Mad Hatter Imagery wrote:
I know I may get an ear full for saying this, but haven't Americans become too sensitive to people who are clearly too overweight and clearly jeapardizing their health by allowing themselves to be really overweight? People have come to really accept their overweight bodies as being their true identity and if anyone makes a fat joke they are considered a bully of sorts. I can imagine in the past when people had better self-esteem with the quality of person they are on the inside they would of course be hurt by a fat joke at their expense, but rather than killing themselves they would work hard and get within a health weight range. It seems that being overweight has different classifications now. "Overweight", "Obese", "Morbidly Obese", and another level above that. When I talk to skinny girls they say other girls who maybe have a small gut hanging out are fat, and when I talk to obese girls they say that overweight girls are pretty much the norm, and skinny or athletics girls are anorexic. lol. It's like people have no perception of what a healthy body looks like anymore. We're too busy trying to save the Twinkie. lol.

Are people sensitive about weight? Yes. Isn't our industry somewhat to blame for that? Wasn't it the fashion industry that made a 5'10, 110 lb woman "sexy"?

As someone who has been on both sides I agree. I'm by no means thin, but my BMI puts me in the average category, but to many women I'm fat, to others I'm "tiny" which I often laugh at. You're right about the Twinkies...which is RIDICULOUS. There are so many other causes people should be fighting for, instead they're out buying truckloads of twinkies and angry because they're going bankrupt.

However, to ASSUME that people are overweight because it's a choice is, I'm sorry to say, ignorant.

In my teens I was thin, I started modeling and felt fat, thought throwing up was a good idea, then paired it with starving myself and over laxing. Self-esteem dropped and even tried to end my life. I wasn't bullied in school, I was bullied at home, by my own mother. Was it the right thing to do? No, but perhaps you don't know how hard it is to wake up everyday look in a mirror and hate what you see, or listen to someone tell you you're disgusting and no man would ever want you (I weighed 160 lbs at the time). To this day, I suffer from BDD, I weigh myself daily and sometimes have to keep myself from wanting to purge a salad.

I used to weigh 255 lbs. I worked out 6 days a week and ate very healthily. I even had an endocrinologist tell me "sorry you just have bad genes, try liposuction". The problem is much bigger than just eating. This was me last year:

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos- … 2073_n.jpg

Some people have the will power, determination and self-love to do something about it. Some people can't, or don't care.

On that note...It annoys the crap out of me when people who are CLEARLY obese and unhealthy call themselves curvy. It bothers me that we now live in a country and world where to not hurt someone's feelings we have models like this:

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos- … 3057_n.jpg
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos- … 5992_n.jpg

It's not sexy, it's not HEALTHY and we should not allow our generation and future generations to think it's ok. We have lost perception of what is healthy. We focus on the number on the scale, with no regard for BMI, activity levels and eating habits. I'm proud to say I weigh 180 lbs, it may seem like much to some models out here, but my BMI is healthy, I have what I think are wonderful curves, and I live a healthy lifestlyle. Ok I'm done ranting.

Autumn Rose Brightly wrote:
I will ignore everything else but I feel I have to address the way you spoke of suicide. That is something very, very, very intense and unless you have been in a place where you seriously thought the world would be a better place without you do not joke about it. Please be more thoughtful


(Even people that have been there shouldn't joke about it)

+1

Jojo West wrote:
On that note...It annoys the crap out of me when people who are CLEARLY obese and unhealthy call themselves curvy. It bothers me that we now live in a country and world where to not hurt someone's feelings we have models like this:

I don't think that they used that model in order to "not hurt someone's feelings." I think they used that model because they are selling plus-sized clothes.

V Laroche wrote:
I don't think that they used that model in order to "not hurt someone's feelings." I think they used that model because they are selling plus-sized clothes.

Wait, wait.  You're trying to tell me that companies would use models that are similar to the target market?

V Laroche wrote:
I don't think that they used that model in order to "not hurt someone's feelings." I think they used that model because they are selling plus-sized clothes.

Yup, and that's why their plus sized cloths are always "sold out"

Chris Rifkin wrote:
this is going to be a good one

One would think, but this thread has been mostly boring.

Mad Hatter Imagery wrote:
I know I may get an ear full for saying this, but haven't Americans become too sensitive to people who are clearly too overweight and clearly jeapardizing their health by allowing themselves to be really overweight?

worry about your own health.   when was the last time you exercised?  If you don't remember, it doesn't matter whether you are skinny or not, you are just as bad as the people you are ranting againt. 

