Obesity in America by Catherine Rost

Many people know that Obesity has become a major problem in this country and others.  According to the CDC, more than a third of American adults are obese and up to almost 20% of our children are considered obese.  The epidemic part arises from the official definition of “obesity,” which is defined as an overweight condition that exposes or places the obese individual at risk for disease.  Diseases associated with obesity include, but are not limited to, non-Insulin dependent diabetes, metabolic syndrome, Cardiovascular Disease, Heart Attack and Stroke.  Furthermore, Cardiovascular Disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, above any type of cancer.  If more than a third of Americans are obese, how many are putting themselves at risk?On the other side of the coin, the media representation of the “normal looking” individual is extremely skinny, and tends to have a very low body fat percentage, which is also unhealthy.  Body fat is an important tissue; it produces many hormones, including testosterone and estrogen, according to the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).  Many models are too skinny to adequately produce some of these hormones, which can cause several problems.  This is what most of the American population looks at every day; this is what we “think” we should look like.  Why? Yet, more than a third of Americans are obese.  How?These discrepancies may be due to a differentiating of society in social norms.  The individuals who have the ability to attain the too-skinny body do so at very high costs, but the individuals who cannot simply allow their bodies to slide into a different unhealthy state.  This may create two separate social norms in which to live, either the extremely thin or the overweight; this is because we try to be what we see every day, which is either what is portrayed through the media (the ultra-thin) or what we see when we go outside (the 1/3 of America that is obese, more of whom are overweight).  Neither of these social identities are healthy, yet everyone seems to fit into one of those categories, or is trying to.  Furthermore, this division can create a disparity among the two populations.  The successfully skinny people may begin to discriminate against the overweight individuals they see and meet everyday, or vice versa.  Because this discrimination would be based on how an individual looks rather than on heredity or some “uncontrollable” factor, once they begin it would be extremely difficult to dispel amongst a population.  Either way, the other category can be viewed as a lifestyle choice that implies something about the individual’s character or personality.  To a population in whose midst this disparity grows, it may lead to a division that changes not only the social norms, but the social constructs of that society.Can educating the general population help individuals to become healthy again? Can mass media and global communication change their images to a promote a healthier lifestyle?  We, as a population, would have to be willing to change our views and ideas, even our social norms and constructs, to a more moderate view.  As a communications major, I feel that this change for moderation and a healthier view needs to begin now, today.  This cannot wait until I graduate and get into the work force, because our ideas and views are being changed daily, not yearly.  This change needs to occur now, before our population divides anymore into one of two unhealthy categories.http://www.cdc.gov/http://www.nsca-lift.org/http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/299/20/2401

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