Personal Choices Are Not Contagious!

[Rageaholic]

I believe that we should all be free to make our own choices as long as they don't harm or interfere with freedom of others. It just makes the most sense as opposed to trying to dictate how everyone should live. Where it gets muddy is determining what needs to be restricted in order to make sure we can all live how we want without being violated. In general, most will agree that personal choices should be respected even if it's not something we would have chosen. And then you get those judgmental busybodies who can't respect those choices.

Like this dickhead lawyer who took issue with the news lady being fat. He actually argued that she had a community responsibility to lose weight and that by being fat, she was a bad role model. He almost makes it sound as if her obesity was somehow contagious. Sure, she's not healthy, but that's on her. This lawyer trying to make it seem as if her weight affects anyone other than her is full of shit.

Another example, my mothers ex friend who once told her she was a bad example for being a stay at home mom. Same BS reasoning. Friend was childless by choice, but my mom chose to be stay at home. She's not forcing anyone else to be stay at home, so what's the damn problem?

[catcul]

This is one of the things I worry about if anyone close to me finds out that I'm letting my new partner take control of me. Too many of these MRA jerks would freak if they found out that a man let a woman take control.

[Gravekeeper]

In fairness ( ugh ) the guy apologized to her on camera and came across as more of a clueless dumbass than a malicious MRA jerk.

[s_stabeler]

i'd say it depends- there ARE people that should be a role model, however, that does NOT oblige them to comply with every single whim that every single person has.

Basically, if someone is employed in a job where they will be looked up to as a role model, it IS important they act like it. However, a news reader is NOT one of those- and nor is body weight necessarily something to criticise a role model for. (if, on the other hand, she was intentionally encouraging people to overeat, then that would be a different matter)

[AmbrosiaWriter]

You know, I've dealt with a lot of kids. When asked "Who do you look up to?" and they answer, and you ask them, "Why do you want to be like them?"

...I have yet to hear a child respond, "Because they are fat/thin."

[TheHuckster]

What a lot of people completely miss when they talk about role models is that a lot of role models aren't famous or even extraordinarily heroic. Kids look up to people they are personally close to, possibly even more than the superstars whose posters they hang up on their bedroom wall. And, like every single person on the planet, these role models have faults and aren't perfect.

If you're calling someone out for being fat or thin because some kid might be wrongly influenced by it, then you're basically saying that in order to be a role model of any capacity, you have to be a saint. If it wasn't their body image, then what else could you scrutinize to challenge their role model status? Bad grammar they use on Twitter? Some minor gaffe or faux pas they made once that TMZ made into a week-long stop-the-presses montage?

There's faults that, obviously, are more heinous than others. I'd agree that a celebrity with a history of violence, drug problems, or flat out jerks are bad role models. Being too fat or too thin is such a shallow and petty "fault" to call someone out on, unless that person is using their looks to put down other people (e.g. they are flaunting their body image saying this is what a real woman/man looks like).

[s_stabeler]

that is what I was trying to explain, Huckster. Some people are role models- and as such, they should act like a decent human being- but nitpicking at things like their appearance is bad. ( for example, I remember it was reported a singer I happen to like had gained weight a few years ago. When I looked at the photo used to show it? Her stomach wasn't completely flat. ( I'd say she looked a healthy weight for her age, to be honest) which, frankly, is far from newsworthy, even for a gossip mag. That's an example of holding someone to a ridiculous standard- especially for a singer who doesn't use her appearance to sell her music. ( I could POSSIBLY see commenting on a footballer gaining weight- since that CAN affect their ability to do their job- but only insofar as speculation focused on the effect on said footballer's ability to do their job.)