It's like people have no perception of what a healthy body looks like anymore.

do you?

Mad Hatter Imagery wrote:
I know I may get an ear full for saying this, but haven't Americans become too sensitive to people who are clearly too overweight and clearly jeapardizing their health by allowing themselves to be really overweight? People have come to really accept their overweight bodies as being their true identity and if anyone makes a fat joke they are considered a bully of sorts. I can imagine in the past when people had better self-esteem with the quality of person they are on the inside they would of course be hurt by a fat joke at their expense, but rather than killing themselves they would work hard and get within a health weight range. It seems that being overweight has different classifications now. "Overweight", "Obese", "Morbidly Obese", and another level above that. When I talk to skinny girls they say other girls who maybe have a small gut hanging out are fat, and when I talk to obese girls they say that overweight girls are pretty much the norm, and skinny or athletics girls are anorexic. lol. It's like people have no perception of what a healthy body looks like anymore. We're too busy trying to save the Twinkie. lol.

Raoul Isidro Images wrote:
People can look thin and people can look obese.

Looks are different from actual real life numbers.

Here is a BMI calculator to determine if you are OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE.

http://www.google.com/ig/directory?type … ulator.xml

If you are not happy with the results of this calculator, do not agree, or have become upset...

Blame it on the software...

.

One of my good friends and clients is world famous body builder Lou Ferrigno. The headshots I did for him were the ones submitted to get him on Celebrity Apprentice. You'll never meet a nicer person on this planet and it's my privilege to go to the gym with him whenever I get the chance. Watching him in a gym is like watching a world famous surgeon perform a complex operation. He's just awesome.

I'm in the process of losing a lot of weight myself right now and he's given me some guidance along the way on how to do so with a good workout regimen. I remember, quite vividly, a conversation I had with him about all of this and BMI testing and so forth. I still laugh every time I think of how he answered it.

This is what he told me:

"BMI testing is complete bullcrap. It doesn't mean anything. BMI tests are used for one thing and one thing only...to sell gym memberships and Personal Training contracts. That's it. That's all it's ever been and that's all it will ever be. It's no different than the used car smell in a vehicle when you take it for a test drive. It's used to get you to buy their product.

You want to know the REAL test to know what your 'Body Mass Index' is? You look into a mirror and if you see you're fat, guess what, YOU'RE FAT. That's how you do that test."

Shot By Adam wrote:

One of my good friends and clients is world famous body builder Lou Ferrigno. The headshots I did for him were the ones submitted to get him on Celebrity Apprentice. You'll never meet a nicer person on this planet and it's my privilege to go to the gym with him whenever I get the chance. Watching him in a gym is like watching a world famous surgeon perform a complex operation. He's just awesome.

I'm in the process of losing a lot of weight myself right now and he's given me some guidance along the way on how to do so with a good workout regimen. I remember, quite vividly, a conversation I had with him about all of this and BMI testing and so forth. I still laugh every time I think of how he answered it.

This is what he told me:

"BMI testing is complete bullcrap. It doesn't mean anything. BMI tests are used for one thing and one thing only...to sell gym memberships and Personal Training contracts. That's it. That's all it's ever been and that's all it will ever be. It's no different than the used car smell in a vehicle when you take it for a test drive. It's used to get you to buy their product.

You want to know the REAL test to know what your 'Body Mass Index' is? You look into a mirror and if you see you're fat, guess what, YOU'RE FAT. That's how you do that test."

Noway!!! I loved him on celebrity apprentice(-:

V Laroche wrote:

I don't think that they used that model in order to "not hurt someone's feelings." I think they used that model because they are selling plus-sized clothes.

You missed my point... We should not be in a place, physically where we sell clothes that big. We're an extremely unhealthy country.

Jojo West wrote:
You missed my point... We should not be in a place, physically where we sell clothes that big. We're an extremely unhealthy country.

Right. All the plus sized people should be forced to walk around naked, maybe make a toga out of a bedsheet.  Designers with business sense should totally abandon a much needed market for fashionable plus size lines, that will clearly make people feel better in their own skin and create jobs.

Super idea.

Nemi wrote:

Right. All the plus sized people should be forced to walk around naked, maybe make a toga out of a bedsheet.  Designers with business sense should totally abandon a much needed market for fashionable plus size lines, that will clearly make people feel better in their own skin and create jobs.

