So JLo Comes Up...Again

Unkempt: (adj.) not combed; messy;
uncared for.

In the next set of pages of Fat Land, I had two major flashbacks. One of them was when I read about an analogy that related the human body and how obesity works with a four cylinder car that has to pull a trailer full of bricks. This reminded me of that time in 10th grade biology with Ms. Blesgraeft that we had to do an analogy of how a cell works. My partner and I chose to relate it to a pizza parlor, and I remember that we got a 3.8 because we forgot to include one of the functions. I realized though, that with analogies everything IS clearer. When I had to write the assignment with my partner, I actually felt that it was hard, and it was complicating my understanding of the subject. However, when I read the car analogy, I really understood how bad obesity is for every part in your body. As Critser says, "It's 'cylinders' - the heart and its ancillary arteries and veins - are not built for pulling the extra weight, and so must work harder, straining to accommodate the load" (pg. 134). With examples like this, it is easier for me to visualize and understand exactly what is it that is so malignant about obesity.

Derriere: (noun) the buttocks.

The other major flashback that I got from reading this set of pages was when I read about the way that obesity is mainly seen in poor black and poor latino populations. Critser mentioned that black girls felt more comfortable being fat than Anglo American girls. He said there are two main reasons for this. The first is because black guys accept "thick girls" more than guys from other races. The second was because of celebrities. But not any type of celebrities. Ever since 1999, there has been huge polemic on Jennifer Lopez's butt. Being a beautiful and voluptuous woman with latino background, many people questioned why she would show off a big derriere in a Vanity Fair issue back at the time. As some where skeptic of the photo, many young girls felt motivated and identified with JLo's curves. This type of celebrity influence brought me a flashback. When I read Bossypants back in October, Tina Fey talked about society's pressure on women and how celebrities affect the way we girls want to look like. Fey said, "I think the first real change in women’s body image came when JLo turned it butt-style. That was the first time that having a large-scale situation in the back was part of mainstream American beauty...All Beyoncé and JLo have done is add to the laundry list of attributes women must have to qualify as beautiful" (Bossypants, pg. 27). Fey adds to Critser's point: JLo was one of the women who revolutionized the idea of beauty. From skinny and boney size zero models, to thick-butt, curvy women. Of course this can be a good thing. Girls would now stop starving themselves to death. However, it wasn't great because with the growing obesity epidemic in the United States, fat girls would now feel comfortable with their oveweight bodies and the guilt would disappear; they thought they could still be considered beautiful just like JLo. This only lead to more consumption of fatty foods and less incentive to go outside and do some exercise. Quite complicated for those fighting the epidemic.

I only have 40 more pages left of Fat Land, and I am still hoping to get to know Critser's story in detail. We'll see what happens in my next blog post.