From: jean@cs.cornell.edu (Jean M. Petrosino)
Newsgroups: alt.feminism
Subject: Low Income Women & Obesity
Date: 14 Dec 92 14:26:37 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Cornell Univ. CS Dept, Ithaca NY 14853


In article <1992Dec9.165938.15284@cs.cornell.edu> jean@cs.cornell.edu (Jean M. P
etrosino) writes:
>Check out the politics that surround this issue--it is more expensive it eat
>properly, and to know how to eat properly.

This is not true, buy most of your foods at the vegetable counter (the
cheapest section in the store) and you will have a low-fat diet high in
nutrients. As for cost, I am pretty sure that most can afford a library
card.

Several other people on the net have brought up interesting and relevant issues
surrounding diet and exercise like morale ( i.e. self-image), and cost of 
exercize.  If someone feels that they are at the bottom, if they are struggling
every day to feed themselves, how much energy are they going to have left over
to exercize or to learn about vegetarianism?  I know I'm living paycheck to 
paycheck and it is quite frustrating, and very energy draining.  I would love
to be exercizing on a regular basis, but I can't afford a membership to a gym
(not even for one month), and exercizing outside during the winter is not very
appealing (not to mention, even if I had the inclination to do such a thing, 
maintaining said exercize would be next to impossible and quite unpleasant).
 
>                                            I don't think it's a coincidence
>that we as a society idolize thinness, particularly on the part of women.
>Historically, the less attainable (and mostly more expensive) body image is
>that time's ideal body type.

So what is it that you propose, a conspiracy?

Yes, a conspiracy is what I am proposing - not just on women, but on men as 
well.  How many times have you approached (what you would describe as) an 
overweight woman at a party or a bar or some other social situation simply 
because you found her attractive?  

>                              For example, in many countries where starvation
>runs rampant, the heavier a woman is, the more attractive she is considered to
>be.  In America today, where food is generally plentiful, women (and men) are
>expected to be thin.  Therefore, a heavy poor woman is viewed with the
>ultimate distaste as Robert Schaeffer illustrated.

I am not sure I follow you. Most women are seeking what -they- consider
an ideal weight, and surveys have shown that this is not what men would
consider ideal. The survey I recall found that the men thought that women
would ideally weigh more than the ideal weight given by the women.

Women are seeking what they *think* men *think* is the ideal weight (you can't
catch a husband if you're fat ya know.)  I think the truly sad part about this 
whole thing is that women have internalized the messages to be thin so 
thoroughly that they inflict these values not only upon themselves but upon 
other women as well.  The beauty of this for those who like the status quo is
that we can always say women are doing this to themselves - what is being 
conveniently left out is why women feel they NEED to do this.

						-jean


Rich
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