EAT HEALTHY

British journalist Piers Morgan added to the debate in a column in Daily Mail, lambasting Cosmopolitan’s October cover star Tess Holliday, an American plussize model. Excerpts: “As such, you are someone suffering from morbid obesity. That’s not me being a ‘fat-shaming douche bag’, as your legion of fans will doubtless immediately scream. That’s just a fact. The medical establishment gives that definition to anyone who is more than 100lbs overweight or has a BMI (Body Mass Index— ratio of an individual’s height to his or her weight) of 40 or more. That’s YOU. Morbid obesity, as its name suggests, is a very serious health condition. Those who are diagnosed with it are at greater risk for illnesses including diabetes, high blood pressure, gallstones, osteoarthritis, heart disease and cancer. In other words, it can kill you. Yet Cosmopolitan sat you in a throne and declared you’re ‘a role model for others who’ve been excluded this way’, you’re ‘downright honest’ and you’re ‘everything the fashion industry needs right now’ because you ‘don’t conform to the narrow standard of beauty that’s been set by society’. What a load of absolute nonsense.”

Morgan followed up with another column in Daily Mail, where he offered to go on a diet, together with Tess.

Needless to say, a pattern of endless back and forth of extreme opinions has emerged. Even a mild discussion about “Obesity is a growing problem, especially among children. If you’re obese, you will face problems like fatty liver, high blood pressure, diabetes and of course heart disease. Parents need to educate kids on obesity. People need to understand that each body comes in different shapes and sizes. That doesn’t mean you opt for a body type on the extreme end of the spectrum— anorexic or obese. Eat healthy and in moderation, exercise daily”.

Dr Anupam Sibal, senior paediatric gastroenterologist

PHOTO: NEIL P. MOCKFORD/GETTY IMAGES American plussize model Tess Holliday walks the SimplyBe ‘Curve Catwalk’ during the London Fashion Week

PHOTO: PRODIP GUHA/HT PHOTOS: YOGEN SHAH Alia Bhatt Varun Dhawan

(Above) British journalist Piers Morgan in his column lambasted Tess Holliday, an American plussize model who featured on Cosmopolitan’s October cover

(Above) Caitlin Finley, a 22yearold model, guzzles up to 10,000 calories in one sitting, in order to become a webcam star and make money;(Right) Recently, rumours said American filmmaker and fat pride activist Kelli Jean Drinkwater, who presented a TedXSydney talk on fat phobia, in 2016, passed away, but it’s not known if they were true

PHOTO: JEFF SPICER/ GETTY IMAGES