Today was I watching ET, and they did a short on that fat model who modelled for the Jean Paul Gautier show and made huge waves when she appeared.

So apparently she weights in at a hefty 291 lbs, or 131.99 kilograms in local speak.

I am thin by virtue of genes and a high metabolic rate. I'm not anorexic, I don't take laxatives nor rush to puke out my stomach's contents. Do I wish I was fatter? Yup, sure do. I know I can use a little meat on my bones because at my current weight, I will most probably suffer from health problems like osteoporosis and whatnot later on in my life. Already my high metabolic rate gives me problems because I have to eat frequently or else I will get gastic pains and tummy aches.

So anyway yup, being thin does have it's health problems. So does being fat. Hugely so. At 291 lbs, that model weighs twice as much as my father. That is freaky. When I saw her, she reminded me of the bio question we had for the mid years or something, the one asking us on the dangers of being grossly overweight, complete with disturbing Uncle Fester lookalike fat dude.

In the interview on ET she kept emphasising on how much she loved herself and how beauty is whatever you make it to be. To this I vehemently agree. Botero's famous paintings of rather rotund people all fetch a high price. Beauty indeed is in the eye of the beholder. Loving youself and treasuring your life is indeed very important too. However what struck me the most and annoyed me to no end was how she constantly emphasised it. Like she was happy - being grossly overweight!

When I talk about overweight I don't mean an extra 20kgs here or there, I mean 'Holy shit you're kidding me right?' weight, like hers. There is a boundary between loving yourself for who you are, and being completely blind to how abusive you are to your body. Any Sec 3 Bio student worth their salt could easily rattle off the serious health implications that are brought about from being overweight, nevermind overweight to such an extent as hers. Hypertension, clogged arteries, risk of heart attack, you name the coronary disease and she's a candidate for it. To love yourself means taking care of your body, and teaching others that loving yourself is alright because we are all different, but don't encourage them to not take a pro-active role in making themselves healthy!

So yes, by all means love yourself for who you are, but also love your body and the one life that comes with it!