Monday 22 October 2007

Striptease and Obesity

Remember that burlesque evening I mentioned last week? Well, the mystery is solved.

Cara Lester, a graduate from University College Falmouth invited the public to see her photography prints at a Candid Masquerade evening in the Toast bar. Cara likes to celebrate the beauty of curvaceous women through her pictures, focusing on striptease.

On the night of her photography exhibition, the bar was turned into a Moulin Rouge style rendezvous. (Remember that black stage with plastic rose petals?) The highlight of the evening was Ophelia Bitz, a London burlesque star, who entertained the audience with “comical songs and hands-free cocktail shaking” (the mind boggles). She must have been the one with the floor sweeping eyelashes.

Dressed in suspenders and heels with a gold glitter basque, Cara said “I was so nervous about the turnout. But I needn’t have worried. I can’t believe how many people came and they wall went to so much effort with their costumes.”

Er – what costumes? I thought it was striptease?


And also to do with Body Issues, is the news today that some schools are to write to parents to tell them that their children are obese. his presumes that the parents don’t actually know, I suppose. Or that they’re obese themselves. (I was going to add the picture from the BBC website but it makes me feel sick.)

To me, as an ignorant non-parent, surely all this has to start with the parents anyway? How on earth can a child be expected to eat well if the parents don’t?

There is so much information out there – now everything you buy from a supermarket has the fat, salt and sugar content plastered all over it. Why are these parents so ignorant? Or are they just stupid?

Go on, shoot me down!

17 comments:

Cornish Dreamer said...

Sounds like an interesting evening...where was I? (for the photography, of course...).

Apparently obesity isn't the fault of individuals, if you can believe it (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7047244.stm). I don't!

Flowerpot said...

Sorry you missed that one RT! A friend of mine talked to some friends who are both doctors who said it's rubbish - obesity is all about eating the wrong kind of things and not enough exercise. That one will run and run, pardon the pun!

Daniele said...

As someone who is obese, I feel entitled to comment. Heck I feel entitled to comment anyway.. LOL

Of course it is the fault of individuals. It is entirely MY decision what I put in my mouth, and to a large degree it is the parent's choice what their kids eat. At least until they get their own pocket money and hence can go out and buy junk.

But I also think that in the UK you have to try really hard to find healthy food, easily accessible. It is VERY easy to find highly fattening food at ridiculously low prices all over the high streets. I often come back empty handed when I try to fetch a healthy lunch somewhere in high street. Or empty wallet-ed when I resign myself to go into M&S because they seem to be the only ones.

Healthy food should be cheaper than junk food and just as easily accessible. Why is it that still or sparkling water is still more expensive (in most restaurants I go to) than soda and juice?! That makes no sense.

I could go on for pages about this!

Great post flowerpot.

laurie said...

this is an echo of what dee is saying above:

it's not always people's fault. i don't know about the UK, but here in the US the cheapest food is the fattiest and least nutritious food. you can get a giant burger at mcdonald's for a dollar. macaroni and cheese is sometimes on sale for 3 boxes for $1.

fresh vegetables? fresh fruit? lean cuts of healthy meat? pricey. boxes of pasta? cheap.

low-income people can't afford to eat healthy. that's the long and short of it.

the new york times had a great series last year about diabetes, and how it is sharply rising in inner city neighborhoods because low-income people eat mostly fatty salty food. it's what they can afford.

there are lots of reasons for obesity, but that is definitely one of them.

Flowerpot said...
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Flowerpot said...

Dee - I think you have a good point - healthy food should be more accessible. And I don't have children as I said, which I'm sure makes my life easier for shopping. I was horrified by a friend recently, feeding her son massive amounts of sugar when he's hyperactive anyway. But what can I say? I'm not a parent..

Flowerpot said...

laurie - I agree, also. We don't have a big weekly budget for food but we do get by. But then we do without other things and we don't have children. Diabetes is on the increase over here, too.

Akelamalu said...

My big fat tum is entirely down to the amount of food I shovel down my gullet!

The burlesque sounds like fun. :)

Flowerpot said...

Ak - of course we are all responsible for what we eat. But what about young children? Yes teh burlesque does sound fun doesnt it?!

the rotten correspondent said...

I eat too much, but it's my choice that I do. I feel really badly for those kids whose idea of a balanced meal is a corn dog and fries. Very sad.

Elaine Denning said...

Unless there is an underlying medical condition, I blame the parents.

I do agee that high fat, processed food is what a lot of us are snacking on at lunch times, and that's not helping matters. But surely, ensuring that children get a healthy breakfast and evening meal isn't that difficult to achieve, is it?

sallywrites said...
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sallywrites said...

"And also to do with Body Issues, is the news today that some schools are to write to parents to tell them that their children are obese"...........

As a parent I would be horrified to receive such a letter! I am happy to say that none of my kids are overweight...... but I do think that the Government should be more concerned with more important stuff than telling parents what their children should and shouldn't eat.

And healthy food should definitely be made more accessible and much cheaper!

Flowerpot said...

correspondent - my thoughts entirely. I don't feel it's giving children a good start in life if they are too overweight to enjoy life - but then I'm not a parent.

Flowerpot said...

MissU - that's what I thought. Interesting to hear what other people have to say.

Sally - this was to do with children being weighed at age 5 and 10, I believe. Surely if children are obese, the parents would have noticed????

Daniele said...

I wish my parents would have gotten a letter like that. This problem has to be tackled by providing information in the first place, not by telling people off for feeding their kids the wrong food.
And then by providing the right food, easily and inexpensively.

Flowerpot said...

Good for you, Dee. I quite agree.