Skinny

I was a skinny kid.

Either my allergies or asthma medicine made lots of foods taste terrible, so I couldn't stand to eat them and eventually developed scurvy, a form of malnutrition caused by vitamin C deficiency.

Back then there were no clothes sizes for people who weighed more or less than the average, so I usually had to use safety pins to hold up my skirts and blue jeans.

And I got teased all the time by other kids for being skinny.

Even as a teenager and young adult I was thinner than most people, and got teased a lot, especially by overweight people. I never teased anyone about their weight, but they probably did get criticized and made fun of for being fat by others.

Finally, in my early 40s, I got up to what the medical charts say I should weigh.

But I always notice when I see or hear other people getting criticized or teased about their weight and it's far more likely that adults will make comments about others who are underweight than overweight. We all know it's rude to call people fat, but it's equally rude to say someone is skinny.

Yes, being extremely under or over weight can cause health problems (and is often caused by health problems) but people with those conditions are aware of them and don't need to be reminded.

Please, everyone, grow up and quit what amounts to verbal bullying.

About Fat

I used to be extremely underweight as a kid and was teased about it a lot. Even when I became an adult, people who would never be rude enough to tell somebody they were fat would feel free to tell me I was skinny. Now I weigh what the charts say I should.

Today lots of people, including children, are overweight because of junk food and lack of exercise and that has become a major health problem in the United States. Of course obesity isn't good, but lots of people, especially women, seem to think they should be extremely thin to be attractive.

The movie star, Marilyn Monroe, who used to be considered one of the most beautiful women in America was famous for having bust, waist, and hip measurements of 38, 28, and 38 inches. Today lots of people would consider her fat.

If we look back at the famous paintings of beautiful women from the Middle Ages and of the Greek and Roman deities most of them would be considered overweight by today's standards.

I understand in the Bible the Hebrew word for 'glory'' was derived from the word for 'fat' because glory is what shows something is worthy of praise and only rich people could have enough food to become fat.

We all know it's important to get plenty of exercise, but some people aren't able to do that for various reasons such as health conditions and overwhelming time constraints. And using food for comfort isn't wise.

But women don't have to fit a certain mold in order to be beautiful.

And, yes, being extremely over - or under - weight can cause all sorts of health problems, but people should be valued for their character, not their physical appearance.