In The Belly (Part Two)

In her biography of Oprah Winfrey (unauthorized, of course), Kitty Kelley mentions an incident in the media star’s life when she ordered two pecan pies from room service in a hotel and ate both of them alone. This story has gained more coverage in reviews of the book that any of the new information about her difficult childhood or possible affairs with other television celebrities. What seems to bother people is the fact that she did it in stealth when so many other facts about her life are public knowledge, including her gains and losses of body mass.

I feel for Miss Winfrey. I have had my own problems with weight and can say that I do not know how I would handle being judged by such a large and vocal public. She is probably the most powerful and well-liked figure in the media right now, which may take care of this one problem. But we still see her on television. The body has to tell truths that the brain cannot always handle. So what can be done about this? You can say that we are all human and are prone to many weaknesses. Also, society has learned to accept such faults (if we even do see them as faults). There are societies and at least one magazine devoted to the obese lifestyle; seats are now larger on airplanes and in certain makes of cars; governments discuss the problem at the highest levels; and no adult who wants to retain a high standing in society describes a person as “fat”. That person is now “heavy” or “overweight;” even “big-boned.” Yes, political correctness has brought us these terms. But like most politically-correct terms, ugly truths are masked out of politeness, never a good thing when a problem is so much a part of how we live and behave.

We have more information about healthy eating, just in time for a rise in the number of obese people. We are told that we have to more active, yet we have more distractions in the home and in our lives to keep us sedentary. We have government agencies encouraging us to feed ourselves and our children the right types of food, and we are still not able to shake the bad eating habits that we have developed. And, despite all of this, it is not an issue that is taken seriously.

I once watched a program on the Discovery channel that profiled people who were severely overweight and attempting to do something to change their lives. A woman who could not leave her room under her own power said something that stayed in my mind:

“Food was my best friend.”

Let’s consider that for a moment. This woman, when much thinner, was attractive, lively, had a devoted circle of friends. She found that this was not enough and turned to something that is not illegal to own, readily available, and convenient. A drug addict needs only one contact in order to get their fix; all you need is your local convenience store to get deeper into the cycle of fat and unhealthy eating. And I am also thinking of a response made by my brother when asked why he ate so much:

“Because it’s there.”