Hi all!
I don't think that self-loathing is ever productive. But by the same token, I think that the vast majority of overweight people overestimate their activity levels and underestimate the calories that they are consuming. This doesn't imply a judgment on people like me who struggle with weight issues -- I don't call myself lazy or gluttenous, but by the same reality token, I sure wasn't moving as much as I should have nor was I eating appropriately. And the evidence of this was and is firmly on my butt, thighs, and waist. And if you notice in the article, each celebrity was filled with self-loathing and called themselves names. It wasn't "society" calling names, it was the individuals themselves.
Perhaps people project their own self-loathing onto "society" in general instead of recognizing that it originates within the individual. After all, 66% of the US population is either overweight or obese (
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs...ournalCode=obe), so if the MAJORITY of the population, or society if you will, is in this situation and "society is judgemental and not accepting of obesity", it sounds alot like the majority of people are full of self-loathing which they project onto each other...
I think if one removes the emotion from a weight issue and looks at it dispassionately, as in "the number on the scale is what it is" and makes a choice to become more mindful of caloric intake and output WITHOUT JUDGEMENT, one stands a good chance of success when tackling a weight issue. And the judgement issue is key. We all feel bad about ourselves at some point. But we don't have to beat ourselves up about it all the time, especially as it serves absolutely no positive function in our lives.
I also think that the public's fascination with celebrity weight is for a couple of simple reasons: you can't really hide your weight and for a number of celebrities, publically discussing it returns him/her to the spotlight from which they may not have been in favorably for a number of years.
And secondly, as much as we idolize celebrities, the general public enjoys it when a celebrity struggles, because it shows that they are people no better off than we are, despite the homes in Malibu and Aspen and the 8 cars and the private jet. And some of us may feel "superior" to such people. Which is a shame. But it becomes tabloid fodder because that is what the public buys -- if noone bought those magazines, those tabloids would have to publish something else -- why publish something not profitable?
So, the public has an appetite for such stories, the tabloids will publish them to sell magazines, and celebrities who want greater exposure will sell their stories to the tabloids and to weight-loss companies. The thing feeds on itself...
Kira