Precious star and Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe has a role on the new Showtime dramedy The Big C, starring my imaginary best friend, Laura Linney. Sidibe gave an interview to Essence Magazine in support of the show, and I really liked what she had to say about self esteem and about weathering the storm of new fame. She’s received some flack for diva-like behavior recently, but she has a good head on her shoulders and I hope she hangs in there. It sure sounds like she plans to and like she’s half acknowledging that it’s been crazy and she maybe hasn’t handled it as well as she could. (At least that’s what I read into it, which may be much more than she was intending.) Here’s Essence’s interview:
ESSENCE.COM: After all of the Oscar buzz, how does it feel to be settling into a new role?
GABOUREY SIDIBE: First of all, it’s amazing that I’ll forever be known as an Oscar-nominated actress! [Acting] isn’t what I’d planned to do with my life, so just knowing that Precious wasn’t a fluke for me is really an awesome feeling.ESSENCE.COM: So, tell us about Ms. Andrea.
SIDIBE: Andrea’s sassy and colorful, but she’s kind of mean, too. That’s her defense mechanism.ESSENCE.COM: Speaking of mean, Andrea’s teacher (portrayed by Laura Linney) tells her that she has two choices in life – either she can be “fat and jolly or a skinny bitch.” As a full-figured woman, did that line offend you?
SIDIBE: I have a very sick sense of humor, so I thought it was hilarious! [laughs] Besides, I know jolly, fat girls and bitchy, fat girls, so perhaps it’s not an either/or situation.ESSENCE.COM: Perhaps! You enjoyed quite a ride while promoting Precious. Which experience was the most fun?
SIDIBE: My first, really fun moment was sitting on Conan O’Brien’s couch and then, there was SNL! I love Saturday Night Live and at one point, I was watching it like six times a day on Comedy Central. Because I’m such a fan of the show, it was ridiculous that I would get to host it, which is not something I’d ever considered.ESSENCE.COM: You’ve become a symbol of self-love and empowerment. Was that your intention?
SIDIBE: It was a happy accident, actually. People thought I should hate myself because I don’t look like ‘the norm,’ but what is the norm? I absolutely believe that you can be anything you want to be and should love yourself, no matter how you look or what anybody thinks.ESSENCE.COM: Knowing what you know now, is there anything you wish you could’ve whispered to yourself last year?
SIDIBE: I would’ve kept it simple and said, “It’s going to get a little weird, but you’ll make it through. Just be cool – just be you.”
[From Essence]
I really like what she said about how strongly she believes in loving herself “no matter how you look or what anybody thinks.” Gabby is rare in a lot of ways and she’s not going to let anything keep her from achieving her dreams. So is Gabby going to try and “be cool” to her fans and reporters and not be dismissive and rude in the future? We’ll see, but she seems to know where she’s going and to have high enough self esteem to get there. As long as she doesn’t let success get to her head.
The Big C premiered last night on Showtime. Do we have any readers who’ve seen it and what did you think? If it comes with enough recommendations, I’ll gladly add it to the shows I watch. Dustin at Pajiba writes that it’s worth watching.
I agree that self love is so important in life, necessary even, and once you’ve got it, it is a blessing. But, so is self respect, you can love yourself while still realizing that you need to make improvements, either physical or mental. You can love yourself and still realize that you need to diet. In fact I think goals work better when you do love yourself, that way you can be your own cheering squad.
For health reasons it would be a positive if she lost weight, but I think its great to see any shape of person find success as long as they have talent and she definitely does!
Is that last photo more recent? She looks like she’s been shedding some pounds, good for her. I’m a big girl myself and I’m all about accepting your body for what it is, but it makes me happy that she’s losing a bit of weight. She’s a very talented actress and I want her to stick around for a very, very long time!
well said Aenflex. I would even argue that when you have an extreme weight problem, you clearly *don’t* like yourself.
At the risk of getting cyberwhipped, some of the meanest, spiteful women I’ve known have been overweight.
I fail to see what’s inspirational about morbid obesity.
I agree with mimi.
