Well, maybe there is, because some of you may assume that a "wrong" place to gain weight is one's backside. Not so, New York Magazine insists, as evidenced by their focus on Kate's:
As you can see from the photo, Moss has put on a bit of weight, not a difficult accomplishment from her days of heroin-chic. Many women would fret about gaining weight "back there," but not Kate, nor the editors of New York, as now, Kate simply has a backside. I'm left thinking that there aren't necessarily culturally acceptable "right" and "wrong" places to gain weight, but rather culturally acceptable "right" amounts of weight to gain. If you're underweight, it's okay to add a few pounds. If you're not, you better watch your placement.
What do you think?
12 comments:
...Does she have little birdies holding up her underwear?
While I do think it's a good thing that Ms. Moss had put on a few pounds, how, exactly, are the rest of us supposed to control WHERE we gain weight? Those of us who are not genetic freaks-er-genetically "blessed?"
Implicit in this discussion is the idea that women have some sort of control as to where the fat winds up on their bodies, and that by having the fat go into the "right" place, the woman involved has succeeded in some way.
I would argue that, culturally, there are both "right" and "wrong" places for fat to go and an "acceptable" amount of fat for certain people to gain.
Truly, those who are deemed "too skinny" are frequently demonized and mocked until they "get healthy" (usually the difference is about 5 or 10 pounds, going by how often certain celebrities are believed to go back and forth over that invisible line).
But just gaining the weight is not enough. They have to maintain an hourglass shape, or else they're still going to be mocked. Fat is only supposed to go in boobs, hips, and booty. If you happen to store fat in your stomach, thighs, calves, or upper arms, then you're just "sloppy fat" and told to get to the gym.
Unfortunately, the myth of spot reduction is still so very common, so women are assumed to have control over where the fat falls.
Yes, exactly what Azusmom, Rebel and Raksha say above: key word is control. Women are expected to control everything about themselves, including where fat happens to puddle about their bodies. Control that menstrual cycle, control procreation, control those children and yes, control where lipids appear on your figure.
{Something about weight issues just brings out the feminist in me!}
I heard a story on NPR reporting on a study that found a correlation between belly fat and greater health risk. The study that showed up in one of journals predicted waist size to be a much better predictor of illness than BMI or weight alone. Apparently it has something to abdominal fat and deep abdominal fat and genetics. Shit...I'm an industrial historian, I don't read science journals. But yeah, I guess what I'm saying is that I would be a little worried about lipids getting stuck up in my right ventricle or anywhere in that cavity where all the important organs are...but I'm not going to complain if it goes to my ass.
Kate Moss is a gorgeous woman anyway you look at it.
Science tells us that there are "right" places to carry weight. Women who carry their fat in their butts and thighs can afford to be a tad overweight because their fat is not as soluble as women who store fat on their bellies. So there are women how get fat in the right places and some who do not.
Ulla, the implication here is that we can *choose* where we store our fat. If we could, there'd be no such thing as breast implants, lol!
If you're underweight, you SHOULD add a few pounds. If you're not, unless you are blessed with a great DNA set, you'll look less healthy and therefore less aesthetically pleasing should you gain weight.
As a woman there are several healthy places for Moss to store fat, her butt and breasts being the places best for a modeling career.
i know nothing about science, but i've always believed that we look a certain way for evolutionary reasons. the male of the species is attracted to women with large hips, because they will facilitate birth (procreation.) the breasts are sexually attractive and will feed the young.
maybe i read this somewhere, but i do think these "right" places to gain weight are connected to nature.
that said -- kate moss is still a very thin women with relatively small breasts and a tiny butt. i don't take her very seriously. but i'm ashamed that my ED and i wouldn't mind looking like her.
Gosh this is so true! I'm so tired of hearing about how when an actress gains weight she's fat, but if she doesn't she's "pin-thin." This reminds me of how the tabloids have been accusing Jessica Simpson of getting fat. No one's ever good enough!
As far as the "right" places to gain weight in being hips and boobs having to do with evolution -- the "right" places appear to have changed a bit too much through the centuries for that. Sometimes it was all about a big belly and a big butt, other times, it was the breasts, yet other times, not too much fat anywhere was preferred... it all depended on the society and time in question. And what about bisexuality or lesbianism? I'm bi, but I don't have a straight guy hidden deep inside me, looking for a lady to carry his baby...
IMO, there are no "right" places to gain weight. Wherever you gain weight -- if you gain weight -- is fine, as long as you are fairly healthy, because that's what really matters.
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