My First Featured Writer:

I couldn't resist. Stephanie Johnson has written a beautiful piece on one of the greatest topics ever, and I feel as though it is my duty to share this with my readers. Did I mention that she is an amazing person, and a frightfully wonderous diva as well? This has made me think about having a featured writer or something to that effect every once in a while... so if you have a desire to share something with me, please drop me an email or shout out.

But for now... on with the show.

Close your eyes and picture yourself thumbing through the racks at your favorite store -- unfolding, refolding and unfolding again numerous pairs of jeans -- praying to find that “perfect size”. Many women, myself included, suffer through the ritual torture that is seasonal wardrobe augmentation, or in laymen’s terms, the clearance sale at Old Navy. As if competing with other women to get that last red v-neck sweater is not enough, we women also must also deal with the Battle of the Bulge. And you, my friend, with said sweater in hand, are headed right towards ground zero of the battle – the fitting room. Inside the fitting room many sounds can be heard: the cheers of victory of finally wearing a size smaller, or the agony of defeat, realizing that you’re not a size X anymore. How many of us go into the fitting room with multiple sizes of clothes: the size that you used to wear, the size that you think you are now and the size you wished you could be. But what is it about trying on clothing that makes American women petrified?

Fat. Belly, tummy, gut, love handles stomach fat, leg fat, butt fat, back fat, feet fat, arm fat, and in my case, even neck fat. Every woman on this planet has body fat. We may have hundreds of ways of hiding it, but we all have it. It’s just that some have more than others. I have more fat than my co-worker who just ran a marathon and she has more fat than my other friend who is a dancer, but none of us are “fat”. So what is the exact definition of being “fat”? Why is it seen as acceptable for women to have flabby arms but not a flabby belly? What is it about a flabby belly on a woman that makes her unattractive to American eyes? Why is that some cultures adore stomach fat on women while other cultures are absolutely repulsed by it - developing machines, pills, workout tapes, liquid diets and anything else to eliminate it? In order to answer these questions we have to look at not only the history of stomach fat, but also how we get it and why some women have more of it than others.

All humans, no matter their age, size, or shape have body fat. Always have, always will. We all have a little extra fat to tide us over in case of a food shortage. (Think bears eating up for the long winter). Among our ancestors, in a time far, far away, it was those who could put on the most fat that were able to survive during famine in order to populate the world and make you and me. As a result of our efforts, women have more body fat than men, especially in the stomach area, in order to stay alive during food shortages and feed her baby. Once the male has planted the seed, he’s no longer necessary. (Sorry fellas!) Therefore, he does not need to develop much fat in the tummy area. (Sadly, the dawn of Budweiser changed this forever.) According to writer Merilyn Simonds, a quarter of the fat in humans come from inherited genes. So already, some people would have inherited more stomach fat from their ancestors.

Other than inheritance, there are many other ways that people collect belly fat:
leading a sedentary lifestyle, being genetically pre-disposed to it, having physical problems that do not allow you to exercise that area of your body (low back pains) taking medications that makes you produce less fat-burning hormones to eating large quantities of chili burgers, cheese steaks and snacky cake. Being children of the 80s, we are all too familiar with the many products out there that are designed to help us “lose weight and feel great!” But if all of these products worked in the long run, why are there more “overweight” people in America than “healthy” people? The answer is simple; there is no diet or exercise program that will work for everyone. Every individual person has his or her own biological characteristics. Therefore, finding the miracle pill that works for everyone really would be a miracle!

Since everyone has their own biological characteristics of how they are supposed to be, what is the exact definition of “being fat?” Normally when we talk about “being fat” we are really talking about being overweight, or obese. Obesity is a serious health condition which many people need to seek profession help for. But having “excess” body fat alone is not considered healthy. Simonds quotes blood-lipid specialist Jean-Pierre Despres who wants people “[to] see how obesity has to be redefined. It is not a matter of excess weight.” He then goes on to say that it is not the outside fat that we should be worry about, “not the subcutaneous fat that is on your thighs.” Unfortunately, we cannot see the fat that surrounds the organs just by looking at one another. Therefore, it is unfair to stigmatize someone who has love handles as fat, lazy and unhealthy.

Technically speaking, the healthy range of body fat for a woman is 25%. You need at least 17% percent to start your menstrual cycle and 22% to continue having your cycle on a regular basis (“Low Body Weight”). While 22-25% may seem like a lot, this is necessary to maintain fertility. Without this quarter of body fat that all women inherited from our ancestors, women would be unable to reproduce. Therefore, in order to maintain health, some body fat is needed.

Besides, many cultures around the worlds feel that “fat” can sometimes add to a woman’s beauty. Many a song has been written about the preference for a plump derrière. More than anything, tummy fat is seen in these communities as a symbol of womanhood, whether it be from childbearing or simply reaching the age of maturity.

Tragically, too many women in this country of all nationalities suffer from having a negative self-image. “Women carry [fat] where it is hard to hide,” says Simonds, “and worse, the standard of beauty against which they measure themselves grows more emaciated every year.” If every American woman went on the Model’s Diet (a diet Coke and a pack of cigarettes), in order to look like Gisele, very few of us would actually be able to get to her size because of our biological makeup. Instead of starving ourselves and working ourselves to exhaustion, we should all learn to love our body sizes, no matter what they are. If you’re skinny, love every tiny molecule of yourself. If you not super skinny, hey, there is just more of you to love. And if you listen carefully, you may just overhear some of those skinny girls wishing they had some of your curves. Remember, beauty and physical attractiveness is more than just the physical. In the words of an old disco tune, “We’ve got use what we’ve got to get what we want.” Shake it, flaunt it, show it, accentuate it, tattoo it, put a piercing through it. Learn to love your symbol of womanhood and carry it proudly with you wherever you go.


Works Cited:

Simonds, Merilyn. “Who’s Fit? Who’s Fat?” Equinox May/June 1995:
http://www.chrcrm.org/medal96.htm (Accessed 12 November 2002).

“Does Low body Weight Affect Fertility?” iVillage.
http://www.parentsplace.com/expert/fertilityspecialist/qas/
0,10338,238711_111583,00.html (Accessed: 12 November 2002).