Return-Path: <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id h0KNfTP07605; Mon, 20 Jan 2003 18:41:29 -0500 (EST) Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2003 18:41:29 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <20030120233751.66862.qmail@web11203.mail.yahoo.com> Errors-To: alcrsb@langate.gsu.edu Reply-To: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Bertha Mo <bertiemo@yahoo.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:2445] RE: weight as an issue X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Status: O Content-Length: 2245 Lines: 68 I am an Asian American medical anthropologist who has worked and lived in North America and many parts of the world. The obsession with thinness is both an issue of ethnicity and class issue. The adage " you can never be too thin or too rich runs through North American society" whatever the ethnic group. In Asia today, women from HK to Tokyo to Seoul aspires to the thinness portrayed on MTV or Cosmo Magazine. As a teenager, I was admonished by HK relatives that my heathy Asian American look was a bit too "hefty" for their taste... In many countries, pregnant women are told to watch what they ate so they would not have a big bad which would make labor difficut...All comments from the same perspective... Bertie Mo, Ph.D. MPH Bertie Mo, Ph.D., MPH --- Daphne Greenberg <alcdgg@langate.gsu.edu> wrote: > Ujwala wrote: > "The obsession with thinness is a universal > concern." > I may be going out on a limb here, but I am not sure > that I agree with this statement. I am not > African-American, nor am I an expert on > African-American culture, but I am under the > impression (incorrectly perhaps?) that at least > compared to Anglo-American culture, African American > women are pressured much less than their White > counterparts to be thin. > Anyone out there who can help me out with this? > Daphne > > >>> usamant@comcast.net 01/17/03 09:04 AM >>> > The obsession with thinness is a universal concern. > Yasmin Alibhai-Brown has > an interesting article on this in the UK newspaper, > The Independent. > > It seems to start early, this denigration of > "fatness". "Fatties" are the > object of jokes as early as kindergarten. What was > seen as being "healthy" > is now seen as fat. I've heard people complain on > planes that overweight > people should pay for 2 seats because of the room > they occupy. (Never mind > that seats in planes have shrunk and often one sits > kissing one's knees, and > having the tray feel like a nosebag.) > > My question is, has it affected anyone from getting > hired? Or the reason for > being fired? > regards > Ujwala Samant > > > __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com
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