The past few years, the media has bombarded us with stories of American Obesity. They've been telling us that 61 percent of Americans are overweight or obese. They're reminding us that obesity can lead to a number of diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. While I can't outright deny the reports, I am begining to get the feeling that there is some hyperbole and hysteria in the reporting. I certainly don't deny the fact that obesity is a problem in America, but it's not helpful for anyone to inflate the degree of the problem simply to sell a news story or more diet books, diet pills, etc.
The Center for Consumer Freedom has an article chronicalling their testimony at a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hearing on obesity. The article argues that the statistics on obesity are seriously flawed. They point out that the original study on which the 61 percent statistic is based simply tripled their findings on the assumption that many with heart disease or hypertension must be overweight. Here's an interesting excerpt:
We've told you before that the respected New England Journal of Medicine editorialized in 1998 that "although some claim that every year 300,000 deaths in the United States are caused by obesity, that figure is by no means well established ... [the 300,000 statistic is] "derived from weak [and] incomplete data." Likewise, the assertion that 61 percent of Americans are overweight or obese ignores the 1998 redefinition that took the counterintuitive step of judging men and women by the same standard, and that made more than 30 million Americans overweight overnight, including the very fit President of the United States.
Regardless of the validity of the statistics, I would argue that the problem in America is not unhealthy eating, but an uphealthy obsession with weight. Our culture is filled with messages about weight that range from overt messages in magazines or television commercials to more subtle messages that come out of hollywood and other centers of culture. I watched a show on television last night that pointed out how many skinny women in Hollywood are losing even more weight. 40-year-olds such as the women on Desperate Housewives feel that they have to look younger and thinner to be attractive.
A quick google search on eating disorder statistics reveals the following from annecollins.com:
...between 5 per cent and 10 per cent of girls and women (i.e. 5-10 million people) and 1 million boys and men suffer from eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, or other associated dietary conditions.
These statistics don't come close to the 61% of Americans (even if the percentage is exagerated) who are overweight but they are alarming nonetheless. The point is that only 30-40% of Americans consider themselves to be at the proper weight. This means that everyone else is trying to lose weight. Very few people are trying to gain weight - even those that are skinny. Athletes are the only group concerned with gaining weight. The point is that well over half of Americans are trying to lose weight through healthy or unhealthy means.
The obsession with weight is far-reaching in scope and is very dangerous for our society. I couldn't pretend to be an expert on the subject, but I see an important consequence of this: People's weight will continue to get worse.
In many cases, weight-related issues are related to emotional issues. It is a destructive cycle: the more you feel overweight, the less satisfied you are with yourself; the less satisfied you are with yourself - the more you eat; the more you eat, the more weight you gain. This concept is true of any addiction. The problem with weight issues is that nearly every aspect of our culture reaffirms the original unhealthy thought patterns that leads to the addiction.
It is important to be healthy and to control your weight. It is important, however, not to confuse skinny with healthy. If we are to become more healthy as a society, we have to lose the obsession with weight. Reality shows such as "America's Next Top Model" are reprehenisible and are making a whole generation of girls feel inadequate. I personally feel that "The Biggest Loser", a show where people compete to lose weight, only makes overweight Americans feel worse about themselves. Life should not be a weight-loss competition. It should be about getting your mind, soul, and body in balance.
Is there anything more ridiculous than making someone register for a free service? This kind of message is pretty much the same as saying, "GO AWAY" to all your potential customers.