Women and Fat

AP reported today that Oprah Winfrey is now "200 pounds," and dedicated an entire page to her weight mismanagement over the last 20 years. Having weighed almost 200 pounds myself after the birth of my first son, I can relate to the disapointment and shame of the weight rollercoaster. However, I did not have the public writing about my weight! The media focuses a tremendous amount of energy into women's appearance, especially weight. It rarely focuses on men with the same issue. I can think of only one male celebrity who was the focus of attention with the issue of his weight, and that was Al Roker the weatherman - but it was congratulatory in nature because he'd shed so much. There was no mention of his weight when he was obese. Not only do beauty magazines tell women how much to weigh, they also have the media out them when they gain some weight! I'd like to see a healthy weight--whatever that may be--held as a standard for women and a model for young girls, rather than the current impossible goals they hope to achieve.