Howard Stern was blazingly cruel in his recent tirade against "Precious" star and Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe. "There's the most enormous, fat black chick I've ever seen," said Stern. "She is enormous. Everyone's pretending she's a part of show business and she's never going to be in another movie."
Sidibe is, without a doubt, a wildly gifted talent. And to anyone who saw her working it on the red carpet Sunday night, clearly comfortable in her own skin. But in calling Gabourey out on her size -- however scathing -- Stern may have actually done something positive.
The young actress is clearly carrying an unhealthy amount of weight, and by making her the target of his tirade, Stern opened up the floodgates to a subject that desperately needs to be addressed more openly in America. We can no longer afford to be politically correct or afraid of hurt feelings when it comes to talking about obesity. Our country is in the midst of a grave obesity epidemic that is compromising our lives. Americans are fatter than ever, with approximately 127 million overweight and 69 million obese adults in the country. Being obese raises the risk of cancer (with over 75 percent of cases reported to be directly attributed to obesity), cardiovascular disease, heart disorders, stroke, infertility and hypertension.
The fat crisis isn't only hurting us physically, it's hurting us financially. Obesity related health care is costing us $117 billion each year.
Stern made a point during his critique of Sibide when he said, "You just want to say to her, listen, honey, now that you've got a little money in the bank go get yourself thin, because you're going to die in three years." Stern is implying that money buys good health, since people who have the means to purchase more nutritious and fresh food, educate themselves on fitness, nutrition and health, and have safe places to exercise, will undoubtedly find it easier to combat overweight and obesity. But these options are not available to every American. Where Stern is wrong, however, is that she shouldn't feel the need to buy herself a thin frame. Sibide, along with millions of men and women, needs to get back years of her life that are being robbed by obesity.
Researchers have been studying overweight and obesity as it relates to factors such as education, income level, location and ethnicity, and have found all of these factors weigh on an individuals risk for obesity.
And while economic and genetic factors do play a role, at the end of the day it's individual lifestyle choices that have the biggest impact on the scale. Making a concerted effort to eat healthier, whole foods, prioritizing exercise and incorporating cooking in your daily life are imperative. After all, only you have control over what and how much goes in your mouth and how often you want your body to be active each day. Often obese individuals have other factors at play, including hormone imbalances and sometimes depression, but by understanding the underlying factors and addressing them, most people can gain their health back even with limited means.
Even though Howard Stern was by no means thoughtful or kind when he spoke of Sidibe, she is indeed dangerously overweight. Stern's radio show might not have been the polite venue to bring up such a sensitive topic, but we can only hope that those close to her are also concerned about her health and have spoken out in a more private setting.
Now that Stern's cruel comments have hit the airwaves, we will have to wait and see if she will embrace her stardom as a chance to get her weight in check. I'm also hoping that with her new found fame, she can also address some of these complex issues surrounding why so many people and minorities in particular are battling overweight and obesity and perhaps become a role model for much needed change in America today.
As rude and insensitive as it is to point out someone's weight in public, many That's Fit Success Stories say that comments about their weight was the turning point to get healthy.
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