You might find the image above offensive. It's one of many illustrations inside of the book "Better Homes & Gardens Diet Book" published in 1955. What I have learned from reading my vintage source materials over the years is that it was socially acceptable to use the word "fat" to describe someone who was overweight, although not to the person directly since decorum was still in full force. In other words, in magazines and books, there were no references to "people of size." People were called "fat."
It may also seem striking that the message above is placing responsibility for being overweight strictly on the person for eating too much. Medical conditions aside, today it seems that there are books, talk shows, articles and news stories about how the current obesity epidemic is due to many reasons other than we eat too much for our lifestyles and dietary needs. That kind of talk is very good for selling products that promise to take the place of willpower and the basic math of calories in versus calories burned.
While it may seem mean and insensitive, the fact is that obesity wasn't the wide-spread problem that it is in 2010. It's hard not to consider the role that outward societal pressures and norms may have played in that equation.
Shame can be a powerful tool. Don't those books and theories help people shift the accountability onto another person, food, abstract thing rather than their actions and behaviors?
ReplyDeleteYes, shame can be a tool, or a weapon. I do think too many current books shift away responsibility for fixing the problem regardless of who or what is accountable.
ReplyDeleteHA! I LOVED that one. It's just so true.
ReplyDeleteI might print that one and put it on the frig!
I didn't put it on my frig . . .
ReplyDeleteI put it on my desktop screen. I look at that a WHOLE lot more LOL!
Maybe you can place it on both places! :)
ReplyDeleteI love this image, too.
Really enjoyed reading this post! It is so true that so many of us today have given into the lie that we eat healthy or normal portions. I've been there, with many others, saying, "I'm exercising regularly, eating healthy, but not losing the weight." Once I started a program like weight watchers, I saw the weight come off... because I had to be accountable for every bite I put in mouth! I would say too, that a calorie is not a calorie no matter what - calories from fresh fruits and veggies are used more effectively than calories from what most of us in this society tend to eat: refined sugars and carbs (convenience foods). So for some, just counting calories may not be very effective either!
ReplyDeleteLove it. I'm going to repost.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link back!
DeleteI just found your blog via the blog posted just about (losing weight after 45).
ReplyDeleteThe 1950s is when the proliferation of "ready-made" foods hit the shelves. Chef Boy r D, cake mixes, etc. All with near zero value as food. But at least at that time, we weren't a nation of fast food eaters and eating at restaurants for most meals. King sized portions served at nice restaurants made us adjust the normal portion size.
My grandmother, as I observed in the early 70s and as practiced her whole married life, dished out the portion of food for her husband and likely her children too. No seconds. The quantity, I believe, depended on how much work they did during the day. It is interesting to note that her husband was well over 6' and probably weighed 155 (my father was 6'4" and his fighting weight in his pre-50s age was 155-160 with a lot of muscle). She raised 4 children. The boys got beer guts later (except my father). But she was always kind of heavy. I take after her in body build. I can't wait to read all the way through your blog. Sounds fascinating. I know I eat too much sugar (stress eating) and my mother is bulimic so I NEVER learned good eating habits.
Thank you for challenging the norm!
Kimmie, thank you for reading and posting. Your story reminded me how my grandmother used to hide packaged cookies from my grandfather! She'd ask me if I wanted dessert and then, once the coast was clear, she would show me where in a closet they were hidden. :)
DeleteBack then...
ReplyDeleteless toxins,
less obesogenic chemicals
no GMOs--now proven and studied to be linked to more obesity
no MSGs--they use MSG to fatten rats up in the lab so why is our food being filled with this garbage?
http://fivehundredpoundpeeps.blogspot.com/2011/10/msg-is-used-to-make-lab-rats-fat-how.html
Lower levels of stress so lower cortisol.
so forth and so on.
Yes, I avoid GMOs (which I've written about here), MSG and I have worked hard to reduce my stress levels (also covered in my blog). I have been researching and writing about obesogenic chemicals in my book, too. However, even if those things make our metabolisms less efficient, we still gain weight when we consume more calories than we burn.
Delete