# 'Celebrating' overweight celebrities **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 22, 2019, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrating-overweight-celebrities/839057 "2019-08-22T14:33:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrating-overweight-celebrities/839057/21 "2019-08-22T20:00:16Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > No; possibly because I’m not following celebrities on Instagram. Or, for the most part, elsewhere. > > I will however withdraw the “nobody”. There are a whole lot of people in the world, saying a whole lot of things; I should have known better than to say “nobody”'s saying anything whatsoever. Off the top of my head, I remember both Kate Moss (supermodel) and Calista Flockhart (actress best known for playing the title character in Ally McBeal and later for marrying Harrison Ford). Both were heavily (uh, bad choice of words) - let’s say **strongly** criticized for how thin they were. The Wikipedia articles for both celebrities mention that criticism of them, as significant as it was. So body-shaming of celebrities does go both ways, though admittedly not nearly as often for being too thin as it is for being too fat. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrating-overweight-celebrities/839057/22 "2019-08-22T20:22:22Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > No; possibly because I’m not following celebrities on Instagram. Or, for the most part, elsewhere. The “eat a sammich” meme was around the Internet long before there was ever such a thing as Instagram. ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrating-overweight-celebrities/839057/23 "2019-08-22T21:22:22Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Telling society not to shame people for being fat is one thing. But obesity-glorification is another thing entirely. > > Some related links: > > [Why I Glorify Obesity](https://www.bustle.com/articles/192381-why-i-glorify-obesity) > [Glorifying Obesity](https://fatgirlflow.com/glorifying-obesity/) From the first link: > [@](#): > > One definition of the word that I particularly love is “to cause to be or treated as being more splendid, excellent, etc. than [it] would normally be considered.” That’s one millimeter above rejecting fat-shaming. The second article is somewhat problematic, I grant you. Or just lacks development. (As every writing teacher has told me, ever.) ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrating-overweight-celebrities/839057/24 "2019-08-23T14:20:53Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > If all that doesn’t work for you, try this. Go into a nursing home for the elderly. Nobody there will be morbidly obese. Because they all died relatively young. Then try telling yourself that health is subjective. Health isn’t listening. I wish people would remember this when they complain about how obese people cost people tax money for health care. No, most of the morbidly obese will die before getting anywhere near Medicare. It’s the people who live on and on and on who are a tax burden. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrating-overweight-celebrities/839057/25 "2019-08-23T14:31:39Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > I wish people would remember this when they complain about how obese people cost people tax money for health care. No, most of the morbidly obese will die before getting anywhere near Medicare. Maybe not Medicare, but the obese definitely still cost people in terms of putting a burden on the overall healthcare system. There are spillover costs in insurance premiums, the overall burden in patients coming in for treatment, the rise in diabetes, cancer, heart disease, all of which requires resources, etc. As for tax money, I’m sure there is still some way that the rise in obesity requires some form of taxpayer funding, just less directly than Medicare. There is simply no way that an increase in obesity is good for the healthcare system or taxpayer; there is no way it is a positive. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrating-overweight-celebrities/839057/26 "2019-08-23T15:58:22Z")
Nobody’s saying it’s a positive thing. What they’re trying to say is that it shouldn’t be a constant, societally sanctioned source of shame. Nobody has to approve of someone’s fatness, but nor is it really their business either, and to some degree we all live in glass houses when it comes to bad habits. A lot of it is the hypocrisy that surrounds fat-shaming. Society praises the good looking and thin, without regard for how they got that way, and they demonize fat people with the same disregard. You’re thin because you smoke, and you’re borderline anorexic? Fine, as long as you’re not actually anorexic. But if you’re fat because you got injured or sick, and can’t exercise, or because you got pregnant or whatever, and you’re a lazy piece of shit who can’t put the fork down who should live under a bridge or carry a bell. For the most part, obesity is a sort of eating disorder, but society doesn’t really see it that way. I would agree though, that celebrating it isn’t really the right thing to do- we don’t really want to make it something that people strive to be. But we don’t need to demonize and shame people who are fat either. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrating-overweight-celebrities/839057/27 "2019-08-26T17:29:10Z")
I have the theory that criticizing the weight of others would go down a lot better if anyone had the sense that anyone who did that actually gave even the smallest, tiniest damn about the health of the other subject, as opposed to looking for an easy target of mockery or having their personal aesthetic sensibilities being offended. But I don’t think I’ve ever encountered such a situation, which tells me something, personally. I think many of the folks talked about in this thread have that same opinion, thus the positivity. ---
