My health class has just finished watching an exaggerated documentary on healthy eating. While most of the documentary is on the population in general, many parts targeted the youth and our "unhealthy habits" They shot some footage of a school cafeteria. I was rolling my eyes all through this part. You could tell they were very selective with their footage. They showed one clip of two girls who got nothing but fries. Another showed a collection of boys and girls sitting down to a balanced meal of chips, candy, and soda they brought from home.
This is not what the average school lunch looks like. I know because I eat an average school lunch five days a week. I'm going to make an educated guess and say they went to multiple schools, picked the unhealthiest one, and then showed only the unhealthy eaters. They did not show a girls who eat lunch only every other day. They did not show a boy who eats all his (disgusting) green beans and then asks his friends for theirs. Yes, these people exist. I know two such people who eat at my lunch table.
If you ask me, we've worried enough about fat. Check that off the list and start worrying about skinny. How can anybody sit around going, "Ohh...woe is me. I have access to too much rich food." Meanwhile, children around the world are dying from malnutrition. Which one of these pictures looks like a more serious problem?
And what about anorexia and bulimia? Sure, they may not be as common as obesity, but starvation will kill you faster than an overly rich diet.
Teenagers are not all obese. We do not bring in junk food from home every day. We do not dutifully feed our allowance into school vending machines. Guess how many times I've gotten a snack from the machines? Once. Last year.
Isn't enough that teenagers have to deal with school, peer pressure, prejudice, and acne? Enough with the fat remarks already.
As for those of you who found this page because you were looking for a picture of a fat American, don't jump to conclusions.
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