Duma Figueroa
Dr. Barbara Tracy
ENG 1010
August 05, 2014
“American’s War on the Overweight” Kate Daley, one of the authors of “American’s War on the Overweight,” graduated with a doctoral degree in Journalism from Pennsylvania State University and Columbia University. She currently holds the position as the editor of the health and lifestyle for Newsweek; along with “The Human Condition;” a blog also associated with Newsweek. Abby Ellin, another author of the “American’s War on the Overweight” graduated from Emerson College and Johns Hopkins with degrees in both Creative Writing and International Relations. Her writings have been published in newspapers and magazines such as the New York Times and Glamour. Together Daley and Ellin created an article that discusses complicated issues regarding health and weight in America. The criticism started the moment President Obama named Regina M. Benjamin, an overweight doctor as the recipient of the MacArthur “genius grant.” One individual claimed that the number one issue that faces Americans today is Obesity. Regina Benjamin was said to have shown that her “full-figured” body was due to laziness and poor eating habits, which causes her to be obese. Benjamin was not the only upsetting example of people showing anger towards overweight. A style columnist for the New York Times, wrote a column about the “plus-size” mannequins at JCPenny’s. Not only were mannequins bashed out for being “overweight,” but also American Idol Jordin Sparks who is a size 12 for being fat. And not only were the fat being criticized, but also the size 2 Jennifer Love Hewitt who had cellulite. A plethora of articles focused towards health and weight had comments from readers that expressed their repulsiveness towards zaftig people. So the questions arises, why are fat people hated by Americans? Deborah Levine, an assistant professor of health policy and management at the Providence College, believes the outpour of American’s hatred towards fat people began at the turn of the 20th century. The reason for this is due to the fact that there was a major change in the workplace. Companies began to offer snacks on the job; white-collared jobs became more important and exercise became less a priority to many. The American nation values hard work and discipline. This being said, it is hard to accept that being fat may come from a variety of different reasons; not just because one does not have the will-power. Even with research, it shows that being overweight is much more than just plain gluttony. Truth is, a lot of people struggle with being overweight. And the people that get angry with obese people tend to also be angry with themselves So, what makes people so
