Disclaimer: As an anthropologist, I'm painfully aware that it will be virtually impossible for me to be politically correct all of the time. The words and terms I use are meant to apply in the broadest sense (unless otherwise indicated) and I extend my deepest apologies to anyone who is offended. Constructive feedback is welcome.
Interaction exists to be an outlet for me as I explore biocultural aspects of obesity and related health issues in America. That's a weird sentence, so let me explain.
Biomedical Anthropology is a new sub-field of biological anthropology. It is an interface between biology and public health, training people in learning how to approach medical problems from population and individual levels and appreciate the complex interactions between genes, biology, environment, society, and culture. I'm still a student but this is a very exciting new field to be in.
Obesity is many things and is defined in many different ways. It can be considered a number above another number, a body fat percentage, a disease, a personality type, an indicator of someone's skills and ambitions, a way of being, unhealthy, or healthy.
Culturally/socially: A very negative stigma against overweight and obese individuals in the United States exists. The words "fat" and "obese" are culturally loaded to indicate a person is lazy, undisciplined, unmotivated, or unambitious (basically everything the typical successful individual is not). These attitudes, while ingrained in mainstream American culture are not accurate and can be very damaging to individuals at the receiving end of bullying or discrimination.
Biologically: Although still hotly debated, evidence of a sub-group of obese individuals that are metabolically healthy (and thus at no increased risk for obesity-related diseases) demonstrates two things:
1) Obesity is not always an unhealthy condition
2) You cannot look at someone and assume they are unhealthy
There is no one cause of obesity and the gene-environment interactions involved are complicated and, by no means, indicate an individual's personality or abilities.
On that note, there is such a thing as unhealthy obesity. Obesity can be a risk-factor for cardiovascular disease (including heart attack and stroke), type 2 diabetes, and certain kinds of cancer. I wanted to start this blog when I began researching blogs related to weight issues for a class paper. There seem to be two kinds of blogs: weight-loss or body acceptance. One says being overweight or obese is always bad, the other says you should love your body regardless of its shape or size, or if it is killing you. I'm sure middle ground exists here. The Health At Every Size campaign is a good example.
I'm interested in exploring this middle ground so here are a few more things to know:
1) I will always do my best to be neutral
2) This is not a fat or body acceptance blog, nor is it advocating thinness as ideal
3) This blog will update
I'm still working out exactly what kinds of material will be featured here, but hopefully anyone interested in this will find it helpful/informational.
See you tomorrow!
Cheers,
J. G.
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