Why Do We Feel The Need to Keep Explaining ‘Our’ Fatness?

May 7th, 2012 - By Brande Victorian

Over the weekend Alice Randall wrote an op-ed piece for The New York Times on black women and fat, simply titled just that. If you haven’t noticed, articles on this topic are becoming about as abundant as ones on black women being single and the trend shows no sign of slowing down. Anyway, Randall plainly states that “many black women are fat because we want to be” and goes on to rehash the oft-expressed notion of black women preferring to have a little more meat on their bones as evidenced through her personal experience of praying for fat thighs as a little girl and knowing many men, her husband included, who have a panic attack the minute their woman drops below 200 pounds.

It’s evident right from the beginning that Randall is not aware of the difference of having rounder hips or a bigger backside and actually being fat, overweight, obese, or in any other physically plump state as a black women that has caught headlines recently, but that’s a far more frustratingly minor point in the overgeneralized and exaggerated prose.

Beyond the aesthetic appeal of a fuller body, Randall says African American women subscribe to being fat, black, and happy as some form of political statement. Quoting Andrea Elizabeth Shaw’s book, The Embodiment of Disobedience: Fat Black Women’s Unruly Political Bodies, Randall too argues that the fat black woman’s body “functions as a site of resistance to both gendered and racialized oppression.” She writes:

“By contextualizing fatness within the African diaspora, she invites us to notice that the fat black woman can be a rounded opposite of the fit black slave, that the fatness of black women has often functioned as both explicit political statement and active political resistance.”

As a heavier black woman who just dropped 22 pounds and has several more to go I can tell you, it ain’t that deep. But if it was, then why do we feel the need to defend it?

Every time another study comes out about obesity in America or black women’s happiness being heavy, a slew of articles come out explaining why we’re bigger than white women and why we’re okay with that. It seems to me if we were really okay with it, there’d be no need to explain anything. I get that sometimes some of these studies feel like yet another attack on black women and we want to let “them” know we’re not falling for it, but the truth is we all know that when researchers point out the alarming rates of black women who are overweight, obese, or morbidly obese we know good and well they’re not talking about having a little something extra in all the “right” places, they’re talking about significant pounds that become a health concern and defense against that is not easily justifiable—particularly if the case for a heavier body is to please black men that I thought didn’t want black women anyway. Do we not realize how ridiculous it sounds to say black women are okay putting themselves at risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and a zillion other illnesses to have a black man dish out a heavy dose of street harassment that we’re probably going to begrudgingly be subjected to in the first place? The thing is we’re not doing ourselves any favors by offering up this overgeneralized reasoning to the masses, especially because I’m more inclined to think black women are heavier not just “because they want to be” but because most of us haven’t had positive eating and exercise examples as a child.

The most frustrating part about Randall’s article is that after explaining why women want to be fat she moves into “WE need to change” and puts less than half the effort into encouraging women to actually get under 200 pounds or lose “the 10 percent of our body weight that often results in a 50 percent reduction in diabetes risk” than she did outlining all the reasons they “happily” got there in the first place. I’m thrilled at the confidence black women can display at any size and I don’t think we need to explain it as if it’s a state of mind we shouldn’t have. The more we attempt the justify it, the less secure with it we actually seem, and though that’s not such a bad thing either, we’re sending conflicting messages that don’t serve any positive purpose. As I’ve said before, not hating yourself because you’re not a size 2 and not caring about carrying extra weight are hardly the same thing but when articles like this come about it just adds to the stereotype that all black women are overweight and that we’re all intentionally overweight for cultural reasons. That line of thinking doesn’t make us sound much better than white women starving themselves to be thin to conform to their own beauty ideals. Let’s stop substituting one stereotype for another to justify something we say we’re okay with and start focusing on the real issue and the real problem: our physical health.

