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.
