Tuesday, October 11, 2011

How are all rich people not fat?

Since moving out of Aunt Elaine's I gained weight. So did Danielle. So did Alex. We're not fat or anything. We're just ... we don't look unhealthy anymore. I know I'm not supposed to want to gain weight, but it was about 12 pounds - give or take a pound - and it didn't take a rocket scientist to know I needed it. All three of us needed it.

We've talked about it a few times - how our clothes fit differently, how we feel differently, how it's a little scary to see the scale creeping up. Overall though, it's basically okay. It goes against everything that's marketed to us, but we didn't fit their demographic anyway (I am taking marketing, can you tell?) to begin with.

So it was a little weird that Alex came home from school and told me one of her dance teachers commented on it. My rage immediately ramped from zero to ten. Josh actually put his hand on my knee and pushed down.

I don't know what to do with this. Later when I was calm enough to ask questions Alex told me it wasn't that she was called fat, just that it was noticed over the last year, she's gained weight. I don't know. I'm so angry. What was the point of saying that to her? Is the school implying she's too fat to dance? Are they saying she needs to lose weight? I just don't understand where she's supposed to go with that kind of comment.

3 comments:

Abby said...

Does the dance school realize that you guys didn't get enough to eat at Aunt Elaine's?!

Angry for you, even though I see where it's coming from. Dancers don't usually look too healthy themselves.

Nina said...

I don't know about Alex's school, but I used to be a dancer and it's not hard to figure out how much dancers, especially in ballet, are pressured to be thin. Part of it makes sense, since girls need to be petite enough to be lifted and carted around the stage. But the line between thin and underweight is very blurry in ballet. Too many of my ballerina friends have struggled with eating disorders, particularly as teenagers, though I would also argue that ballet doesn't encourage eating disorders (and that awareness about eating disorders is a lot higher than it was when I was dancing).

I'm glad you three are healthier than you were when you were living with your aunt. Being underweight, especially as a child and teenager, can have all sorts of implications on your health. I hope Alex won't take her teacher's comment to heart.

Anonymous said...

ummm, wasn't it her school saying awhile ago that she was underweight?