Do you think most black women are overweight because they really want to be?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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  • Brett Baylis

    EVERYONE knows black broads want to be fat and sassy-that’s why this black Canadian lad

    who’ll be 60 July 6,but possesses boyish good looks,a muscular build-I’m 5’9″,200-205 lb.,

    sporting 18-inch arms-and am said to resemble a handsome,randy older black cowboy IN my Wranglers and sneakers or cowboy garb and LAY IT DOWN BUT GOOD OUT OF IT,desires

    and IS DESIRED BY long-haired,buxom blonde and Latin ladies between 25 and 35.AT LEAST THEY LOOK AND BEHAVE LIKE WOMEN and want my boy bits as much

    as I crave their hot body!!!!

  • Sabrina

    My thought on the subject? Why do some people think I owe them an explanation about my size? Quite frankly, I’m tired of the ‘war on obese people’ as though we have no right to live, let alone live happily. All this stuff about larger sized people being lazy, out of control, etc is a lot of b.s. Many of us DO exercise and still the weight doesn’t come off, and I can tell you it is a LOT harder once you get past 40 and you start going through the change. Maybe some of us just want to live our lives without being in tyrrany to the scale? I don’t want to be 110 lbs if all I can eat is nothing but salad and I’m living in fear I’ll have to wear a size bigger than size 3/4.

  • Moudou

    I also forgot to say that BP seem to weigh more for their size-though it is disputed-it’s apparently differences in muscle percentage and greater bone density.

  • Moudou

    This is a visual of what the BMI scale actually looks like. [http://www.flickr.com/photos/77367764@N00/sets/72157602199008819/] It features mainly WW but you get the picture. from (www.kateharding.net) By the way, ‘obese’ starts at a BMI of 30, overweight 25. In fact you might care to repeat this experiment, then we can all see what the obesity crisis actually looks like, rather than the media use of very fat people to illustrate it.

  • KJ23

    I find myself explaining my fatness to people who haven’t seen me in years.  In high school I had what I considered a very nice shape, but after I had my child I gained 70 pounds and now tip the scales at over 200 lbs.  Whenever I see someone from the old days I find myself constantly spouting about having a baby so I won’t be judged.  Sad, I know.

  • chantal

    I personally detested that article , however, you weren’t allowed to comment on it, and would have liked to have told the dear Mrs Randall that if you’re looking for a way to make a political statement or some sort of resistance, do it with your mind rather your health.

  • TAnTan78

    To piggy-back off of DCBLACKMAN, I have noticed that when I was growning up, I would jog with my Walkman a lot.  The people in my neighborhood would call me crazy, and ask why I ran so much.  It was not a fitness thing for me; I had a lot of nervous energy, and was small anyway (4’11).  To this day when  I exercise, and people ask if I need a ride.  But, when they see White people workout, it is expected, and they get no flack.  I have friends who are overweight, and to them it is like a rite of passage, because they think that their children made them gain weight, and that fat is just something that happens when you get older, and that there is no remedy for it.

    • activist1

      LOL people ask you if you need a ride when you go jogging, wow.

  • Treacle123

    At the end of the day people need to stop letting their appetite drive their life. Balance is indeed the key to life. If you are large, enjoy  it, be happy. Don’t make excuses. DOn’t give excuses. Ni

  • Jali

    I really think that it is ridiculous to think that some women want to be fat. If they are saying that they are lying to themselves. Yes black women do desire to be shapely with a nice rear and rack, but believe me they want thin arms and calfs and flat stomachs, and that doesnt come in a fat package. I have never met a man that wanted their woman to be unhealthy unless they had low self esteem and used it to keep her to himself. If a woman doesnt want to work out and lose the weight and decides she would rather be big then put in the work then thats on her. A lot of other races are more prone to thin than we are but it is still no excuse.

    • utriedit

      yeeessssss!!!!! You hit the nail on the head….and most people that say they happy the way they are 200+ pounds have given up and found someone who accepts it… and thats OK, everyone deserves love,  but dont say your’re ok when you unhappy with yourself. If I was that big, i wouldnt want someone else to make me feel complete, I want to be complete and the best I can by by myself. Not “OK” because I found a man to put up with it. 

