When I was in high school, I weighed 120lbs. Of course, that’s 120lbs soaking wet with 6 complete layers of clothing on! Now, a few years later, OK, so 13 to be exact, I remove every last article of clothing from me, right down to my watch, before I even consider standing on the scale. When I get on the scale do you know what it says? It says, most recently, 180lbs!
STOP THE PRESSES!!! CALL OPRAH!!! HACK INTO THE CNN NEWS TICKER!!! ALERT THE MEDIA!!! NOTFIY THE PRESIDENT, PRIME MINSTER AND GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!!! Marc is getting older, and Marc is getting beefier.
Do you care? I thought not! Do I care? No as much as one might think. So then please explain something to me… my above statements were utterly ridiculous correct? Nobody is calling Oprah to tell her I’m fat, after all, she’s got weight issues of her own! As much as I’d love a call from CNN’s Kiran Chetry (whom I’ve had a crush on since her days at WICU) I suspect my weight gain is not newsworthy.
There will be no media coverage of this non-phenomenon. It will not garner national attention. In fact, had I not just posted it this blog right now, nobody would ever be the wiser!
With this in mind, can somebody PLEASE explain to me why North American media has suddenly made Jessica Simpson a front page, headline, breaking news story? Do we really care if Jessica is putting on a few pounds? I mean really, God bless the poor girl! If you or I had to deal with such insanity, with constantly being under the ever watchful eye of the media, we’d probably pack on a few too!
Parents are outraged, shocked, saddened, and even heart broken when their young girls stop eating and start dieting. The perils and torment of anorexia and bulimia are unimaginable to one who has experienced either. Yet, to my disbelief, we still question how such things can happen. Well hello world! Turn on the TV, if Jessica Simpson gaining a couple of pounds becomes an international incident, what kind of message do you suppose that is sending to our wives, sisters, daughters?
I will never grasp this. What’s worse is, it will likely never stop. It’s sickening to me. I mean, it quite literally turns my stomach. This obsession with weight and size and figure. I actually love what Jessica’s sister, Ashlee, had to say.
“All women come in different shapes, sizes, and forms and just because you’re a celebrity, there shouldn’t be a different standard. Is this something you would say to your wife, daughter, mother, grandmother, or even a friend? I seriously doubt it. How can we expect teenage girls to love and respect themselves in an environment where we criticize a size 2 figure?”
Well done Ashlee! Celebrity or no celebrity, this fascination, this fantasy image that doesn’t even truly exist, it’s become an unstoppable force.
I’ve packed on 60lbs over the years. Are you kidding me? That’s a toddler! Oh but wait, am I fat? Actually… no! In fact, I’m in better shape than I’ve been in a long time. If I drop 10lbs next month, gravity will remain in tact, and sun and earth and moon will continue on their respective rotations and trajectories! If I gain 10lbs next month, guess what, the same still holds true!
When does it end? When do we finally look past the reflection? When do we look deeper? We do we see inside? When I’m 60 I won’t look like I did when I’m 20. Does that make me less human? Does it make me less worthy of love? Of respect? Of dignity? Does it give you the right to mock me? Point fingers? Cast stones? I hope you said no!
I’ve gained 60lbs… does that make me an open target? Guess what… it doesn’t make Jessica Simpson one either!
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