Just 'thin'king
Wed, 2006-07-05 11:25 — kauphy
I have a colleague who eats one packet of curd, one apple or one cup cake as lunch. I have a friend who has biscuits (Marie; I think even dog biscuits taste better and have more nutrition) for breakfast and puffed rice flakes (the ones used in Bhel) for dinner.
I have always wondered what all that was about; being thin! I always buy these ‘Woman’ magazines and this time while I was traveling to Mumbai, I whiled away part of the journey reading a magazine that featured several glossy photographs of young women who were either seriously ill or suffering from an eating disorder like anorexia (which is of course, the same thing); I don’t think there can be any other explanation for the shape of their bodies. These women talk about eating loads and having the world’s fastest metabolism, but their concave stomach, protruding ribs and stick-like arms tell a different story. I wondered is fat really the worst thing a human being can be. Is being fat worse than being ‘shallow’, ‘cruel’, ‘vain’, or ‘boring’?
These girls need help but the world being what it is, is sticking them on magazine covers and telling hordes of other girls to be just like them instead. These talking sticks whose greatest achievement is un blotted lipstick; whose only aspiration is to be photographed in different outfits nine times a day; whose only function in the world seems to be supporting the trade in over priced hand bags and shoes; are celebrities and held up to girls as role models.
Maybe all this seems really funny or trivial, but it is not, it really is not. It’s about what girls want to be, what they’re told they should be and how they feel about who they are. Since when has being thin been the be-all and end-all? I would rather not be an empty-headed, self-obsessed, emaciated clone; a person who is just like the other one and the thousands next to me. I’d rather be independent, idealistic, interesting, kind, opinionated, original, funny- a thousand different things, before thin.
But then what do I know; I am not in the business of being judged on my looks, what with being a content writer and living by using my brain……..ah life is easy!!!!!!
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Comments
:)))
thank you for all the comments!
upbringing
Consumerism will always be all-pervasive.
Its the duty of the parents to safeguard the child and to make sure that they understand the maya that is wrought by the glamor and ad industry.
At the end of it, what we are talking about is our values - thats what tells us what is consequential and what is inconsequential, isn’t it?
Kauphy
Hey kauphy, I think I kinda get what you are trying to say and I completly agree with you. I think the kids/teens these days are too influenced by what they see in the media (often digitally manipulated) and they try to hard to be all that. There is absolutely no harm in that but what is wrong is how increasingly more number of people being plagued by low confidence and low self -esteem becoz they are not as thin and sexy as those super mods.
I was talking to my 16 year old cousin and it was disturbing how much she and her friends judged others by looks and style alone. Is this world getting more and more superficial day by day? I dunno; maybe it is. Was watching a program on Nat Geo the other day about the beauty business and I was pretty surprised about how almost all the images are digitally altered and how that jaw dropping beauty is achieved. The program also talked about the effects on youth and it was disturbing to say the least.
anti marie squad
Well, there was this series of ads - kajol acted in it, campaigning against brittania marie. Turned out they wanted to launch their own version of marie.
So, at the end of it, even the anti-marie squad is only looking for pushing their own kinda marie.
thin vs healthy!!
I opine that there is a subtle [or not] difference between being seriously and deliberately underweight thin and healthy.
The ideal catwalk figures are ‘often’ plagued with anorexia, bulimia, depression, infertility, osteoporosis and so on. far from healthy. I have seen some really healthy people at my gym who can run for a few hours with their heart beat at 50 beats per min [and can beat the ‘perfect’ figure gucci model at a 100 meters race] but have pear shaped figures dictated by their genes. nothing wrong, but they will definitely not make it on the glossy covers.
I am all for healthy.. and I am not against the women on glossy covers [more power to them] but I think people should see beauty in other shapes and sizes too and not be dictated by the media and fashion industry’s version of it.
PS: Who is this Anti Marie Squad??!!
IWwwww
IW bhai - you are not really far off in your judgement of my insanities.
