Reply to My MIL just told my 9-year old that she was going to turn into a "fatty" if she ate whipped cream...

Forum Index » Family Relationships

Reply to "My MIL just told my 9-year old that she was going to turn into a "fatty" if she ate whipped cream..."

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

I'm convinced that the self esteem movement is uniquely American. I have seen Europeans be quite direct re weight. A Chinese-Am friend who was born and raised in the U.S. and went to visit her grandparents in China every couple years has told me several times that her grandmother was quite horrified and "direct" about how "big" she got when she hit her teens/20s. My friend is normal sized for an American -- 5 ft 6 in and wears about a size 6; for her Chinese grandma that was obese as all the girls in the family and all the girls she knew -- neighbors, friend's granddaughters etc. -- were more like 5 ft and 100 lb max. My Indian grandparents -- same way; the issue of weight never came up, but if a grandkid wasn't doing well in school, they'd be quick to make comments about who was smart or not. Did it hurt feelings, sure. Did it need to be said -- yes and for me it was a motivator. [/quote]

Spot on, PP!

And I especially agree with your comment about the directness of Indian parents, grand-parents and other relatives when they see someone - especially someone younger - who has put on weight. They point blank would tell the person without any concern about the person's self-esteem or sensitivity.

The only thing I would add is that in days gone by, someone putting on weight in India was often associated with affluence but that is no longer the case. India has a huge problem with obesity among the middle class and the more affluent. It has been caused by the fast food culture that has caught on in India as well as a much more sedentary life-style. The net effect is that diabetes is rising at an alarming rate and since blood sugar is not as closely monitored it plays havoc with other organs.

[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics