I'm not familiar with the publication either, but the article is presented as factual.
If there had been any discussion of actual health problems caused by her weight gain, I might be more inclined to go easy on the writer. Has she got diabetes? High blood pressure? A heart condition? We don't know, because the article doesn't offer that information. What we are actually told is that "her features are being corrupted", that her beauty has been savaged, that she now "looks mentally ill". Her newfound sanity is called into question merely because she values her peace of mind over her appearance (not her bodily health, most definitely her appearance).
This is offensive to me. It puts down fat people by saying they are ugly and look crazy, and it puts down people who suffer from mental illness by saying that they, too, are ugly, and that their physical appearance to others (not to Nia herself, mind!) is more important than their own sanity and happiness. You don't even have to read between the lines to get this, it's right there on the page.
I don't think this is a matter of pounds or metabolic processes. It is the attitude the writer takes that is offensive.
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Date: 2006-02-10 08:16 am (UTC)If there had been any discussion of actual health problems caused by her weight gain, I might be more inclined to go easy on the writer. Has she got diabetes? High blood pressure? A heart condition? We don't know, because the article doesn't offer that information. What we are actually told is that "her features are being corrupted", that her beauty has been savaged, that she now "looks mentally ill". Her newfound sanity is called into question merely because she values her peace of mind over her appearance (not her bodily health, most definitely her appearance).
This is offensive to me. It puts down fat people by saying they are ugly and look crazy, and it puts down people who suffer from mental illness by saying that they, too, are ugly, and that their physical appearance to others (not to Nia herself, mind!) is more important than their own sanity and happiness. You don't even have to read between the lines to get this, it's right there on the page.
I don't think this is a matter of pounds or metabolic processes. It is the attitude the writer takes that is offensive.