The Skinny on Being Fat

This is me. And, according to every "healthy body weight" chart I can find online, I am overweight. One chart even tells me that I would have to lose 12 pounds to be in the "normal" range. Give me a break, people.

I have absolutely had it with society's obsession with thinness. Well, not really thinness. More like emaciation. Beautiful women who aren't a size 0 are told that they have to be, and women who are a size 0 think they have to be a size 00. It never ends.

I know this topic has been run down to the ground, but I have yet to see anyone attempt to find a solution for it. Even trusted medical Web sites are jumping on the bandwagon. A simplified chart listing nothing but height and weight is supposed to tell you how healthy you are. These charts take no account of muscle mass, dietary habits or fitness routines. They just tell you that if you are not categorized under a specific number, you are fat. The end.

I hate to blame the media, but they are certainly not helping the situation. In the fashion industry, a size 6 woman is considered a plus-sized model. For those of you who don't know what a size 6 looks like, I have provided a picture for you on the right. The lovely woman in the biker outfit, according to the clothing Web site where I obtained this picture, wears a size 6. My goodness, she is huge, isn't she? I am also a size 6. Thank goodness I'm not the only one in the big, giant fatty club.

Lately, even fashionable Barbies are mirroring the modeling industry. Sure, Barbie has always been anatomically impossible, but Top Model Barbie is even worse. Next time you're in a retail store, go take a look at Top Model Barbie. Compare her to a regular Barbie doll, and pay special attention to the legs. Let me know if it sickened you as much as it did me.

Speaking of models, Tyra Banks has made a splash recently with her talk show, which encourages women to be proud of who they are, to love what they look like and to "screw the scale!" When I saw that show, I thought: Good for Tyra! Finally, a celebrity standing up and tackling this ridiculous, weight-obsessed epidemic! But then I saw her on "America's Next Top Model" telling a size 2 woman that she needed to lose weight if she wanted to stay in the competition. I understand that the fashion industry is demanding and competitive, but, if anyone has the power and influence to change things, it's Tyra Banks. She didn't practice what she preached, and I was, yet again, bitterly disappointed.

But she's certainly not the only celebrity to be sucked in by the pressures of Hollywood. When Carrie Underwood was on "American Idol," I thought she was fantastic. She could sing, she had a wonderful personality and she was beautiful without being fake. She looked like a normal person, someone like me. Now, she looks like the rest of the emaciated, blonde women in the spotlight. After she dropped the weight, I remember reading in a magazine, "Carrie Underwood went from a healthy size 6 to a stunning size 2!" Does that mean if you're healthy, you can't be stunning? And if you're stunning, you can't be healthy? That's really a shame.

So, in the moment you've all been waiting for, here is my public service announcement: Girls, you do not have to look like America's next top model to be beautiful. If you truly are overweight, there's no shame in HEALTHY diet and exercise. There is also no shame in enjoying some pizza and ice cream every once in a while. If you're not overweight and some stupid chart on the Internet says that you are, then the bicycle lady and I proudly welcome you to the big, giant fatty club.