Obesity: Having excessive body fat

First Known Use: 1651

Synonyms: blubbery, chubby, corpulent, fleshy, full, gross, lardy, fat, overweight, plump, podgy [chiefly British], portly, pudgy, replete, roly-poly, rotund, round, tubby

What is obesity? How do you say a person is obese? Different people have different body structures, bone density, genetic codes, it is hard to look at someone and say, “Oh yeah, that person is definitely obese!” When the average size in America today is a size 14, what does that make us? Are we all obese? When I look at the chart on obesity showing the progression from 1985 to now, the image is shocking! We went from an average of 10% of US Adults being obese to a staggering 25-30%. I look at the several possibilities as to why: we’ve become a fast food nation, high stress, higher amounts of sugar intake (On average one should consume 40 grams of sugar per day. To put that into perspective that is 10 of those sugar packets at a restaurant or it is a small can of coke), and the sky rocketing amount of food byproducts being created and sugar extracts (high-fructose corn syrup, glucosamine, equal, splenda, and the list goes on). Our bodies were not made to break down such elements and another area that is hard to ignore—American’s are just eating more! We are eating so much food that years ago the fashion industry changed our sizes (quite possibly to sell more cloths). If you were a size 4 now you are a size 2 and while that may make some feel pretty special others who see the difference and are measuring things out aren’t fooled.

Have we all succumb to overeating? Are we all destined for obesity continuing the mind-set that America is an obese nation? When looking at an obese individual and asking them questions about their obesity, the respondent may withhold information which he/she fears may threaten his/her self-esteem (pg. 41-42 Madison, 2012). Many people don’t like admitting that they are obese or that there is any problem with their condition. And while there are those people whose perfect size is a size 18 (and I have seen woman like that, beautiful ladies), there are also those who tend to blame the world for their problems and nothing can be done to convince them that serious medical issues lay in the balance if they are unwilling to change their ways. In a way this is how they have memorized their situation. ‘It isn’t my fault that I got this way, my friends keep making me eat out at all of these places…I get hungry at night and a yogurt just won’t do…’ There are several forms of denial that we go through when we don’t want to see the truth. We make generalizations to create sympathizers but is that the best thing, reinforcing the addiction?

So, when conducting this research, it is overwhelmingly important to remember what I have learned from the resources given and to honor the subjects at hand. Often times, there is a shame with having an addiction (such as food). You want to hide what you see as a flaw. When dealing with obesity the label is automatically assumed. A person is stripped of their core essence and humanity til the only thing left is that title...

That being said, women are beautiful no matter what size. We are the creators of worlds. We create the next generation and there after. What is important is that all of us feel that way. No matter what size, if a woman is happy with her weight and feels healthy, then she is her perfect size. For me personally I love to walk, run, play basketball, do martial arts...I wouldn't want anything to impair that. If I am able to do those things, eat what I want (within reason) and be able to feel good, then I know I am on the right track. I am where I want to be. I think sometimes as women, we forget that. We think of what other people see as beauty and want to fulfill it. Due to the media's portrayal of beauty and societal views, young women especially feel the pressure to look and/or act a certain way. We want the new cloths, the updated hairstyle. Sometimes we are plagued by the idea that we are the wrong size; don't have the right look, maybe even feel discomforted by our color or racial background. Depending on our environment and those around us, we can either feel embraced or discarded by our community.

No matter who you are, where you are from, or what you look like, there is a spark in you. There is something so amazing, so vibrant, and so beautiful that it cannot be tamed. When you find that spark hold on to it. Know that you have style that no one else has and regardless of who tries to copy it, you are the original. Life is too short not to love yourself...know that there is a perfect size for you and don't forget it.