>-Sean Johnston commented:
>Folkz,
> Who's read "The Food Farm" by Kit Reed? I've just finished reading
>it for a class and I want to say it's reinforced my belief that beauty's
>only skin deep, but instead I think it merely substituted, in the end, the
>physical ideal from thin to fat. On that level, I don't know what to think
>of it because it's on the one hand not moving forward in the sense of
>having people accept others whatever they look like and on the other it's
>at least putting forth a concept like this: what if the physical ideal was
>heavy, like ____________(fill in name of favorite heavy female star)
>instead of the Cindy Crawfords and Courtney Coxes of the world? An
>interesting idea, this one, which deserves examination. I don't know that
>the world would be any better because then thin people'd feel like heavy
>ones do now (which I'm finding out as I seem to gain girth).
>
While I haven't read the work in question, it made me think of changing
fashion being linked to wealth in the past, and probably in the future.
Rubenesque women were favored because they showed they could afford enough
food to be that way. Even as early as the turn of the century, those who
could eat believed in letting it show. It was only recently, with the
advent of easily available and cheap starchy foods available to the masses,
and more $$ required to afford health foods, spas and the like that thin
became in. IIRC from my studies.
I don't recall any SF stories specifically addressing weight (although _The
Female Man_ mentions a preference for "big assed women"), but I can think
of several where the masses had synthetic food and the rich had the more
exotic "natural" food.
Maryelizabeth
Mysterious Galaxy 619-268-4747
3904 Convoy St, #107 800-811-4747
San Diego, CA 92111 619-268-4775 FAX
http://www.mystgalaxy.com
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