Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Fat Chance

Actress and comedian Mo'nique is one of the reasons that I have started this blog. She is the one that started "F.A.T. Chance", a beauty pageant on the Oxygen network that basically glorified being overweight and obese. She also wrote a book called "Skinny Women are Evil".

I have always found Mo'nique's message to America (especially to African-American women) to be horrifying and if not irresponsible and just plain wrong. Now, I am all for each woman having high self-esteem. We (myself included) are all not meant to look like the image of beauty that American fashion tells us we should look like. However, never once did she say that we should be happy to be who we are but we should strive to be healthy too. She never mentioned the importance of eating healthy or exercising.

As if F.A.T. Chance were not bad enough, Mo'nique "graced" the cover of Essence magazine at least five times between 2004 and 2007. Again, I was horrified. Essence magazine is the leading publication for African-American women, one that I had previously enjoyed. (I no longer read this publication.) In the Essence appearances, Mo'niques's message was the same. Jill Scott even chimed in on one issue. What kind of message is Essence sending to our community by featuring Mo'nique and her message so often?

But now Mo'nique's message is changing. It is being said that Mo'nique has lost at least 25 pounds because she is realizing that in order for her to be around for her family, she must be healthy. And that starts with losing weight. Thank goodness, Essence put her back on the cover, yet again, last year so she could talk about her change of heart, among other things.



How is she losing her weight? I am going to look into it and find out.

Ladies, tell me, What do you think about Mo'nique and her message? Both her old message and her new message?

The fitness revolution starts with changing the way we think about fitness. Part of that revolution is for prominent African-American Women to send a better message to our community-especially our young people.

1 comment:

  1. I HAVE ALWAYS FOLLOWED MONIQUE, ME BEING PLUS SIZED, THERE IS THE FALSE CONFIDENCE WE HAVE BECAUSE IF WE DONT 'SHOW" THAT WE LOVE OURSELVES WHO WILL? I DONT THINK SHE WAS GLAMORIZING BEING FAT IN THAT MANNER, I THINK SHE WAS TRYING TO GET THE POINT ACROSS IS THAT IF U R BIG, LOVE YOURSELF. BIG WOMEN ARE PEOPLE TOO! AND AS 1 SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE PEOPLE CONSIDER ME HANDICAPPED BECAUSE OF MY SIZE. BUT LIKE MONIQUE, I TOO AM ON MY WAY TO LOOSING AS MUCH WIEGHT AS POSSBILE. AND I COMEND HER FOR BEING THAT INSIPIRATION BECAUSE SHE IS REALLY THE ONLY WOMAN OF COLOR WHO WE HAVE TO SAY YES WE CAN LOVE OURSELVES ENOUGH TO CONTINUE TO LOVE OURSELVES, BUT GET HEALTHY AT THE SAME TIME.

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