Controversy: Weight, For Beauty Queens And New Moms

Amy S.F. Lutz — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:01:00 GMT

In this corner, Brooke Burke, gorgeous celebrity mom who still looks fab in a bikini after four babies! In this corner, Chloe Marshall, first "overweight" contestant to compete for the title of Miss England!

Okay, ladies, we want a fair fight here, so no eye-gouging, no hair-pulling, no raising false expectations, hawking useless products, or encouraging young girls to eat themselves into a diabetic coma.

Let's get ready to RUMBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Given how preoccupied we as a society are with weight (especially women's weight), it's hardly news that two of the most popular posts this week questioned what it means to be healthy. And I have to say it was nice to read so many comments on both Jen's and Kelly's posts defending Kelly's claim that "a diversity of shapes and sizes are lovely," including Katrina's note, "A young woman who eats well, exercises regularly, and has a body type that is larger than the average super model is exactly who I want my daughter to recognize, respect, and relate to!"

There also seemed to be a general consensus that body shape is a product more of nature than nurture, and that it's unrealistic for most women to think they can diet into a size 0 - except for Treespeed, who accused Jen of being "bitter" and "catty," in her post on Brooke Burke, stating, "Just because you can't make it happen doesn't mean it can't be done."

I hate to engage in any reductive, feminist rhetoric, but did anyone else think Treespeed's point of view made a lot more sense once he revealed that he is a man?

What I'm wondering is how deep this embrace of Chloe Marshall goes. That is, we may be all rooting for her on principle, but how many of us, despite Katrina's comment, really want our daughters to be the overweight contestant at the beauty pageant? My daughters are beautiful and smart, but Brooke Burke's genes don't inform even one branch of the family tree. And I have to admit, although I don't let them know it, I'm monitoring their weight very carefully. It has nothing to do with health, because, as Kelly notes, recent research suggests that being somewhat overweight isn't as much of a health problem as it's been made out to be by the press. It's all about the social angle. I don't want any of my kids to be the "fat kid" in the class. Kids are cruel enough without giving them obvious targets.

Does that make me a hypocrite? I'm just trying to protect my kids and boost them as much as I can. After all, their last name is Lutz - as in, rhymes with "klutz" and "sluts." They're going to need all the help they can get.

Should an "Overweight" Beauty Pageant Contestant Be a Role Model for Young Girls?

Kelly Mills — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 21:02:00 GMT

Monica Grenfell is horrified. Why? Well, see, this year's Miss England contest has a fairly unique finalist: Chloe Marshall, a size 16 (about a size 14 in U.S. sizes.) Seventeen-year-old Marshall has been quite outspoken about wanting to be "an ambassador for curves" and demonstrate to young girls that it isn't necessary to be a size zero. She says she eats healthy food and exercises regularly. Grenfell, however, is a dietician and she hopes Chloe doesn't win. "It would send an appalling--and very dangerous--message to other young women that it's OK to be fat." She adds that Chloe is a terrible role model and says charmingly, "Who on earth does she think she's kidding? What she's demonstrating isn't bravery but a shocking lack of self-control. Instead of flaunting her figure, Chloe ought to own up to the truth. She is fat and she got that way by over-eating." Nice.

Grenfell makes the point that we don't have an anorexia epidemic, we have an obesity epidemic, and that the last thing girls need to hear is that it's okay to be overweight because it puts you at risk for health problems like Type 2 diabetes and heart attacks. Mmm hmm. Well, we could debate that one all day, but there is certainly no consensus among researchers that obesity itself is the cause of the problems. In other words, the real issue is poor eating habits and a lack of physical activity, not the weight itself. And we certainly have a plethora of extremely thin role models for girls right now, role models whose bodies are not a realistic goal for many of the most active, healthy-eating girls in the world.

But beyond that, do girls really need the message that a diversity of shapes and sizes are lovely? You've probably already guessed what I think about that. Hell yes. And while we may not have an anorexia "epidemic" (curse that word) the extremely adverse health effects of eating disorders are well-documented. And by the way, most eating disorder stats only deal with the most obvious examples, while plenty of researchers are discovering that even young girls are using extreme measures to try and get thin, often unsuccessfully, with lord knows what long-term health consequences. I guess that's why I think Monica Grenfell should go f*ck herself for tearing into a brave teenage girl, and while I don't love beauty pageants, I'll be cheering for Chloe.

Strollerderby : chloe marshall

Controversy: Weight, For Beauty Queens And New Moms

Should an "Overweight" Beauty Pageant Contestant Be a Role Model for Young Girls?