Yesterday, I sat next to a Nordstrom’s model on the way back from New York City. It was hot on the airplane so I turned the little overhead vent on. She then proceeded to shiver uncontrollably during the entire flight back to Seattle. I so wanted to tell her that maybe the reason for her discomfort was the fact that she had absolutely no body fat. Eat a sandwich. You'll feel better.
But I didn’t. I posted it on my Facebook page instead because I’m a big (fat) coward. What I found was that the times they are a-changin’. In a show of solidarity, many people agreed and posted their comments as well. So below I have some reasons for a higher Body Mass Index.
1. Four out of four men on Facebook prefer women with curves (OK so it was a VERY unscientific survey and only consisted of people who responded to the comment I had already made about the emaciated model PLUS they were pre-selected by being my friends but still math is math).
2. It’s also a scientific fact (I Wikipediad it so it must be true) that fat people float better than skinny people. So do you think me or this girl has a better chance of surviving if our boat goes down in the middle of the ocean? You have to guard against these possibilities—especially if you live on the water. Even if you don’t, you could go on a cruise.
3. Ask yourself, which girl would you rather have with you on a shopping trip? She’s not going to be any help with those heavy bags or angry crowds. How about babysitting assistance? I can’t quite picture her lugging a couple of preschoolers to Playland at McDonald’s. And, seriously, if you’re stranded in the wilderness all Alive style, and you have to start eating people in order to survive—which one of us would you pick?
4. Blurtit says that skinny people have a more difficult time maintaining body temperature. The thinner you are, it goes on to say, the more often you will get cold and the more intense the lower temperatures feel. I bet this lady would wear a jacket in the Gobi Desert!
5. Finally, The Huffington Post reported during the recent San Paulo Fashion Week that there was concern over too-thin models. The administrators were considering putting restrictions and regulations in place to prevent this in the future. Even the modeling industry thinks that we’ve come too far.
I do believe it is changing, and it starts with our attitudes; that this is not all right or acceptable for us as women or a society. We don’t want that for ourselves, and we certainly don’t want it for our daughters. Instead, like my friend Steve Duno said, I should have told the lady on the plane to get a Katz deli pastrami sandwich and quit the whining.
copyright © 2009 Tiia Jones
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