  • dcblackman

    I don’t think that black women (generally speaking) want to be fat; however, where I live the black women do not like to work out.  At my gym there are only a few white men, and tons of white women and black men working out.  I’ve seen maybe two black women at the gym.  What’s amazing about this is that black women outnumber black men in my area three to one but physically speaking, black men and black women in my area could be no more culturally different.

    • Hrdblkman

      Hey I’m from dc too….. Where you from

      • dcblackman

        Van Ness.  Come to the Gold’s Gym at Van Ness in DC and all you will see is white women running, biking, etc…and downstairs there’s a few white men and tons of black men lifting weights…

  • Me, Myself, and I

    I agree I am tired of us explaining ourselves to them, or to YOU! I resent the writer of that article or ANY other stating or implying what I should be thinking or feeling about myself. As a black woman I don’t need either of you to speak for me.

    • http://profile.yahoo.com/QNEQPX3VRZUX3LE54VX7IEUJAM S.

      The problem with your line of thought is that we’re in an era where nationalized health care is being phased in around the country and as such two statements about Ms Randall’s article should stand out to you and everyone else:
      * America now spends $174 billion a year on diabetes-related illness * Four out of five black women are seriously overweight

      No one may have a right to tell you how you should feel about yourself but you’re naive and wrong to think that a person’s obesity only effects them and should be strictly their own personal business.  The financial burden of overweight people is carried by everyone around them and the nation. 
      If you were expected to pay more for insurance like other high risk individuals such as cigarette smokers that would be one thing but since we all know that any socialized insurance laws would not be that politically incorrect then a person’s lack of a healthy lifestyle does give others a right to advocate change for the benefit of all.   

      • Me, Myself, and I

        The health care system and the cost of obesity is not the subject of this article or the article it referenced. The subject is how do/should we feel about ourselves and if we should be obligated to explain ourselves, this is what my comment was addressing.

        To say I’m naive and wrong would be inappropriate, I am not naive as to how I feel or inappropriate considering the subject matter.  The writer of the article stated they were tired of others trying to explain our lifestyle to the masses, I found it ironic that her article then went on to do the very same thing. 

        If you want to address the obesity problem you will have to do far more then say lose weight. Self esteem is the key to the major problems that we as blacks face such as having several kids all by different fathers, drugs, domestic and black on black violence.

        Therefore, obesity is not the true burden we carry as a nation it is merely a symptom of a greater issue. The true cost of people not carrying for themselves is not reflected in mere health care cost, but is reflected in the eventual destruction of a people from the inside out. Let me ask you this, If the obesity of others didn’t cost you anything would you still care? Or would that simply be a live and let die?

  • Asantewaaspeaks

    Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.  Many black people like curviness – meaning a small waist and comparitively ample breasts and hips.  There is a big difference between Beyonce or even Buffie the body versus Gabourey Sidibe and pre-weight loss Monique.  Alice Randall’s article does not seem to adequately discuss that difference.  The women that I know who are shaped like Beyonce and Buffie are fine with their weight and the women who look like Gabourey and Monique are constantly dieting. Further, I do not know any men who beg their women of average height to be over 200 lbs.  Maybe it is a regional thing. I’m from NY and Randall is from TN.  But if you are writing for the NY times your writing should make the region you are addressing clear.

    • really???

      that’s what had me laughing, begging to be over 200lbs?!?

      agree with your whole comment!

  • Makeda

    Whats’ the first thing most black people say when someone loses weight? “You look sick!” That there tells you that being bigger is accepted by alot of blacks. I’ve always been made fun of because i was always skinny. Now that I’m in my thirties with a pre-teen daughter, I consider it a blessing.

  • Ivory Raider

    Obesity is a function of being lazy . If you can sit in a salon for 5 hours , you can give up 30 minutes a day to exercise. Im so tired of seeing all these overweight chicks in spandex and lacefronts.

    • Bryannamorris

      Best comment ever.

    • Sabrina

      and we’re tired of people who think they can tell us what to wear. Don’t like it? Don’t look but either way shut up and mind your own business!

    • http://www.facebook.com/leslie.boyd2 Leslie M. Boyd

      That is not true. Some people suffer from constant pain (rheumatoid arthritis) which is hereditary and beyond your control. Exercise can be difficult, doable, but difficult. Your comment is a gross overstatement.