@ Mimi-how could they be angry when they clearly weren’t hungry? This would contradict the “wisdom” that skinny women are bitchy because they’re hungry…
Agreed with aenflex. She’s got great self esteem, talent, etc. But her weight isn’t healthy, period. part of loving yourself means taking care of your body, which obviously, she isn’t doing
Not all skinny women are hungry…
I come from a robust famiy, full of good people that I love. I didn’t get thier genes though, I got my absentee fathers, who apparently was a bean pole. I grew up with my whole family resenting me because I was thin. It was different, to say the least. I do think it’s possible to love yourself no matter the body or look you have been given in life. But health matters, and loving your physical body enough to want to keep it going is very important too. The weight has caused so many problems for my family members. I hate seeing it for anyone. But also can’t help but feel that there is a real root problem (mental) for people who don’t love to be healthy. That applies to overweight people as well as those who keep themselves underweight and undernourished. It’s just sad…
Self love is great, but she should know when to put down the cheeseburgers. There is no love in letting yourself become obese, it’s unhealthy.
I’m all for self acceptance, but up to a point.
And I don’t know why she’s so pleased with the SNL appearance. As I recall, she was noticably unprepared.
That said, she’s got a golden opportunity, and I hope she runs with it.
I don’t agree that you don’t love yourself if you’re overweight… just that there ‘something’ you’re not happy with in life that’s making you say, emotionally eat or just have a ‘to hell with it’ attitude.
However I agree with all on loving yourself can allow for recognising the need to diet or be healthy etc.
Someone who is eating themselves into an early grave is not healthy, and does not love herself. It’s like any other addiction and requires treatment to overcome. The fact is, being that heavy limits what you are able to do physically, and you can’t be thrilled to be limited, can you? This is not an image issue, it’s a health issue. And I frankly find it disappointing that she is being glamorized for being obese. She is causing just as much damage to our country’s youth/obesity problem as size 0 obsessive models are. It’s NOT ok to be a candidate for a heart attack before your 13th birthday.
I don’t think the human skeleton is meant to withstand some of the burdens placed upon it.
She needs to lose weight.
End of story.
I love her!!! I share her sentiments on self love and not being what society thinks you should be. Love her. I hate hate hate that I don’t have Showtime but I will certainly try and catch The Big C on the internet if I can. Its gotten great buzz. Plus Laura Linny was hilarious on The Daily Show with John Stewart so I really hope I can get the show.
Team Mimi.
@ Ellen P
LOL!
@ aenflex- I totally agree. I think for people that are undernourished or suffer from anorexia it is often about control whereas with overweight people it is often about lack of control. I think somewhere in between that, there lies a healthy attitude towards food. I guess it’s finding discipline without deprivation and I think for a lot of people that is a challenge..
“@ Mimi-how could they be angry when they clearly weren’t hungry? This would contradict the “wisdom” that skinny women are bitchy because they’re hungry… ”
LMFAO!
damn she looks so greasy in the first picture.
“You should love yourself, no matter how you look” – then she takes a bite out of a donut in her obese hand. She has no excuse not to lose weight. There’s one thing to be chubby or fat and another to be obese. She’s a walking unhealthy beluga whale. Obese women like her set a bad example to young kids and their own children. It could be a low-self esteem issue.
Team mimi!
I’m an underweight person who hardly gains weight, so probably I have no right to talk about it, but I agree with aenflex when she says that self respect goes along with self care. But not knowing Gabourey’s story I can’t tell if she eats too much or if there’s also a metabolic disorder or something like that. Who knows. Sometimes being too skinny or too overweight is not linked to eating issues.
Anybody see her on the BIg C last night?
Not good at all in my opinion…
@pookie
I 100% agree.
@Denise
No. You’re not alone. I thought so too.
Am I the only one who thought “Precious” was so overrated?
I fail to see what’s inspirational about morbid obesity.
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There is absolutely nothing “inspirational” about being obese. It’s just that the media are afraid to call out this fat bitch because she is Black and they will be called racist. (I’m Black also, so don’t yell at me.)
In that last picture, it looks like Gaby has shed some poundage. I hope that is the case. She doesn’t need to be skinny. Queen Latifah isn’t skinny. She just needs to be healthy. When Gaby was promoting “Precious” there were times when she would walk on a stage to be interviewed and the girl had to catch her breath before she could talk. It was painful to watch. People need to point this out so that other young women don’t use her as an excuse to not be healthy.
As for “The Big C” . . . I don’t have Showtime so I’ll have to wait until it’s on Netflix or maybe check out the Showtime website to see if they are showing it because it sounds like a good series and I love Laura Linney.
