Being Thin Doesn't Always Lead to Eternal Happiness (ROUGH DRAFT)

Every January, millions of Americans create one goal for themselves for the upcoming new year: to lose weight. The American standard of beauty evolves tall and lean individuals and although it’s nearly impossible to choose your desired height, it is a choice to choose your weight. A choice many Americans attempt to try.

With the obesity rate in the nation rising, many health officials are concerned about the well-being of many Americans. Obesity has become the number one cause of fatality in Americans due to poor diet which contributes to the diagnosis of a numerous diseases including heart disease, cancer and kidney failure.

Now that more Americans have become aware of their poor diet choices and high-caloric foods, more and more are looking into extreme dieting as an alternative to fit in society standards. In a poll conducted by the American Psychology Association in March, 41% of their new patients were diagnosed with depression because of poor self-esteem. What ironic about this is that the depression is a result of weight loss and not weight gain.

The pressure to remain thin, is a tough one, just ask Franchesa Marino, 21, a student at Boston College. Besides studying Sociology, she is active on the school’s Division I volleyball and softball teams, and having recently lost a significant amount of weight she feels the pressure of being thin. “It’s strange, I think I deprive myself to much and I miss not having any limitations on what I can eat.” She says. “Honestly, I was happier when I was overweight because I didn’t have to live up to the standards of being thin, I get my weight checked on a weekly basis because of sports.”

With obesity rates still on the rise, as well as low self esteem, is it really better to be thin? Last November, British supermodel Kate Moss caused controversy worldwide when she said a pro-anorexia quote in an interview with Women’s Wear Daily. According to the 5’6, 105-pound Moss, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” The quote garnered tons of attention because it reflected a view of beauty in the fashion industry and contradicts the typical lifestyle of the average person.

Inger Hustrulid, 30, a registered dietician and nutritionist at Foundations Family Nutrition in Massachusetts believes many Americans are happiest when overweight, because they don’t deprive themselves of comfort foods. “When your dieting your constantly thinking about food because your always hungry, when overweight food isn’t that relevant in your lifestyle,” she says. “People are happier because they eat the foods they want and don’t feel guilty about it. Thin people try to maintain their figures so if they do slip on their diets, they feel guilty, overeat and become angry at themselves.”

According to the American Obesity Association (AOA) nearly 34 percent of adults are obese, more than double the percentage 30 years ago. The number of obese children has increased also, to 17 percent and is the highest in the nation’s history.

“Negative body image plays a huge factor in obesity, especially among adolescents, says Chris Godfrey, a Psychology professor at Pace University. “There’s absolutely no win in being overweight or thin. If overweight your at a health risk and if thin your never really satisfied because you often compare yourself to others.”

The outside exterior doesn’t compare with the interior body for some individuals. With Hollywood A-Listers such as Jessica Simpson, Hilary Duff and Beyonce embracing curvaceous figures, the definition of beauty in America is slightly changing. Simpson, Duff and Beyonce have each lost a significant amount of weight in the past (Simpson for Dukes of Hazard, Duff for an album Dignity and Beyonce for Dreamgirls) and each publicly opened up about the grueling process of losing the weight and not feeling good about themselves.

Jessica Simpson has seen it the worst as she was photographed during a concert appearance last year with a more plump figure. She was ridiculed by the media, but confessed that she is a lot happier now then she was in her thinner days and is more comfortable in her own skin. She even has adopted a new philosophy “eat whatever makes you feel good.”

Women, who aren’t overweight are more pressured to maintain a healthy weight than the women who are. Weight gain is more noticeable on thinner people and if weight is gained, people who meet this criteria are often ridiculed about it. Americans who have recently lost a fair amount of weight, are often pressured as well to maintain their figures and become prone to mental and eating disorders such as manic depression and binge eating.

Renee Whitten, a 48 year old secretary at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston struggled with her weight since she was a teenager. Last summer she decided to test the odds and get gastric bypass surgery, by January she was already down 80 pounds. Although she is no longer classified as overweight, Robinson was happier in her own skin. “I had a negative body image and I thought that losing weight would change that,” she says. “I actually regret losing so much weight. I can no longer eat the foods I love and my stomach hurts even if I try to.”

It’s oblivious that negative body image leads to low self-esteem but it’s not so common that many people who experience low self-esteem are people who are considered thin in society’s standards. The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a statistical measure used by the World Health Organization to determine a person’s body weight. In the United States a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 kilometers is considered in the healthy range and any BMI over 25 km is classified as obese and is at risk for heart diseases and diabetes.

A five-foot-three woman who weighs one hundred and fifty pounds is considered overweight, even if she doesn’t look fat. Figuring out her BMI can negatively affect this woman’s self-esteem because she’s considered fat in health standards but acceptable in beauty standards. If she is unaware of the fact she’s overweight, she’d live her life normally and happily because she wouldn’t have the pressure to lose weight and become “skinny.”

Happiness is based on self-loathe an individual has for his or herself. If a three hundred pound man is satisfied with his appearance then society should accept it as well, as the same with a one and sixty pound man. If being thin is about extreme dieting and constant unhappiness than the increase in American obesity is starting to make a hell of a lot more sense.