I would have thought so, too. Yet according to some here, the poor child is now set up for a lifetime of bingeing, poor body image, lack of self-esteem, yo-yo dieting, etc etc…

And your experience is not one-size-fits-all, either. I agree children should learn healthy habits. But hysteria over the weight of little girls and putting them on unrealistic diets just causes disordered eating in one direction or another.

(Note: it doesn’t seem that the Obamas were particularly hysterical, and they do seem to be emphasizing the right things: healthy eating and exercise. What I object to here is making their child’s weight a topic of public discourse.)

But wouldn’t it be better to have a diet intervention as a child to prevent you from becoming overweight in the first place, than to become overweight and spend your adult years fretting about “hatred against fat people”?

As for the growth spurt, I was obese at age 11. Then I stopped growing upwards, but continued to grow outwards. So yeah, if I had a chubby little girl I wouldn’t be waiting for the growth spurt.

The concern isn’t that they are trying to take care of their daughters’ health and provide them with quality food. THE CONCERN IS THAT THEY CALLED THEIR DAUGHTER “CHUBBY” TO THE WORLD.

That is incredibly damaging to a young girl. Even if she doesn’t see/hear that comment now, what if, at 15, she is looking back at her parents’ press and sees that comment? Then she looks at herself in the mirror and goes, well, am I still a little chubby? What if I get chubby again? And she flips out, goes on a diet and spirals into an eating disorder. I know that’s an extreme and not all that likely, but there are many less extreme (also highly damaging) outcomes. Like a lifetime of low self-esteem about her appearance and yo-yo dieting or dieting unnecessarily (of course, there really isn’t a ‘necessary’ way to diet). And so on.

And, as much as I adore pretty much everything else about them (by the by, super psyched about the stem cell funding — I hope this means my friend will see the diabetes he’s had since childhood cured in his lifetime), their views on weight and “obesity” are pretty backward and convoluted and unhealthy. They, like so many others, focus on the “zomg, Americans are fatty fatty fat fats! Put calories on their menus and take away their Fruit Roll-Ups!” Instead of focusing on important things like making sure lower income people have access to nutritious foods and teaching kids how to live to focus on their health instead of their weight. And working with young people (especially girls) on healthy body image and self esteem.

Because, well, I had a pretty decently nutritious diet (“diet” as in “what you eat every day” not “go on a diet”) and regular exercise (years of swimming and dance classes) and zOMG I’m still fat. And zOMG I’m very healthy.

But I’m a little chubby, so Michelle might flip out and take away my store bought vegan cookies.

And now Meghan McCain is getting crap about her weight too. This business needs to stop. Yesterday. http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/12/ingraham-meghan-mccain/

I doubt that the occasional juice box and processed snack is going to harm a child.”

Sarah, I don’t see how you can say that! Young people are categorically not healthier or more healthy than in previous generations! And CERTAINLY not in the US! And the point is that it isn’t an ‘occasional’ juice box/processed food – it’s a constant and staple item in the diet of today’s youth. And it’s absolutely becoming the same way here in the UK. Time to act indeed!

BFP

The good thing the Obamas did here was to change the diet for all the people in the family – a lifestyle change, not going on a diet. That’s a good thing.

Saying this in public is not a good idea though.