Diets and dieting

[targaff]

sioneva frequently makes posts on her syndicated journal relating to fat acceptance. I don't really intend to say anything about the movement of itself here, but for the record, I broadly agree with its while also strongly agreeing with the argument made under the social criticism section of that Wikipedia page (I don't, on the other hand, agree with the

Comments

[hobbitblue]

Semantically I think I agree with you, but in terms of cultural/social usage, I think dieting does have the weight loss connotation, so "I'm on a diet" means "I'm watching my weight" if you don't qualify it, whereas "I'm on an arthritis-friendly diet" or gluten-free diet or mediterranean diet or low-sugar diet tends to suggest something a bit more specific

[kuangning]

I think that last line encapsulates things very well; for the most part, men get to slide free of that subtext because it's not aimed at them. They often don't see how ubiquitous and relentless it is if you happen to be female. You don't start getting lectures from family and doctors, as a man, until you are very much overweight; women, on the other hand, start getting hints and looks and little comments if they even happen to be retaining an extra five pounds of water weight that week. (When were Sasha and Malia Obama ever really chubby? They're not even at their full height yet. But so we begin.)

[sioneva]

Yes.

And poor Sasha and Malia have media attention focused on them - as intelligent girls already being targeted for weightloss and bearing relentless pressure to succeed, they're also prime candidates for developing eating disorders, if their parents don't get a clue quickly!

[sioneva]

Of course, wrong-end-of-the-stick-edness is coming to the UK too. I think that, as a nation, the British are going to end up even more weight-obsessed (rather than actual health obsession) than Americans are and to as little real purpose or improvement in overall health.

[sioneva]

You could have posted a link to this over on the nastygram comments you left on my journal.

And.

If you're going to quibble this passionately about a title (which I just stuck in as a placeheader because I couldn't think of one that I wanted and ended up just leaving in for the same reason)...methinks you need to be a little less sensitive about it. Is it really worth attacking your wife because of something that, in essence, relates not at all to you except for a throwaway sentence followed up by a sentence defending how wonderful you are?

[targaff]

I hadn't written it at the time I posted there. I figured if you wanted your readership to see it you'd post a link to it yourself, like you did last time.

As for the rest, I'm not just disagreeing with the title but your stance that someone's eating patterns have to pass the litmus test of including the mental and physical turmoil a diet entails for you personally in order for you to consider it a "real diet" (the exact words you used). If you're going to discuss that and misrepresent my own view, I don't really have much choice but to respond.

[targaff]

Did you just tl;dr me? ;p