Empowering women with more fat and meat on their bodies is a great initiative to make them feel good about themselves. It gives them self confidence as it is a powerful cure to social media trolls. Many plus size models have been bullied a lot on social media about their body shape and size. As much as it is a positive thing to glorify plus size, there is a disadvantage to that.
Normalising plus size modelling have caused escalating number of people suffering from obesity. According to Malorye Allison Branca(a medical science writer), the term obesity refers to a condition characterised by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body. Obesity doesn’t affect only the appearance of a human being, it also processes diseases. Obesity has been linked to a number of health risks, such as heart diseases, diabetes and several types of cancer.
According to www.heala.org South Africa has the highest obesity rate in the Sub-Saharan Africa, with almost 70% of women and 39% of men are overweight or obese. People no longer care about the amount of fat their body contain. They don’t care about eating healthy or exercising like they should because they see these models flourishing with their plus size bodies. Most of them have ignored the fact that they are getting overweight from time to time. Statistics shows that children between the ages of 5 years to 18 years are suffering from obesity. These children are at a higher risk of developing chronic health conditions and diseases. They can develop asthma, bone and joint problem as well as sleep apnea.
It is not only fatty foods that contributes to body weight. Consuming too much sugar can also contribute to obesity. More sugar is always hidden on the sugary foods we eat. Sugar later develop into fat that later cause obesity.
The number of deaths caused by obesity has increased over the past years. According to statistics 96 out of 100 overweight people pass away due to sudden cardiac death.
Obesity can be dangerous if ignored. As much as it can be dangerous, the disease can be avoided and cured. A person who is suffering from obesity can exercise regularly, focus on a constant and healthy diet plan, cut down the consumption of fatty and sugary food and also use vegetable-based oils rather that animal-based oils.
Obesity is a serious issue that South Africa is currently facing at the moment and it must be taken into consideration as soon as possible.
Images Courtesy of Google.
By:Zanele Magagula