Mo’nique was awesome in Precious, based on the novel Push by Sapphire.
Didn’t anyone ever get a laugh on how they always said that full title. Maybe Sapphire insisted on it…
Am I the only one who thought “Precious” was so overrated?
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No, you aren’t the only one.
She is so overweight that she can’t even place her hands when she is standing. That is sad. And every time i watch the Huge show i wonder why Gabourey is not there. And they even have black girl character close to her age in the show. It’s a show about fat camp for teenagers. With Nikki Blonsky and daughter of David Hasselhoff in there. That’s where Gabourey belongs. And it’s a fine show. As much as i hated Nikki Blonsky before but she can act. And it’s painfully for me to see how much Nikki is overweight. But they actually exercise and run on that show. But i don’t believe that Gabourey could run for 30 seconds. She will probably end up in the hospital if she will.
Jennifer Hudson should be her idol. Jennifer’s weight loss proved that you can do it if you want. And I think that obese people should be threaten the same as smokers. I mean they say that cigarettes are bad for health and they forbid them to smoke everywhere and even in the movies. (i’m not a smoker by the way). And they are making their smoke-life miserable so that they would drop it. They should do the same with obese people. Because they die from overeating probably even more every year then from smoking. Sent then to fat camps, don’t pay their hospital bills if they came because they were throwing tons of food to their mouth. Let them pay it from their own pocket. It’s for their own good.
Every time i see obese people i want to send them for 5 weeks to Africa with no money and no food. And put them in the village where people and children are dying from hunger. Took their passports and let them stay there.
Tess, about SNL, I took it as she was proud to have the opportunity to host something she is a fan of, not her saying she was proud of her actual performance.
I like that she has confidence and self esteem, and I think it’s a good message that whoever you are, whatever you look like, whatever you do, you can find that somewhere in yourself.
I don’t see that as endorsing or encouraging obesity though. I’ve yet to see her say she’s happy with her weight as is and doesn’t want to lose any. If she has said that, I stand corrected, but I think it’s safe to say that she’s aware of the problem.
i think gabourey is cute and talented, and she seems like a down to earth gal, and i wish i got showtime because that show looks awesome. i agree you must love yourself no matter what, but you should love yourself enough to want to be healthy. not a toned, perfect size 4 but just healthy, and there is no way she is healthy. she is a walking heart attack and i wish she would lose some weight.
Wow, I love how y’all are assuming she is overweight because she stuffs herself with cheeseburgers and donuts.
I swear, fat people are the last demographic that it’s okay to make ignorant, hurtful comments and jokes about. You better not make fun of people’s race, sex, or religion in public, but giggling that fat people need to step away from the buffet is still perfectly acceptable.
There is nothing inspirational about being morbidly obese. Try living with high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol out of control, knees riddled with arthritis from the excess weight, varicose veins, leaky bladder and see how “inspired” you feel.
I have Gabourey in my Facebook and she is down to earth, just enjoying good things happening to her.
She is so right about so many points, let’s just stop with these fu*$ing physical/mental norms already !
I thought The Big C was awesome. Laura Linney is very funny and witty. Gabby’s character is good. I think with the amount of 0-2 sized people out there, having one really big girl (who is comfortable with herself) isn’t going to justify obesity to the masses. Bottom line people come in all shapes and sizes and there will be “fat” people til the end of time so having one or two in hollywood here and there should happen.
24.Solveig:
August 17th, 2010 at 11:40 am I’m an underweight person who hardly gains weight, so probably I have no right to talk about it, but I agree with aenflex when she says that self respect goes along with self care. But not knowing Gabourey’s story I can’t tell if she eats too much or if there’s also a metabolic disorder or something like that. Who knows. Sometimes being too skinny or too overweight is not linked to eating issues.
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My thought exactly!!
“Self-love” is an interesting concept, and frankly one that doesn’t make any sense at all. Of course, we have a word for that: narcissism. I think it’s absolutely fantastic that we have elevated narcissism to among the highest virtues. And narcissism, we know, involves an intense coexistence of love and violent hate toward the self as imaginary (mirror image). It only works if you view yourself as an other, and unless you want to start talking about yourself in the third person and/or suffer from a specific form of schizophrenia, I don’t think it actually works. What you can be, I suppose, is self-satisfied, and there is really nothing I like about those people. It has been my experience than all kinds of uggos and fatties are self-satisfied. What do you want, a cookie? A couple dozen? What I would like to see is more people getting over themselves and moving on to something more interesting.
