Bacon est mon ennemie!!
Last week I received an email from Helene, a U.S. Correspondent for Le Point Magazine (the French version of Newsweek). She is writing a feature article about weight issues in America and thought that based on the CNN article I might be a good representative of “Fat America.” Although as she put it, “there’s no shortage of people to interview…”
If you are just a tad bit curious (like I would be) here are some of the questions (as best I can remember) that were asked:
- How does being obese make you feel?
- Do you consider yourself an activist for the equal rights of fat people?
- What do you think of the show, The Biggest Loser?
- Do you think TBL gives people permission to be overweight?
- How do you feel about people being penalized for being overweight?
- Do you want to remain anonymous? She asked me this more than once.
All I can say is that the interview was completely bizarre and comical at the same time. I have a feeling that the article may lean towards perpetuating the stereotypical fat American and how we all sit on our asses and watch television and eat McDonald’s freedom fries all day long. I mean, it’s not that I haven’t done those things, but in general I don’t really eat fast food and my clunky television doesn’t pick up broadcast stations, so I might have been a big fat letdown of an interviewee. I got fat from eating really good food.
If anything, this experience has made me realize that I am starting not to care what people think anymore (in a good way). I mean, it’s never easy hearing someone call you ‘obese’ but I don’t let being overweight define who I am anymore. That’s pretty liberating. I am not ashamed of saying that I’ve been hard on my body or that I know that I’m not the healthiest version of myself … it’s just something that happened as a result of not making myself a priority. I don’t believe that’s a concept that’s uniquely American – I think pretty much anyone anywhere can relate to that notion.
PS. The article should drop tomorrow. It’ll be in French, so I’ll have to hope that Helene will be as well rounded as most good journalists I’ve encountered are. If not, c’est la vie, right?
PPS. In case you are wondering how I answered the questions:
- Uh … I never have considered myself obese (but according to the BMI chart, I am). I think that anyone feels bad when they aren’t in the best health. However, at this juncture, I am the happiest that I’ve ever been because I think I’ve done a lot of the internal work around why I gained all the weight in the first place. Honestly, I can remember being really unhappy and weighing much less.
- Are you asking if I belong to a fat activist group? No. Do I believe that people who have a disability (resulting in obesity) should be accommodated? Yes.
- I think with anything there is good and bad. The TBL is a typical Hollywood reality show. The contestants are extreme and the weight loss is extreme. I think that the weight loss portrayed in TBL is unrealistic for the average person and it might cause people to have unrealistic expectations in their own weight loss battle, myself included. However, at the same time I think the show is inspirational and for the most part, the trainers do a good job of trying to emphasize the mind body connection. At the end of the day, if people can find inspiration from the show, then it’s ultimately a good thing.
- No. I think it’s the opposite.
- If I didn’t feel like obesity was an epidemic in our country then I would say no, you shouldn’t penalize individual people for being overweight. HOWEVER, when you have governmental entities subsidizing agriculture and therefore ultimately driving our consumption habits (cheap and bad food) – then I think there needs to be something that counters that “machine.” If that “counter” manifests itself as companies incentivizing health insurance premiums for healthier people, that may be a small start in turning the tides. Or it could piss enough people off so that “the machine” has to change. Who knows.
- I don’t have anything to hide. I’m on the internet anyway talking about this, why start being anonymous now? (Bring on the death threats!)
Tags: le point, Milestones
This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 18th, 2009 at 7:00 am and is filed under Daily, Weight Loss. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
11 Responses to “Bacon est mon ennemie!!”
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I find her questions hysterical. I am so curious as to what she is going to write…
Coco´s last blog post..
I talked to her too! She asked me a lot of the same questions but the weirdest one I got was whether or not I thought President Obama would inspire Americans to be more physically fit. I kinda stammered my way though that one because I didn’t know how “Dude? Wtf? I dunno!” would translate in French.
fatbridesmaid´s last blog post..Biggest Loser: Feb. 17th
They say fast food portions are smaller in other countries. I, however, did not notice this while in Russian nor while in Turkey.
France, however, is most likely a completely different story.
Each country has it’s “thing”. In Russia, the drinking is so bad, parents are forced to send their children to orphanages in order to accommodate their addiction. In Turkey, I swore EVERYONE smoked.
Alcohol, smoking, food…it all kills you. It just so happens that a problem with food is more noticeable physically.
Thankfully, I’m not longer “obese”. Took me a few years, but now I’m not even “overweight”. I’m right within the healthy range and loving it because I also love my new lifestyle!
Err. That seems like a sort of trope topic for a French magazine like Le Point. Her questions don’t make it seem like she’s presenting a very fresh perspective, although I hope your answers will change that! ..I lived in France for two years. I’ve spent a long time with people going, “Oh, right, the fat country… do you eat at McDonald’s every day?,” or similar, when I told them where I was from. Your responses were really intelligent and thoughtful. I’m going to look this article up on Le Point tomorrow just to see what happened
According to the BMI chart, a LOT of folks are obese … including me and my hubby who don’t necessarily look obese. I remember when I was anorexic and wearing size 0, I was still considered overweight according to the BMI index and weight scale. The hubby did a sleep study and printed on his results was that he needs to lose weight because he is obese. He felt wierd seeing that, but I tried to make him feel better by pointing out that at least they didn’t print “MORBIDLY Obese.” Don’t know if that helped.
But I’m happy to see how much you’ve grown in how you view yourself. That’s elemental in your success, not only in weightloss but in so many other aspects of your life.
Hi,
I like reading your blog. I read it at work, when I can. I especially like your picture in your blog “evolution of love” – very nice, I have made my wallpaper yesterday.
Giyen, if you get a chance, watch Cast Away, a very good movie.
Wish u a great weekend.
Adios
Great pic showing McDonald’s right in front of the Arc de Triomphe.
Asianmommy´s last blog post..Mandarin Immersion at Kindercare
Giyen, I’m really proud of you. And they say that reporters should be unbiased – I don’t think “Helene” has a clue. Prejudice against fat people is so much a part of western culture that “Helene” didn’t even realize how obnoxious, insulting, and inappropriate her questions were. You handled it all very well.
BTW, have you been reading Health At Every Size by Linda Bacon? Some of your answers are very much in line with what she says.
Miriam´s last blog post..Dr. Christakis’ Reply
The general conception of Americans that I’ve noticed from a lot of my fellow Europeans, is a negative one. A lot view Americans as either morbidly obese, Hollywood attention whores, and regardless they must all have voted for Bush – ALL! I’m a little bit sad that there are so much judgement being passed from people who have never lived here, or even visited here (and don’t want to, because “God, no, they’re all obese/attention whores/Bush voters over there!”). I think the French lady conducted an odd and very biased interview, in my opinion.
“I got fat from eating really good food.”
I can’t second this statement enough!
Curious to read Helene’s article (after eight years of high school and college French I can still muddle my way through the written language but have a much harder time with spoken French).
Sharyn´s last blog post..Breathing Fumes and Having Visions
I completely agree with your assessment re Biggest Loser. I love that show and have been totally inspired this week ever since Tuesday. I’m even going out to the rowing machine in our garage (which I have never touched) RIGHT NOW.
foodie mcbody´s last blog post..A Little Wobbly Today