No woman can be too rich or too thin. This saying
often attributed to the late Duchess of Windsor embodies much of the odd spirit
of our times. Being thin is deemed as such a virtue. The
problem with such a view is that some people actually attempt to live by it. I
myself have fantasies of slipping into narrow designer clothes. Consequently, I
have been on a diet for the better—or worse—part of my life. Being rich wouldn’t
be bad either, but that won’t happen unless an unknown relative dies suddenly in
some distant land, leaving me millions of dollars. Where did we
go off the track When did eating butter become a sin, and a little bit of extra
flesh unappealing, if not repellent All religions have certain days when people
refrain from eating, and excessive eating is one of Christianity’s seven deadly
sins. However until quite recently, most people had a problem getting enough to
eat. In some religious groups, wealth was a symbol of probable salvation and
high morals, and fatness a sign of wealth and well-being. Today
the opposite is true. We have shifted to thinness as our new mark of virtue. The
result is that being fat—or even only somewhat overweight—is bad because it
implies a lack of moral strength. Our obsession with thinness
is also fueled by health concerns. It is true that in this country we have more
overweight people than ever before, and that, in many cases, being over weight
correlates with an increased risk of heart and blood vessel disease. These
diseases, however, may have as much to do with our way of life and our high-fat
diets as with excess weight. And the associated risk of cancer in the digestive
system may be more of a dietary problem—too much fat and a lack of fiber—than a
weight problem. The real concern, then, is not that we weigh
too much, but that we neither exercise enough nor eat well. Exercise is
necessary for strong bones and both heart and lung health. A balanced diet
without a lot of fat can also help the body avoid many diseases. We should
surely stop paying so much attention to weight. Simply being thin is not enough.
It is actually hazardous if those who get (or already are) thin think they are
automatically healthy and thus free from paying attention to their overall
lifestyle. Thinness can be pure vainglory. The author criticizes women’s obsession with thinness ______.
A. from an economic and educational perspective
B. from sociological and medical points of view
C. from a historical and religious standpoint
D. in the light of moral principles