The comments on the post prove how brave she is.
Does she have a serious health problem? Absolutley just like any anorexic or drug addict however there is no way to hide her problem I am sure it isn’t easy to be in the spotlight amoungst skinny, perfect people.
All that being said I am sure there is more than one million dollar offer on the table from Weight Watchers, or Nutrisystem.
aenflex;
It doesn’t sound as if you treated your family very lovingly. You sound like you believe you are superior to them and made sure they knew it.
Heh…people who look like her are always talking about “loving yourself the way you are.” Meanwhile, everyone else is secretly thanking God they don’t look like her.
Honestly, I don’t see how someone could stay as huge as she is without overeating quite a bit. People are always talking about their “genetics,” but come on…if she ate, say, 1500 or even 2000 calories a day, would she really be 300-plus pounds?
I’m not saying everyone needs to be or aspire to be stick thin or even average weight, but who is she kidding? Just admit you like to eat, accept that you’d rather eat what you want and accept being fat, or do something about it. I’m not saying weight loss is easy in practice, but it’s not rocket science to figure out what to do, either.
@Duggles – It’s not self-love or self-satisfaction or narcissism. It’s just contentment.
Jeri,
What amazing powers you have…could you please analyze my family for me???
Wow, Shy. You are pretty hate-filled, huh? I mean, it’s one thing to opine that yes, she should lose weight for her health and well being…it’s another thing entirely to suggest all of the ugly things that you say in your post.
I guess after you take care of the fat people, you can move on to, oh, ugly people and force them to have plastic surgery to improve their looks for you? And skinny people will be force fed so that they have what you consider to be a healthy body?
So glad to know that you are obviously perfect in every way and therefore qualified to judge what “should” be done with people that don’t look the way you think they should.
“I swear, fat people are the last demographic that it’s okay to make ignorant, hurtful comments and jokes about. You better not make fun of people’s race, sex, or religion in public, but giggling that fat people need to step away from the buffet is still perfectly acceptable.”
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@ GatsbyGirl-I like you and generally agree with your posts but please don’t compare obesity to discrimination against race or sexual orientation or religion. We didn’t ensalve fat people nor did we attempt to take away the right of fat people to get married nor did we set up concentration camps and torture fat people by the thousands. Obesity is not a civil rights issue beyond peoples’ right to eat what they want.
Her cheeks are bigger than my buttcheeks.
Jeri – That’s uncalled for, and frankly, more telling of your own insecurities than anything else.
@Kitten: I like you and generally agree with your posts but please don’t compare obesity to discrimination against race or sexual orientation or religion. We didn’t ensalve fat people nor did we attempt to take away the right of fat people to get married nor did we set up concentration camps and torture fat people by the thousands. Obesity is not a civil rights issue beyond peoples’ right to eat what they want.
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Granted, it’s not the same as Nazi persecution, and it’s not the same as being told to sit at the back of the bus, but discrimination and nastiness (blatant, flagrant, and supported!) against obese people IS a problem. I am not, nor have I ever been obese, but I can see it all around me, and I would bet my right arm that every obese person would agree that the discrimination and hate is there. Although it’s not a ‘civil rights issue’ – which I don’t even think was Gatsby’s point – it’s the point that it is taboo in our society to mock anyone for anything, unless you’re fat, and then you are free game.
The obesity problem in America is growing daily, it’s a leading cause of death in our country, and it’s making health care impossible for the masses. The cost of taking care of our obese country is breaking us. So it is NO little thing and you can bet your butt that employers discriminate against heavy people for those and various other reasons – surely even something as base as not wanting a fat person in their office. People have no problem rolling their eyes at heavy people any time they encounter them, making snide comments, etc. What people need to understand is that the reason people are overweight is as complex as the reasons a person suffers any other addiction, and our society plays a part in that. I think Gatsby was just pointing out the hypocrisy, and I tend to agree with that.
Sorry if I offended people but I thought the comment was condescending. It was all about “their” problem. Just my opinion.