Having become convinced that off-the-shelf-perfumes are bad, I have started composing my own fragrances at home. (Yeah, I’ve studied the effects of synthetic frangrance components on the brain and their delivery mechansms too).
What to do? I am like that only.
And about Marie-behen - I eat if its there, I don’t eat if it is not there. Desire for anything (biscuits or non-biscuits notwithstanding) is the supreme corrupting influence on the integrity of one’s integrity. Thus spake the Buddha.
But it is good to see your tears of repentance - there is hope for you yet, mere bhai.
The REAL Slim shady
Yeah - I root for everyone who is in good physical shape. Barring metabolic disorders, if one takes good care of one’s body, it will naturally be optimally attractive.
There is a natural urge to look good and the two ways to do that is either by superficial tweaking (starving oneself, or smoking endlessly or liposuction, etc) or by genuinely taking care of one’s physique (exercise, jog, eat healthy, etc).
Some superficial folks (adopting the superficial path) do not invalidate the genuine need to be physically fit.
And so long as you are doing what is genuinely good for oneself, what does it matter what the motivation is, at least in this case?
Ek Sawaaal... (for Atraa)
Arey mere “Shady” bhaai.. tum sub se important baat toh bataana bhul gaye. Which side are you bro ?? Tu Marie biscuit lovers club mein hein yaaa Marie Biscuit haters club mein hein ??
Ek Sawaaal .. (contd..)
Sawaal pooch ke 2 minute bhi nahi huaa .. And I am already pachtaaoing why i asked you this question. I am quite sure u will come up with a lengthy discourse on how the biscuit companies spike up their products with various chemical agents & how one should start baking fully natural biscuits in thier own kitchens etc etc..
Maaf karnaaa bhaaya… galti kiyaa pooch ke..
I join Prad
in his protest against dog-biscutting Marie biscuits..tis easily one of the tastiest things to go with tea or coffee…!
and regarding your blog…why would one assume that a person who is anorexic or wants to be thin or thinks ublotted lipstick is the best thing ever is ‘shallow’ , ‘vain’ and/or ‘empty headed’?
It takes a lot to mantain a good figure for these women and I would surely respect anyone who takes good care of themselves…!
and yes I would love to be thin..errr..thinner…!
reminded me of the song
sweet dreams are made of these
who am i to disagree
travel the world and the seven seas
everybody’s looking for something
some of them want to use you
some of them want to be used by you
some of them want to abuse you
some of them want to be abused
…
oooooooooooooooo aaaaaaaahhahaaaaahaaaaaa…
Fat’hom this while
Fat’hom this while you’re thin’king that! What would the glossy mags have to show if it weren’t for these anorexic-self obsessed(?)-stick armed women? Fat people with loadsa degrees and Phd’s to their resume? How can you see that? Sometimes you need to give some leeway for mankind that goes by looks alone. Looks do matter and thin is in in an industry where the career lifespan for these models is anywhere from 2 to 10 years (Thats stretching!). So as long as they’re in it, they’d make the best of it and after that go in search of whatever you’re talking about…using brains ie.
moreover anorexia isn’t a eating disorder, but bullimia is. And anorexia is a result of such a habit…and i havent’ tasted dog biscuits yet but the last time i had dipped Marie in tea, it tasted yumm. Maybe our tastes differ, but lady, Marie is kick ass!!!
Back to being Fat, im not against fat people but im not against thin people either who loving being so… isn’t it their prerogative as much as it is for fat people to reach for that extra helping?
Looks
If you took a test, you’d be surprised on how much you might be gauging people by their looks. I think we all do it to some extent or the other. See, one can’t blame the models - its their profession and they make money out of it. You cannot blame anyone who makes money out of this thin business of glamor.
So, the only ones left are us - the consumers.
The ad/glam industry is entitled to try to press our buttons (by virtue of the nature of their profession) - whatever the buttons may be.
We’re all influenced by looks. If not by looks, then images - whether in print, or in our heads.