Super idea.

Obviously short sighted on your end. The point I made was that we should not allow ourselves to reach those points. It's not about the clothing, but since I don't have time to go in circles I'll let you figure it out.

Jojo West wrote:
You missed my point... We should not be in a place, physically where we sell clothes that big. We're an extremely unhealthy country.

So you think larger people should have to sew all their clothes by hand, or something? Or maybe you think they should only wear sweatsuits because they don't deserve something fashionable? I note that you picked a model in a pretty stylish dress rather than one of the ads from K-Mart. I am picking up that maybe it bothers you that a plus-size woman would dress in pretty, sexy clothes. Maybe it challenges your idea that larger women hate themselves and have no pride in their appearance?

Anyway, if this is what you meant, then what was up with your comment about having big models to "avoid hurting somebody's feelings"?

Jay Dezelic wrote:
Fat is the new normal and skinny people are a minority.

but lean is still desired here in the states

some other places put a lot of emphasis on the big "child rearing hips"



but I think its hilarious how big girls think they have a chance with me because I'm black. "hahaha, no"

Jojo West wrote:

You missed my point... We should not be in a place, physically where we sell clothes that big. We're an extremely unhealthy country.

Wrong answer.  That's like saying we shouldn't sell alcohol because the world contains alcoholics.

How dare you, or anyone else, decide what someone can look or feel like, healthy or not?  Your point was NOT missed, it just made no sense.

I'm so fucking tired of people saying "You have to look like this, or act like that, or speak like so."

Jojo West wrote:
Obviously short sighted on your end. The point I made was that we should not allow ourselves to reach those points. It's not about the clothing, but since I don't have time to go in circles I'll let you figure it out.

How and why did you let yourself get to 189?

Jojo West wrote:
You missed my point... We should not be in a place, physically where we sell clothes that big. We're an extremely unhealthy country.

DivaEroticus wrote:
Wrong answer.  That's like saying we shouldn't sell alcohol because the world contains alcoholics.

How dare you, or anyone else, decide what someone can look or feel like, healthy or not?  Your point was NOT missed, it just made no sense.

I'm so fucking tired of people saying "You have to look like this, or act like that, or speak like so."

but we are an extremely unhealthy country.

Presley ONeil wrote:
I think it's that everyone's so used to overweight being 'normal', when a person comes to be unhealthy in gaining weight they think "well, she's not much smaller than me.." Or compare all the people still larger than them.


vanity sizing isn't a secret, and there's a reason I A-dont own a single belt & B- can't fit anything at sears/Walmart/Kmart/target/etc.

This last part I find interesting.  Now, I understand regional, personal and chain differences, but I find I have the same problem, only in reverse.  I have a hard time finding clothes to fit me there too.  But I'm a bigger fellow, and they seem to only be selling smaller and smaller clothes.  Again I realize there might be other issues involved, but I found the situation worthy of mention.

R A V E N D R I V E wrote:

but we are an extremely unhealthy country.

Really?  I'm not unhealthy.  Just because a person is larger, that makes him/her unhealthy?  My cholesterol numbers are perfect, and have been for years.  Just.Stop.

Jojo West wrote:
However, to ASSUME that people are overweight because it's a choice is, I'm sorry to say, ignorant.

In my teens I was thin, I started modeling and felt fat, thought throwing up was a good idea, then paired it with starving myself and over laxing. Self-esteem dropped and even tried to end my life. I wasn't bullied in school, I was bullied at home, by my own mother. Was it the right thing to do? No, but perhaps you don't know how hard it is to wake up everyday look in a mirror and hate what you see, or listen to someone tell you you're disgusting and no man would ever want you (I weighed 160 lbs at the time). To this day, I suffer from BDD, I weigh myself daily and sometimes have to keep myself from wanting to purge a salad.

I used to weigh 255 lbs. I worked out 6 days a week and ate very healthily. I even had an endocrinologist tell me "sorry you just have bad genes, try liposuction". The problem is much bigger than just eating. This was me last year:



Some people have the will power, determination and self-love to do something about it. Some people can't, or don't care.

