The problem is evident, yet we refuse to acknowledge it: The bodies of American citizens have turned toward two extremes- the horribly obese and the sickeningly thin.
The body types of health and nutrition seem to have long since passed as overweight Americans find refuge under the Golden Arches while flesh-covered skeletons vomit away their inner self-loathing.
Why has this happened? Why have we completely disregarded the Food Pyramid, the 1,500-2,000 calorie a day diet, the minimum 2.5 hours of cardio exercise per week, and a sincere regard for our wellness?
Being 19 years old, I feel that I am in a position to view with great clarity what has gone wrong.
Thin is in:
Anorexia and bulimia are no longer simply myths circulating through our society. I personally know at least a half dozen people who have struggled with one of these diseases. Losing weight becomes the main goal in one’s life. The scale is an obsession; food is a poison.
We’ve heard all the warnings, but they hardly seem to phase us: Hollywood is mesmerizing our young women, calling out to them to follow the path of 5’8, 110lbs wisps of women. It draws us in and immortalizes the Paris Hilton’s and Nicole Richie’s of the world. “This is beauty. This is what it takes to be beautiful.” But it’s not fair to blame the countless cases of anorexia and bulimia on Tinsel Town. Something more has to be wrong.
The Increase in Obese:
A number of my previous posts focus on obesity, on how easy it has become to simply be obese. Pop, chips, Pop Tarts, cookies, cake, Cheetos, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Culver’s, Steak and Shake, Hershey’s, Pizza Hut, Oreos- it all fills our stomachs, fattens our bodies, clogs our arteries, and satisfies us. Americans eat more and more and exercise less and less simply because it is easier that way.
Heart disease, strokes, and myriads of other problems congest our hospitals as the overweight people of this country suffer more and more from almost completely preventable illnesses. But who’s to blame?
The fact of the matter is this: Health has taken the backseat in a society that seems to demand so much from us. The miserable and depressed find solace in sugar and fat while remaining completely unmotivated to exercise or become active. The perfectionists and abandoned live with a continuing sense that they are just never good enough. But losing weight would be the answer.
While it is safe to say that so many of the eating disorders (eating too much AND eating not enough) in our country are the result of many outside forces, the reality to which we must admit is that our minds are not secure.
Some cure their sorrows with chocolate and ice cream. They find a safe haven in food and satisfy their mournful hearts in its comfort. At the same time, others feel that the only way to please themselves and those closest to them is to lose weight.
Whatever the case, the bottom line is clear: We are not happy with ourselves. Some part of us is not being fulfilled, and we are left empty and lacking inside. An aspect of our society has killed a piece of our spirits, and the only way to repair the damage is with food, or lack thereof.
The desire to be inwardly happy is revealed outwardly through our complete disregard for our health, nutrition, and well-being. We seek to be gratified by any means possible, even though we are still left with a vapid hole on the inside.
Perhaps I’m reading far too much into this, or perhaps I am touching on something that has been said millions of times before. But whatever the case, it is clear that we cannot continue down this road because as a number of us have seen much too often, these extremes are fatal.
