Disfigured Self Image: Where It All Began?

I happened to watch the Biography of Kate Winslet last night in the Lifestyle Network. The show discussed not only her road to stardom and Hollywood fame, but also her weight issues, which personally, I find really odd. I mean, looking at the pictures (from her younger years, to present) shown on TV, how could her perfectly slim curves become an issue, where (in my opinion) she didn't look a bit fat at all? 


This Hollywood's (and our society's) standard of ideal body shape and weight has corrupted the minds of many girls and women, making them think they are ugly and not good enough for the opposite sex if they do not fit that "standard" (I also have media to blame for further glamorizing skeletal women). That's why several diet fads, exercise equipments, and even medical procedures like breast augmentation, liposuction, tummy tuck, and anything under the sun, have sprouted, and promise ladies a knock-your-socks-off, to-die-for body figure.


For some, the pressure to look incredibly thin has taken a toll that it eventually paved the road for anorexia (excessive weight loss due to "irrational fear of gaining weight,") and bulimia (binge-eating, then purging), which can greatly affect one's health. Remember the late singer Karen Carpenter? In her times, little was known about anorexia nervosa, until her death in 1983. This is one sad reality that's happening around us, especially to our young teenage girls. Because of poor self-image and the pressure to be "beautiful" in the eyes of many, one can lose the battle to live and enjoy life to the fullest.


Now, going back to Kate, I personally think she's one breath of fresh air in the Hollywood arena, for she never bowed down to the idea of "skeletal sexiness," and never let such body issues destroy her self-esteem and confidence. She even had this to say:

"What is sexy? All I know from the men I've ever spoken to is that they like girls to have an arse on them, so why is it that women think in order to be adored they have to be thin?"

In fact she was downright displeased when a men's magazine in the UK tampered her cover image with Photoshop and stretched it in order to make her look thin, that she decided to sue them. "I am not a hypocrite. I have always been, and shall continue to be honest when it comes to body/weight issues."


She further stated in an interview, "I do not look like that, and I have no desire to be in that shape that they made me."


Kate's words are full of wisdom and self-confidence that I believe every woman should have, especially when it comes to body issues. And since March is women's month, this is what I want to say: Ladies, let's love ourselves, whatever our sizes may be. I may have said this in my previous post, and I know it may sound cliche and very cheesy, but we should stop defining "beautiful" and "sexy" by the size of one's waistline, or the proportion of one's physique. And never, ever let society pressure us to conform to that twisted idea of what's beautiful and sexy. I mean what's the point of pleasing them? They will not be there when our health fails from excessive dieting and weight loss. Remember, our health is all we have, and not their opinion. So plug those ears from physical sarcasm and mockery, and start embracing and loving ourselves and our bodies, curves and all.

You Are What You Eat

Perhaps all of us have already heard of the saying "You are what you eat." But how much thought do we put on it? Do we stop and think for a while that the foods we eat have direct impact on our overall health and well-being?


Yes, most of us are guilty of indulging on what pleases our senses, in this case, sense of taste. We go for what is delicious, and what is rich, regardless if they are healthy or not. You can often see people chowing down on palate-ticking foods like burgers, fries, pizzas,  doughnuts, cakes, lechon kawali, crispy pata, chicharong bulaklak, lechon, and the list goes on. Sounds mouthwatering, right? I mean, who among here cannot resist that alluring, crispy fried chicken skin, or that enticing crunch of potato chips? Yup, count me in. 


People who frequently luxuriate on such "sinful foods" are living for the day, not caring about how these can affect their health in the long run (which can only mean they do not keep their health in mind). Take sodas, for example. Don't we just crave for its sweet, refreshing taste, especially in these hot summer days? I even know some people chugging them every single day, replacing water as their main drink. But they can cause diabetes and obesity, because of its very high calorie and sugar content. And because sodas crystallize calcium oxalate in the kidneys, it may lead to the development of kidney stones, and worse, renal disease. Burgers, chicken skin, chicharong bulaklak and lechon are foods rich in cholesterol - BAD cholesterol. The kind that sticks to your arteries and accumulate over time, leading to cardiovascular diseases and stroke (Well, I'm sure we ARE all aware of that. It's just that most of the times we choose taste over health impact).


In reality, what seems to be a delicious, "innocent" indulgence may be a paved road to a serious health problem. Remember that we cannot always have too much of a good thing. As the Filipino quote says, "Lahat ng sobra ay masama." It really takes a conscious effort (and needless to say, strong will) to turn away from these guilty pleasures and start eating healthy. We are what we eat, as the saying goes. And opting for healthy foods only speaks that we keep in mind that our health and well-being should come first. 

Being Fat is Funny? Think Again...

I happened to watch a segment in "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho" last Saturday, Feb. 18 (watch here, part 3), which tackled about people who are endowed with "highly voluptuous" figure. Well, we all know that being fat is so uncool and unglamorous, as what our society instilled in our minds. Everywhere you go, slim, almost "paper-thin" women are being glorified, as we see it in celebrities posing for billboards and magazines, or models sashaying down the catwalk, making people think that it is the ideal, and anything that look other than that is considered odd or eccentric. In fact, this looks-obsessed world is so unforgiving towards chubby people by describing them as ugly, a total eyesore, and downright disgusting. Hence, all the labeling and name-calling, like "baboy" (pig), "balyena" (whale), or "lumba-lumba" (dolphin). It doesn't matter who the person is, whether he or she is a celebrity or an ordinary person, talented or not, once a person is overweight, he or she is in for a high time of mockery and insults. A sad reality, indeed.

Oftentimes, many people think that being fat is akin to being a certified glutton. But this short-sighted concept is not the sole reason why people gain weight. Aside from lifestyle factors like overindulging in foods loaded with fats, calories and sugar, maintaining a sedentary lifestyle, stress, and having too little or too much sleep, there are also some factors to consider like genetics, decrease in metabolism due to aging, or effects of certain medications like corticosteroids. Weight gain can also be a sign of hormonal disorder that affects metabolism, like hypothyroidism, Cushing's syndrome, and polycystic ovary syndrome. Worse, it will become a highway towards more serious health conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke.

The segment is really an eye-opener for everyone, and I personally think it's about time this society must open their eyes and minds, and stop discriminating, labeling, and putting people with curvaceous physique in bad light. They don't deserve all this mockery and ridicule, especially if gaining weight is already beyond their control (ie. caused by a serious disease). If we think about it, being fat is really no laughing matter. While I do not encourage people to get and stay fat, I want to say that being plus-sized doesn't necessary mean one is not physically beautiful, or has no right to be beautiful. For as cliche as it may sound, true beauty is not defined by the size of one's waistline. Like Ms. Gerribenzi Pangilinan-Tubil said in the Q&A portion of a beauty pageant exclusively for plus-sized women held in Mandaluyong early this month, "Gusto ko pong patunayan sa lahat na kami rin po ay may damdamin, may talento, at may ganda, lalo na ngayong gabi. [I want to prove to everyone that we (plus-sized women) also have feelings, have talents, and have unique beauty, especially in tonight's event].

In the end, it is the health implications of being fat is what's ugly and unglamorous, not the physical appearance per se. That's why it is really important to keep and maintain an ideal weight, not because we must please our critics and our looks-obsessed world, but because we want to combat and prevent illnesses, and to live a long, healthy life. Remember, our health is our wealth.