On that note...It annoys the crap out of me when people who are CLEARLY obese and unhealthy call themselves curvy. It bothers me that we now live in a country and world where to not hurt someone's feelings we have models like this:

i work with Rosie, the girl you reference in the pictures above...

how do you try to justify your personal story and ASSUME that Rosie above falls in your characterization of "CLEARLY obese and unhealthy...."

do you KNOW Rosie's personal story about her size?

do you KNOW Rosie's personal story of how she has been working with a trainer to get her health back in check?

Rosie gets booked for the gigs that she gets booked for, because she has a gorgeous face and a great accepting personality...

just referencing her pics above like that, you just perpetuated the very thing you were just complaining about...

"No, but perhaps you don't know how hard it is to wake up everyday look in a mirror and hate what you see, or listen to someone tell you you're disgusting and no man would ever want you"

R A V E N D R I V E wrote:

but lean is still desired here in the states

some other places put a lot of emphasis on the big "child rearing hips"



but I think its hilarious how big girls think they have a chance with me because I'm black. "hahaha, no"

In early times and even today, in impoverished countries, a fat person is seen as being "successful" since they have been able to afford to be well nourished.

However, in modern civilization where food is relatively abundant for everyone, fat is a sign of being unhealthy.

When I was single, I was never attracted to women who were even slightly fat as it was pretty much a sure thing that they would continue to "grow" throughout life.

Skinny people who are healthy tend to stay the same for a long time.  Fat people degrade much faster and require a lot more healthcare.

Jojo West wrote:
It's not sexy, it's not HEALTHY and we should not allow our generation and future generations to think it's ok. We have lost perception of what is healthy. We focus on the number on the scale, with no regard for BMI, activity levels and eating habits. I'm proud to say I weigh 180 lbs, it may seem like much to some models out here, but my BMI is healthy, I have what I think are wonderful curves, and I live a healthy lifestlyle. Ok I'm done ranting.

I would consider getting better doctors, and of course i don't think parents should concern themselves with their children's weight so long as they have the type of energy and degree of activity as children are supposed to have. As to what someone else on here said about suicide. I was making light of suicide. I was saying people are too sensitive and being a little overweight at one point or another should never lead to wanting to kill ones self. They should try to improve their physical health while not underscoring everything else about themselves.

Paul AI wrote:

Wait, wait.  You're trying to tell me that companies would use models that are similar to the target market?

lol. Well put. I should probably point out that this question was meant to be general. I wasn't refering to the modeling industry. I was talking about the general public.

DivaEroticus wrote:
Really?  I'm not unhealthy.  Just because a person is larger, that makes him/her unhealthy?  My cholesterol numbers are perfect, and have been for years.  Just.Stop.

You say that being fat is not unhealthy?  I guess it depends on how the term "healthy" is defined.

Fat people are far more prone to disease than skinny people.  Most of these diseases creep up over time.  A fat person in our society is considered healthy right up to the day they get officially diagnosed with heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and arthritis or until they fall over and shatter half the bones in their body.  Even though the underlying symptom was obvious for a long time before the disease, we say a fat person is healthy until they are in need of immediate medical attention.

However, if we see an overweight animal that is too fat to run or fly or do whatever it is they typically do, we assume that they are unhealthy.

Baring any physical disabilities from birth or injury, if you cannot run like you could when you were a kid, you are either too old (in the last 10% of life) or too fat.

It is just simple physics.

DivaEroticus wrote:

Really?  I'm not unhealthy.  Just because a person is larger, that makes him/her unhealthy?  My cholesterol numbers are perfect, and have been for years.  Just.Stop.

Perhaps you are "larger" than some other people, but that is kind of my original point. People always look at someone who is even larger to justify their body. They can be unhealthfully over-weight so long as there are enough people who are much more over-weight than they are. You my dear are not over-weight to the degree that one can say with certainty that you are unhealthy. You can apparently put your hands together behind your back. The people I am refering to would be difficult for the average person to get their arms all the way around them.

Jay Dezelic wrote:

In early times and even today, in impoverished countries, a fat person is seen as being "successful" since they have been able to afford to be well nourished.

However, in modern civilization where food is relatively abundant for everyone, fat is a sign of being unhealthy.

When I was single, I was never attracted to women who were even slightly fat as it was pretty much a sure thing that they would continue to "grow" throughout life.

Skinny people who are healthy tend to stay the same for a long time.  Fat people degrade much faster and require a lot more healthcare.

That's kind of bold statement but I expect you're true about the healthcare thing. I think that's why employers can refuse to hire people who smoke because that raises costs to everyone else on the plan.