it, I would have seen that I had very positive attention. I read an interesting article about fat shaming. Kids who were shamed by their parents tend to have much lower self-esteem than those who are shamed by their peers. But ... as they grow into adulthood, those who are shamed by their parents seem to have a turn-around and actually end up with higher self-esteem than the peer-shamed adults. I find that to be true in my own experience. I don't know what it has to do with anything - I just found it interesting. My self-esteem sometimes seems jacked out of shape for no reason at all - lol.

Last comment. Some of the bullies at DDs school started an online bullying group. Nice, huh? Kids actually get suspended if the school finds out that they were on it - which is good. DD won't go in it because they were very cruel to a few of her friends. Well a kid on the bus told her that the bully group did a mock election and she won few catagories. She couldn't help herself and just had to look. They voted her nicest junior girl and smartest junior girl. Of course the fact that actual bullies think she's nice is not necessarily the best thing in the world - but I was glad that she saw that just by being the nice person she is, she got noticed. Even if it was by an unsavory group of kids.

Of course none of that has anything to do with anything. It's just stream-of-consciousness rambling because this is such a hot button topic for me.

 

[BigAlsGal]

I think she's very pretty.