  • LezMiz

    I’m of Jamaican extraction and I don’t know if this varies across the diaspora, but you get shamed for being too fat in my extended family, especially if you are young. (I’ve gotten called out by older relatives for gaining weight, and I’ve never been close to overweight.) You also can get made fun of for being too thin, and my skinny mother actually really wanted thicker thighs and a bum growing up. But you CAN get made fun of for both, so just because it’s “culture” to not want to be too thin, doesn’t mean being fat/obese is cool.

    I’m just really skeptical about “culture” being applied broadly when it might just be one person’s experience — especially if your conclusion is as negative as “black women love to be obese.” The MSM is always ready to accept findings that our culture is flawed. I think if my family’s way of thinking about it is typical (I see no reason why this would be different for AAs), blk people have the right idea about weight.

    I’m also curious as to why it is “our” fatness. The majority of white people are overweight/obese, too, and you don’t see them uncritically accepting it as “their” fatness.

    • Sabrina

      So are we to accept white standards?

  • Dionerobertson

    Check your pocket.  Look at your wallet.  Pull out and scan bank statement.  Unless you r the spokesperson (and getting a paycheck for doing so) for overweight black women; you don’t ‘need’ to refute studies, articles or news reports.  

    Black women’s weight can be the same ‘minefield’ as black hair.  Some embrace who they are while chiding they need to change what they are embracing.  Some just live and let live.  It is an interesting mix of culture/personal taste/environment that I’m not collecting a paycheck to untangle.  

    Know your views on weight.  Figure out why.  Decide why it may/may not need to change.  

    Halle Berry excises because (one reason) she wants to avoid insulin shots. Sherri Shepherd says she needs to loss weight for….a wedding.  Of the two statements which one seems like a good lifestyle choice?  We are not sure how long we will live.  Make choices that reflect the good person you want to be.               

  • Tajmahal

    No, I dont think black women want to be fat, overweight, or obese.  Many want to have a curvy figure.  There is a CLEAR difference between fat, obese, and curvy.  But unfortunately the fat, obese, and overweight have claimed the Jessica Rabbit figure as their own.  And that’s truly not the case.

    Fat women always express that they play by their own rules and that a man will never tell them what size they should be.  But them claim that they are fat because their men love it.  So majority of black men want fat, obese women.  Nooo.  That what the Kim K figure which most of us are not. 

    I also dont see why a woman would want to place added stress on her body in order to please a man while in turn shortening her lifespan creating less time with her children.  And also teaching her kids these eating habits increasing childhood obesity, childhood diabetes, etc.  No woman would choose this for a man…I hope not

    • utriedit

      You are sooo right….Most if not ALL fat people I know are not Happy with the way they look, But when you are Severely obese, its dam near impossible to lose weight. SO that most people give up and just live life as a big person. Most overweight people if they had the money or werent super lazy and just set in their ways would change it if they could. but its expensive to eat healthy, and if you have already found a man or a life that is comfortable for you them most are like WHATS THE POINT?? its sad….

    • Sabrina

      Whether one stays big or loses weight, they shouldn’t be doing it for a man. Fact is if a man is criticial, nothing you do will change their rotten attitude. I say find a man who accepts you as you are. Better to be alone than in a bad relationship with a man who does nothing but put you down and make you feel bad about yourself.

  • http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Peaches%20The%20Writer PeachesTheWriter

    The notion that some women carry extra weight because their men find it attractive is evidenced in the fact that some women get injections to enhance their posterior. I don’t know any women who purposefully add an insane amount of volume to their backsides just because they, themselves, think it’s cute. That being said, ladies, we don’t have any ‘splainin’ to do. They can either take it or leave.

    • utriedit

      People enhance their posterior….NOT THEIR STOMACH, ARMS, LEGS AND FACE….All the booty models we see in these magazines mostly have insanely small waists with these behinds…thats how you know they are fake. lol When have you seen a BIG ALL OVER mens magazine model…Ill wait….That aint a reason to stay big hun. 

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