Summary: The Epidemic Of Obesity

There is nothing more unfair than the phrase “you are what you eat.” This simple sentence translates to “if you eat unhealthy, you will look unhealthy”, and vice versa. This statement fails to recognize the fact that many people who are unhealthy or obese may not be the only ones to blame for their figures. In America, a third of adults and nearly a fourth of children under the age of twelve are now classified as obese. Obviously, the obesity epidemic is an enormous issue. However, I think it is extremely unfair to assume that people who are overweight are the only ones to blame for this epidemic. People have an extremely negative view of those who are obese, and yet, we fail to recognize that obesity may be a social epidemic rather than

Although wealth and income have grown significantly, their distribution has become increasingly unequal, with most gains going to the very rich. The probability of an average family experiencing an income drop of half or more has increased from 7 to 17 percent since the early 1970s (Bordoff, Deich, and Orszag 2006: 4). The rise in income insecurity has occurred among highly educated workers as well as those with little education (Hacker 2006: 28). Rising inequality makes each income level below the top feel relatively less well off, and this increases pressure to maintain social status. Throughout centuries, we see that social status can severely affect a person’s self esteem. Households with lower incomes are more likely to have obese inhabitants due to stress. As I mentioned before, people turn to eating when they are stressed. When these low-income households get hungry, they are going to eat the only meal they can afford: a cheap, unhealthy one. I believe that the current state of health insurance has also contributed to sever levels of stress in poorer people. The percentage of people covered by employer-based health insurance plans in medium and large firms fell between 1988 and 2005 from 90 to 65 percent (Miringoff and Opdycke 2008: 139). Not unexpectedly, those at greatest risk of being uninsured are minorities and the poor in general. Atop of

Our current technologically advanced environment encourages people to do whatever it takes to be “beautiful”. In our world, beauty is being thin. Because of this, it is so common that American citizens look at obese people with disgust. People fail to recognize that no one is choosing to be obese. No one is choosing to be unemployed, or choosing to have a lower income. It is so easy for stressed and poor people to turn to unhealthy and cheap food. It this capitalist economy, it is so easy to get something extremely unhealthy for a lot less money. So I have to disagree with the phrase “you are what you eat” because I do not think it is fair to judge a person by what they eat. I believe that not many people are aware of the stress and insecurity that comes with eating unhealthily. The obesity epidemic results from stress due to capitalism, job insecurity, and income