Fat is a social disease that has resulted in fifty percent of American women being labeled as overweight (Orbach pg.200). The fact that this "disease" targets women is not a matter of biology, but a matter of unacceptable social standards. Women are held to a standard of appearance that men are not. Women are told that their failure to be thin is because they cannot control their own compulsions, leaving them feeling like outcasts by their own design. In the essay,”What You Eat is Your Business”, author Radley Balko just reiterates the idea that individuals are responsible for their own weight problems, and individuals need to take “ownership of their health and well- being” (Balko pg.158). This does not change the fact that women are held to an almost impossible standard that when it is not attained, leads to compulsive overeating, and self-loathing. John Banzhaf III, in his article, favors lawsuits against fast-food companies, but knowing the nutritional content in our food will not lead us to the necessary place of acceptance of our bodies just the way they are. The standard placed on a woman’s body needs to be altered. It is time for women to be happy with what they were given.
Works Cited
Orbach, Susie. “Fat as a Feminist Issue.” Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein and Russel Durst. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009. Print.
Balko, Radley. “What You Eat Is Your Business.” Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein and Russel Durst. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009. Print.
Banzhaf, John H. III. “Lawsuits against Fast-Food Restaurants Are an Effective Way to Combat Obesity.” Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein and Russel Durst. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009. Print.
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It's no secret that I truly despised this article, and I have to wonder if your group does too since the assignment required us to defend our points. However, I just want to say that you do a very good job convincing the reader that you do, in fact, agree with the author's statements. I also liked that you spoke about the other authors' works in relation to your own - instead of just pointing out what they did wrong, you related why it was an argument against your topic. It made your post a little more entertaining.
ReplyDeleteWhat I would tell you to work on is getting some more evidence for your authors report, since hers was mostly based on opinions. With some evidence backing it up it could make the argument stronger and make me hate the story a little bit less.
I think your group did a very good job with this week assignment. I do agree that us as women are held to a higher standards then men are. I could understand the points you were trying to get across. This makes me think about the women that live public lives and how they are constantly ridicule about their weight gain as men in the public eye aren’t. I don’t think I would suggest any changes.
ReplyDeleteYour group did a goog job writing your topic. The Evidence that you used backed up some of your points and also had other informantion to keep you interested. You should try more evidence to back up your topic. I agree that women are potrayed in the media to be a certain way, which make us always worry about how we look. Women also do a lot to make themselves feel good, which a think that is great. If they want to get in shape to live a healthier life, or put on makeup to feel pretty then they should do it. America is the number one overwieght country because we eat unhealthy, and people assuming we are not is in denial. Women should never feel that they need to be a certain standard, but they should learn to control their eating habbits. Meaning, when they feel down they shouldn't turn to food and assume the media is to blame. I do think men also have the pressure of the media to be a certain way, they might not show it, but I'm sure they feel it.
ReplyDeleteI think your group did a good job with the response. I agree that women are at an unfair disadvantage on being criticized for their weight. I think your response would have been more effective if it was backed by more support. With that being said, it would have been nice to hear more of your group's opinion on the subject matter. Does your group agree that women are put under too much pressure for being overweight?
ReplyDeleteI think you guys did good supporting and being in favor of your author. I think that if you added that women do care a lot about image and don’t want to be overweight would be a good point to bring up. Also that women are the ones that are bearing children and have to go put on weight and some just can’t loose it. Then again some women think they are eating for two and that is not the case. Women have more fat than men and there isn’t much we can do about it, that is the way we were biologically built. The citations that you put in were good and had a lot of good points.
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