I’ve always loved Queen Latifah. She was an ample lady with beauty, success, and confidence. Not only that, with her celebrity status, I thought for sure over the years we would see her yo-yo on the weight scale like most others. While I’ve never heard her speak out in support of her size, I’ve never heard her downplay it either. It was a non-issue for her, which I like. She took on the world and conquered it. Queen Latifah’s endorsement is what caused my loyalty to Cover Girl cosmetics.
So when I saw the Jenny Craig commerice where Queen Latifah discusses her 20 pound weight loss I was disappointed. One of the size positive role models in the celebrity world has succumb to the hype. The Queen Latifah Jenny Craig website even has a blog where the Queen discusses her weight loss venture. Of course, there are several mentions of how she loves her size, and she’s not doing this to be a thinner, only to be /more healthy/. The posts are a walking contradiction not unusual in the weight loss world.
Twelve is my new favorite number. And, no, I’m not talking about how many pounds I’ve lost so far. (Remember, some number on a scale is not what this journey is about for me – it’s about losing around 10% of my body weight to live a healthier, longer life.)
While it sounds good (and I admit she almost had me convinced), the truth is that is /is/ about a number on a scale. The medical industry, and the media, has consistently pushed that X pounds or X percentage of fat is healthy for every individual when that’s just not the case. I wish I could send Queen Latifah some information on HAES and help her wipe away the brainwashing of our society. Take a gander at any of the links under the HAES section on this website. Check out Kate Harding’s project on the BMI index, or the don’t you realize fat is unhealthy information.
This kind of brainwashing is why sites like First, do no harm exist. Fat is seen as the enemy, and anyone who is not killing themselves to keep it away isn’t worthy of even existing.
