It being the new year, I am seriously thinking about losing weight in the coming months. Note please that this does not fall into the "resolution" category. You see, if I don't classify it as a resolution, then when I devour an entire pint of Ben & Jerry's mid-February I won't feel like a total failure. Yes, I know it's a matter of semantics but creative interpretation is a talent of which I can boast so indulge me, won't you?
As part of my research I surfed the various sites of the more popular weight loss programs. They all feature a previously overweight celebrity spokesperson who successfully slimmed down counting points, eating prepared meals or dancing the flab away in front of millions of viewers each week. They look fantastic so kudos to them all for sticking with it.
The thing I found disturbing, however, was an ad on at least one of the sites. The ad was for anti-depressants. Since Madison Avenue is known for target marketing, one can assume a high incidence of overweight people in need of a mood enhancing drug.
Finally the stereotype of the jolly fat person is history. Let's hear it for the real world!
Believe me, I'm not pointing an accusatory finger since I spent my first year in college popping diet pills. I wasn't depressed. Just obsessed with not gaining that "freshman fifteen". Perhaps it came from shopping for clothes in the Chubby Kids Department -- we weren't big on euphemisms in the '50s -- or from one of the nuns sending a note home suggesting my mom put me on a diet.
Thankfully we're much more sensitive to weight issues now. There are plus sizes for women and an entire shop for men who are big and tall. We use words like "Reubenesque", "Queen Size" and "zaftig" -- Yiddish for having a full, shapely figure. How can you not love that word?
For the longest time I called my extra poundage baby fat, but since it's now old enough to receive Medicare I think it's time to christen it something more accurate.
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