babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
Being fat sucks. I can say that, because I’m not a size zero. In fact my size is in the double digits. Yet aside from a few imperfections, I’m pretty happy with the way I look. It’s other people who have a problem with my body, or so it seems, based on the all the skinnified media we Americans consume. That’s one of the great ironies of our culture; so many of us are so fat, yet if you lived far, far away and only read our magazines, you’d assume most of us have visible ribs and permanent lip-gloss (even the men). If you’ve been fat since childhood, you know what society thinks of you and what a scientific study has just proven: fat kids are more likely to get picked on at school just because they’re fat.
Dr. Julie Lumeng and her team at the University of Michigan conducted a study, somewhat humorously titled, “Weight status as a predictor of being bullied in third through sixth grades,” to be published in the June issue of Pediatrics. Lumeng discovered that “obese children are more likely to be bullied regardless of gender, race, socioeconomic status, social skills or academic achievement.”
This is not the first time researchers have linked obesity to bullying. CBS News/The Associated Press reported on a Canadian study published in Pediatrics in 2004 with similar findings. The research was conducted in 2002, surveying children ages 11-16. The Canadian report found that obesity was not only more likely to make kids a target, but the perpetrators of bullying. (The logic being, if you can’t beat ‘em, take your fat fists and beat ‘em.) So basically, science has proven that fat kids of all ages are picked on and/or can be defensively aggressive because they’re fat. That makes them… like all the other kids, right? Continue reading »
Lesley Kinzel, author of the blog Fatshionista, knows that kids today, perhaps more than ever, need to be taught the value of good nutrition, the joy of regular movement and exercise. She just wishes we’d all quit calling Michelle Obama’s movement for kids’ health a childhood obesity campaign.
In a recent essay in Newsweek titled Fat Kids, Cruel World, Kinzel wrote:
Remember Donna Simpson, the “Fattest Mom in America”? At 520 pounds, she held the record for heaviest woman to give birth after the birth of her daughter. And now she’s trying to reach 1,000 pounds. On purpose. Not everyone thinks this is a good idea, however. At least one doctor is not only speaking out against Simpson’s goal but is also putting up the money to get her to stop.
Donna Simpson is a world record holder. In 2007 she broke the record for heaviest woman to give birth, at 520 lb (or as the Telegraph points out “the same as two elephant calves”).
Not satisfied with her single record as world’s heaviest mother, Simpson has set her aim on an even larger distinction. She is pushing to weigh 1,000 lbs. And she’d like you to pay to watch her do it. Continue reading »
Pang Ya is only two and yet, at 90 pounds, she weighs as much as the average adult Chinese woman.
There are a lot of reasons to make sure your kids aren’t overweight — general health, acceptance among their peers, ability to participate in sports — not to mention it simply costs less to feed kids less. For girls, “it’s pretty well established in girls that puberty starts earlier” if they are obese during their early years, says Dr. Jennifer Helmcamp, a pediatrician specializing in obesity with Scott & White Healthcare. But what about boys?
An infant whose mother decided she was getting “fat” when she finally started to gain weight really puts the childhood obesity crisis in another perspective.
Washington State child protective services have taken Brittainy Labberton’s daughter after the baby gained just one pound during the first two months of life. This after being born at five pounds four ounces. Continue reading »
Lori Garcia 
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
0