@ Pookie-Not sure what your argument is. All I’m saying is that if someone calls another person “fatty” in my presence I’m probably going to say “that was mean” whereas is someone calls a black person an “n-word” in my presence then heads are gonna roll. Yeah there’s a HUGE difference. A better comparison would be obese people and smokers-both drive up the cost of health care and both face vitriol from others based on their addiction (or bad habit, depending on who you ask). And yes, both a smoker and an obese person and also an addict sometimes have complicated reasons that led them to their compulsive behavior. And ALL have the ability to take control and change their circumstances and lives.
Ugh. I don’t see people laying off Lindsey Lohan because of her *alleged* addiction? Aren’t you being discriminatory by calling her “crackhead” then?
are there posts missing? because I came back to read and frankly, it makes no sense. true, I skim.
I think, if it were a health issue, considering the slams she’s taken for her weight, she would have said “I have a health issue”.
I do think obese people are discriminated against. is there a group of people who aren’t?
I have no idea what the point of the narcassist personality disorder post was meant to prove. I do know that white space is generally appreciated. oops, I just discriminated agsint non-white space posters….
I am always amazed at the amount of vile comments that people make when there’s a story about a person, usually a woman, who is overweight, and/or doesn’t fall into the norm as far as facial features.
I don’t know that Ms. Sidibe eats any more food or any less than I do on any given day. I’m about 15 pounds overweight (in my opinion), but my BMI just tips outside the normal range. I know that I don’t eat a dozen donuts or anything else over the top on any given day. I also have known a wide range of people with different body types, big hips, big thighs, top heavy (myself), etc. I also have two very good friends who suffer from metabolic disorders that have drastically increased their weight over the years.
I also know how difficult it is to be a young woman and to walk through the world where people are constantly making comments about your weight and/or your general physique. I was very skinny with full breasts until I was pregnant with my son. Many women commented on my need to gain some weight, while men felt free to comment on my bust. The unwanted attention was overwhelming at times. Even though most people think that they are giving you are complement and/or not being negative, just the fact that strangers felt free to speak about my physique and/or give me certain looks made me very self-conscious.
I love that Ms. Sidibe has made a decision that, no matter how she looks, she’s going to have a positive outlook on her life. Most people who fall into the normal physical range can’t manage a positive outlook. But, to achieve this while everyday someone feels free to call you ‘fat bitch’ and/or ‘greasy’ and worse is utterly amazing. Kudos, Ms. Sidibe, I wish you the best in your life, no matter your size or facial features.
‘aenflex; It doesn’t sound as if you treated your family very lovingly. You sound like you believe you are superior to them and made sure they knew it.’
Someone wrote that to me, but I cannot see thier screen name to tag back to it. Whoever you are, don’t you worry your pretty little head about me and my family. You know nothing (and severly misinterpreted my post).
@Gatsby I agree with you 100% lots of weight bashing here today
@ GatsbyGal – you don’t get to be that size due to metabolic or thyroid related issues. I am a big girl myself, with no gall bladder, polycystic ovarian syndrome and thyroid problems, but have only stayed at this lovely weight of mine because I don’t say no frequently enough to doritos and don’t get off my ass enough to break a sweat. I know it, my doctor knows it, and everyone else knows it.
PS: I am incredibly sensitive to weight-related insults and do NOT discriminate against anyone. By no means am I trying to say anything negative about the people who are overweight, merely that we need to be honest about some of the ways that contribute to to how people become that way.
@ SammyHammy:
Sorry to disappoint you but i don’t hate obese people. When i walk past them on street i don’t stare or say something. I just walk by. I just fell sorry for them. There is a line between the things you may say on Internet and the way you act in real life. I would never go and say something to any kind of people.
And also there is difference between little overweight and obese. And when Gabourey stays there like a propeller because her hands are so big that she can’t even put them near her waist that is the problem.
Did you saw the program on Discovery channel about 16-17 old teenagers who were so obese that they couldn’t even walk? And the doctors were doing operations on their stomachs but they still were whining and didn’t wanted to diet. And there was not happy end like in movies. Program ended with the teen who was lying on the bed and couldn’t even sit because he was so overweight and he died and his family buried him. And when he was putting all that food in his mouth he probably said to himself: “So what I like myself the way i am”.
It’s one thing when you like to eat something. But to be that overweight like Gaboury she have to eat 3 tables of food every day. And then i remember all those pictures from Africa and skeleton-like children who are dying from hunger. And yet in Europe and USA people are dying because they have so much cheap food. And they eat her to the point when they have to roll on wheelchairs because they can’t walk anymore. They should change them. Bring africans to USA/Europe and send obese people on “tour” to poor countries.
