Hi all!
I’ll be on Nightline tonight, on ABC at 11:35PM Eastern! Check out my interview with Yunji de Nies about fat discrimination and the Kevin Smith debacle.
With lots of Body Love,
Golda
Here it is, in case you missed it!
Watch Me On Nightline Tonight! ABC, 11:35 PM Eastern
Previous post: What Are You Hiding?
Next post: Golda On CBS’s The Early Show This Morning!
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi, gorgeous Golda! I love the theme of your work, and am totally curious about the statistic you cite related to dieters failing–would you be able to share the study that made that claim? I also must respectfully disagree with the idea that “you can’t make a fat person thin,” given my own personal experience. It’s not easy. I know the odds are against me. But it’s also a daily choice for me to focus on what I most deeply desire: health, vitality, and energy, or paralysis, futility, and hopelessness.
Hi Kristin. There are a number of studies on the inefficacy of dieting and the extremely high prevalence of regaining the weight. That number comes from a review of a number of studies conducted by the NIH. I realize that perhaps I should have said, “You can’t make the vast majority of fat people permanently thin,” rather than what I said. But the point of what I said was that there have always been fat people and always will be fat people, so saying that the solution is to make everyone thin is no solution at all. Additionally, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that our methods of creating temporary thinness, like dieting, actually leads to a host of physical and psychological issues, as well as a fatter population as a whole.
Additionally, I’m glad that you’re making the daily choice to focus on your desires, but I don’t think that “health, vitality, and energy” are only possible when you’re thin, and that “paralysis, futility, and hopelessness” are due to fatness. I think that diet culture reinforces that dichotomy.
Thanks, Richard!
You made a very valid point and I salute you, you rock. As a proponent of exercise and wellness myself, dealing with so many clients with weight and eating issues, I disagreed with Ms. Roth’s sentiments and feel they were unfounded and irrational. Keep up the good work!
Girl, first of all, you chose a fabulous color to wear…
Okay, now that fashion’s out of the way, let me just say that we’re lucky to have you as a spokesperson to set the record straight on some of this nonsense. Something tells me that exercise lady used to have an eating disorder… The way she demonizes fat people who dare to think they’re “entitled” to have their money accepted in exchange for an airplane seat is shameful. I mean, are they only going to allow people with 6-pack abs and toned biceps on planes and all the unhealthy ones who don’t pass a physical pre-flight will just have to take Greyhound?
I’m sorry they made this story such a circus by using such a nut job as the spokesperson. It’s also too bad that they didn’t touch on the larger issue of America’s war on obesity and how it’s warping the focus that should be on well-being more than well-looking. Oy.
Totally, Angela. Totally, totally, totally.
I think she still has an eating disorder. Check out this article on her from the Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/may/24/meme-roth-obesity-nutrition
You are the best and I second the emotion about the Rosa Parks question and I’m glad they didn’t edit your statement.
Love!
Thanks, Theresa!!! It’s so nice to hear from you. I hope all is well!
Golda – You represented an important point of view well. I am so proud of you and Kevin Smith for saying something loud and clear. Thank you Phyllis
Thanks, Phyllis. Much appreciated.
You were so calm and gracious on Nightline, I am very impressed and congratulations! You are such a sweetie! :-)
Thanks!
Hey Golda–way to go! Thanks for representing!
I didn’t like news coverage. I have heard rumors that Kevin Smith was kicked off the plane even though he was able to put down his arm rest and buckle his seat belt. If this is true (I didn’t hear any of this in the footage),then there was blatent misconduct against him. I do not know since I was not there. It seemed that the bigger point was that a “star” was mistreated and pitting “fat” advocates against skinny advocates. Snore. My question is how many people does SW discrimate against and throw off planes every day?
I do not agree that “fat” people are a safety hazard response, but the picture of the man sticking out in the aisle is certainly a problem. There is a difference between being “fat” and morbidly obese. I can tell you that if I purchase a ticket for a seat, I will not be happy if someone else spills over and takes up my limited space. Flying is already stressful enough without unwillingly having to share my real estate.
I have an idea!!! How about making a row or two of bigger seats!!! Airlines can include in the ticket purchase a weight seating chart. They can seat us by BMI and evenly distribute weight throughout the plane. I’m a genious!!!
As for Meme, I think she has a body image issue like many of us do. I find there is nothing wrong with people who like to exercise. If an endorphine high is your drug of choice, so be it and run a mile for me while you are at it. I completely do not in any way agree with your comment that fat people cannot get skinny. A person with a weight issue may never be a size 0, but even a person with a thyroid issue can trim down to a healthy weight for their body structure. With a healthy relationship with food, exercise, and your body image, most people can achieve weight loss that stays off. The weight comes back when you give up on yourself.
I could talk about this for hours, but I will end it here. I wish this had gotten more thorough coverage. Let’s ask Vanguard to do a piece on this issue.
Loo Loo, I don’t agree with you on most of this, but I thank you for engaging in the conversation.
I don’t think anyone is against exercise. I like exercise. But exercise and eating well does not equal weight loss for most people.
I think that the seats should be bigger over all. No one is comfortable in those seats, no matter who they are. And I think it’s an invasion of privacy to have bigger seats for some people based on BMI.
You were great, & I’m so glad they actually gave you a decent amount of air time. I also think you answered the Rosa Parks question very well, because I thought that was a very loaded question.
What I’m not pleased with is that Nightline found it necessary to use the standard “headless fatties” footage you always see on these kinds of stories. Nothing makes people feel okay about judging other people quite like taking faces away. I also don’t understand why Meme Roth had to enter into it. Her credentials are laughable, they may as well have pulled anyone currently running a pro-ana website, since from what I’ve seen that’s basically her stance. She must have one heck of an agent.
Anyway, well done! You were so articulate & should be quite proud!
Thanks so much! I know — headless fatties, MeMe Roth, it would be lovely if we didn’t have to deal with either!
SO sorry I missed it! But I'm sending you a great big belated YAY! and I hope to see the glowing, articulate you socking it to 'em on video if possible!
[New Post] Watch Me On Nightline Tonight! ABC, 11:35 PM Eastern – via @twitoaster http://www.bodylovewellness.com/2010/02/…
{ 1 trackback }