**Author:** ![rat\_avatar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rat_avatar/32/255_2.png) [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrating-overweight-celebrities/839057/28 "2019-08-26T17:51:13Z")
After having someone provide me with honest feedback when I was young (after I admittedly criticized a stranger) I decided the following. 1. Never criticize anyones body shape as I have my own faults and do not know their story. 2. Prioritize valuing and encouraging cardio fitness over any body shape. Even more after [Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder](https://bddfoundation.org/muscle-dysmorphia-body-image-in-men/) almost certainly lead to the early death of a friend. Low Cardio fitness and Physical inactivity are what needs to be targeted, not an individuals BMI, even if the countries collective BMI goes down by addressing those items. Some people will be large even if they can out run most of us “thin” or “athletic” body type people. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2019, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrating-overweight-celebrities/839057/29 "2019-08-28T11:07:37Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > looking for an easy target of mockery or having their personal aesthetic sensibilities being offended. Get a dose of [fatlogic](https://www.reddit.com/r/fatlogic), [HAES](https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Health_at_every_size) and the myriad, bizarre excuses to not eat less and you might find yourself with a slightly different point of view. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrating-overweight-celebrities/839057/30 "2019-08-29T01:49:04Z")
I’m not a big fan of “celebrity culture” in general, and I think people pay far too much attention to their opinions, fashion, politics, products and views on health. The amount of misinformation out there regarding health and nutrition continues to astound. I don’t see why people of any size can’t have positive role models. It is not physically or psychologically healthy to push unrealistic norms, or Martha Stewart levels of accomplishment, or endless striving and consumption. Everybody loves to eat, and most people would benefit from more exercise. Saying you like to eat and dislike exercise is not groundbreaking and many would agree. That said, shaming overweight people is unproductive and mean spirited. And healthy behaviours, diets and exercise should be encouraged. Although diet and exercise habits vary considerably, a lot of attention is paid to levels which are fairly extreme. Praise is perhaps the wrong word. I think Jim Gaffigan, who jokes about his unhealthy lifestyle, is hilarious. I am under no obligation to consider him a role model for how I should eat or exercise, though. Isn’t it possible to appreciate “larger” celebrities for their talents without losing sight of common sense and healthy behaviours? For that matter, I would love to go to a fast food restaurant and get a combo that includes a sandwich, healthy salad, quite a small quantity of fries or onion rings or delicious but unhealthy food, and a diet drink or healthy beverage. Something that is overall healthy but recognizes that delicious but less healthy food in small quantities is a realistic compromise. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrating-overweight-celebrities/839057/31 "2019-08-29T03:34:22Z")
> [@Cugel](#): > > Get a dose of [fatlogic](https://www.reddit.com/r/fatlogic), [HAES](https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Health_at_every_size) and the myriad, bizarre excuses to not eat less and you might find yourself with a slightly different point of view. And? I don’t see what that has to do with not believing that anybody on the other side of the debate truly has the best interests of the people they criticize in mind. Those links, as far as I can tell, are about the overweight person side, which my statement did not address. (And is fatlogic any kind of spinoff of the infamous fatpeoplehate?) ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrating-overweight-celebrities/839057/32 "2019-08-30T06:22:05Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The “eat a sammich” meme was around the Internet long before there was ever such a thing as Instagram. And it was a meme that pre-dated the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrating-overweight-celebrities/839057/33 "2019-08-30T06:29:50Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > For that matter, I would love to go to a fast food restaurant and get a combo that includes a sandwich, healthy salad, quite a small quantity of fries or onion rings or delicious but unhealthy food, and a diet drink or healthy beverage. Something that is overall healthy but recognizes that delicious but less healthy food in small quantities is a realistic compromise. Do subs count? I think your nearest [Pans&Company](https://www.pansandcompany.com/en/) is on the other side of the Atlantic, but maybe you can convince them to start offering franchises in Canada… ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrating-overweight-celebrities/839057/34 "2019-08-31T14:10:51Z")
Does the Healthy at Every Size movement truly claim that health is possible at…every size? If 200 lbs, I can understand, but what about 500? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrating-overweight-celebrities/839057/35 "2019-08-31T14:42:46Z")
Everyone’s getting fat 'cept Mama Cass. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrating-overweight-celebrities/839057.md?page=1)