Overweight/Obese = Healthy? Since when?

[Ella]

I keep seeing images from magazines showing women who are plus size, some are rather quite large. The covers say things like "this is what healthy looks like!". I thought they were fake or something. I showed my doctor last week on my phone and she said there is a difference between believing something is healthy and actual scientific data to prove it. Why is there such a push on women to accept themselves being overweight or obese and claiming it is healthy when we have mountains of research, data, and so on proving otherwise? 

[James]

I think this started because the girls that were larger then others were being really hard on themselves and getting into bad eating disorders, drugs, and other unsafe ways to maintain what they thought society thinks is the proper body image. 

You really can not tell by looking at someone if they are healthy or not. You can make some assumptions but some people will just be larger then others but still be fit so we can never judge a book by its cover. 

It is scary for me this push of acceptance of the way you look with no questions asked. The United States seems to be getting lazier and less people are willing to put in the effort to fix problems. They just want to treat the symptoms with a new pill or something. 

What I find crazy to think about is a lot of the health problems we see can be solved by living more active lifestyles. It just seems they people are to busy for that or do not want to put themselves through the discomfort that exercise brings. 

I also guess healthy can be subjective just like being successful. Are we able to define what healthy is to us the same way we get to define what success looks like? 

[StanleyZEN]

I'm all for people being happy in their own skin, but I think if you're obese, you're unhealthy. And I say this, because I am obese. You can't be healthy and obese. Sure you can be healthy otherwise, but obesity in itself is the unhealthy part to me. 

I think it does a disservice to people who are obese, when they see all these outlets saying "you're healthy at any weight", or whatever, because that's simply not true. Obesity is a major problem in the US and around the world. These outlets and magazines should be trying to help people lose weight, not enable them to stay there. That's how I feel it is these days. 

If you want to be obese, more power to ya, but I won't say your lifestyle is healthy, just like I won't say mine is either. I don't want to be obese, it lowers your life expectancy by quite a bit. 

[Mila]

A friend I had growing up was always told to love herself and she was beautiful no matter her size. I agree that women (and men) can be beautiful at any size but you have to be willing to accept that being heavier comes with health risks. She felt good about herself and kept eating the way she was. She ended up becoming very large by the time we reached High School and God bless her, she never let people's words get her down but she started having breathing trouble. She ended up missing almost 2 months of school because she stopped breathing in her sleep and had some serious issues going on. 

The point I am making is yes, love yourself but don't do it blindly. You can have extra weight and still be healthy but get yourself checked out at least 2 times a year by a doctor to make sure and don't use your confidence as an excuse to cause your body harm. 

[Damon]

I wish I could be overweight and healthy, but sadly, that's just not how it works. Once you're at a stage where you're obese, or possibly morbidly obese, you'll be slowly killing yourself faster and faster. My cousin died because of his obesity. He ate healthy for the most part and was working out, but the weight was too much and it caused him a massive heart attack at just 26 years old. 

Be happy in your skin, that's fine and dandy. But even so, if you're at an unhealthy weight like that, it's going to eventually kill you. Or it'll cause something else to kill you, like cancer or other conditions brought on by weight gain or obesity. 

[Scarlett]

I don't like to sugar coat this topic so I will just say it like it is... People have a lack of responsibility these days and instead of admitting they have an eating problem or are lazy, they would rather the world told them they were healthy and beautiful. I am sorry but nothing is sexier than health. A healthy man or woman is an attractive man or woman. It is in our genetics to naturally be attracted to health because health = healthy offspring. You can find "thicker" women (and men) who are healthy, but you will never find an obese person who is. 

[Stacey]

If you want to be fat and you are happy about your body and with your choices, more power to you! You be you and love you just the way you are... But like others have mentioned, it is not something you want to promote as healthy. Any bit of extra weight is stressful on the joints and as you get older, you will end up with health issues no matter how healthy you eat. 

[Sophia]

I think this has more to do with how overweight women, and to a lesser extent, men are viewed. Women get shamed by other woman over their weight more than men so I do think it is silly that women act like men are the issue when it comes to this. Either way, I think you need to learn to love yourself just as you are. Once you do, your love for your body and your health will grow and you will end up losing weight as a result because the love and respect you have for your body will allow positive changes. I simply can't believe someone who is severely overweight when they say they love their body. This is like someone saying they love someone they constantly abuse and lie to. 

[Ella]

Thanks for all your replies. I agree with all of them. I didn't want to make a thread to be negative or mean about it, like I have no issue with plus-size models but these days, they are very plus size. Just 10 years ago, the average plus size model was a size 16 and now there are some who are size 26! I want women to be comfortable in their skin just as much as the next person but it just bothers me to see this stuff being pushed on young girls because your health is what matters most at the end of the day.

[EagleEye]

I think a lot of people are confusing healthy with beautiful. While trying to push the concept that everyone is beautiful they're trying to say everyone is healthy too. You don't have to lose weight to look good, but you should to live a healthier and longer life.