And you can loose weight if you want to. I was weighting 55 kg. That is 121 pounds i guess? We count in Kg here. One day i looked at my pictures and saw that my face was becoming round and i’m passing the line of normal. For year i couldn’t wear some of my pants and tight T-shirt because my belly would hang out and people would think that i’m pregnant.
I was finally fed up with it. I stopped eating bread, any sugar (only in coffee cup), no cakes, no ice-cream, no fries, no hot dogs, no fried food, no pizza etc. Only salads from cucumber, tomatoes, green pepper, sour cream. Rice, eggs, apples, peaches and some other small-calorie food. And i was eating limited number food. Because the best diet is to not eat so freakin much. And i exercised. And was walking every day from my work to home. That takes 50-55 minutes. And guess what – i lost 4 kg (8.8 ponds) in two weeks. From 55 kg to 51 kg (from 121 to 112 ponds).
And now i can wear pants and T-shirts that i couldn’t. And it’s been 4 weeks now. I eat a little more food now but i still don’t eat cookies and junk food. Because i don’t want to gain those kilos again. And i didn’t even starve myself. I just began to eat less food.
You can do it if you want to. Obese people can stop eat 10 hot-dogs, 5 pizzas or 10 ice-creams and 1 kg cookies a day. But they just don’t want to. You need to have a strong will to do it. I want to eat pizza and drink Coca-cola and eat ice-cream. And i can do it once in few days. But i don’t go and eat it 5 times every day.
@pookie – Thank you for understanding and clarifying my point. Of course I would never liken the plight of someone overweight to that of a Jewish person in the Holocaust or a black person suffering through slavery. That’s so outlandish…what do I look like, PETA?
@kbomb – So because your health problems aren’t causing your weight gain, the same must be true of everyone who is overweight? There are lots of people whose eating habits and lack of exercise are entirely to blame for their size, yes, but that isn’t always the case.
Not only do people have to deal with their personal issues with food, being overweight, all the limitations that come with it etc etc… but they have to sit through the rantings of someone like Shy… seriously, STFU…
@Shy
Um..you weighed 55 kg (gasp!) and your belly hang out?
It didn’t quite hang out 🙂 Just didn’t know how to say it since English is not my first language. But people could assume that i was some 3 month or something pregnant if I would wear tight T-Shirt.
The point is that you can do it if you want. Just eat less.
And i can’t help myself but wonder why obese girls always say: “I love myself the way i am” and then they dream of pretty thin boys like Robert Pattinson. And the same for obese boys. They never dream to date Nicki Blonsky or Gaboury Sidibe. They all dream of skinny chiks like Megan Fox and Scarlett Johanson. And in school they don’t want to date fat but nice guy. The dream of the prettiest boy in class. And Hurley from Lost is charming and pretty and nice but big girls don’t dream about him. They don’t want to date him. They don’t follow him on streets. They dream of skinny boys like Chase Crowford, Zac Efron, Robert Pattinson…
There is the irony. They complain that people judge them by their look but when they have to choose between overweight and skinny idol they always choose skinny…. So big people judge fat people by their looks 🙂
@ Shy, everyone is not like you, being 55 kg and having a belly tells me you’re not very tall, and you’re assuming people eat tables of food which is bullsh*t
8 lbs aint worth whining about, shallow.
When the fuck did it become so offensive to be fat and happy?!
I wish I’d had the capacity to be when I was a big girl (stress and it’s related consequences made me lose a lot of weight over the past few years). God knows it’d have made it easier when people said stuff like the above to me over my ungainly teenage years. The difference is they were teenagers, and teenagers are sort of expected to be bitches.
I’m not sayings she’s not a big woman. She is. But part of it is how she carries her weight, mostly in her upper body and her face. If she were more proportionate, it wouldn’t be as glaring.
Shy, nobody is saying skinny isn’t overwhelmingly found attractive. You’re really not shedding some sort of profound light on anything. Your shallow views are fairly well known. I am always so amazed that people with one dimensional views like you think somehow they are being profound. You’re not really as smart as you think you are… Essentially, social observational equivalent of someone who notes that the sky is blue… get over yourself.
Some of us just feel that having people find success despite being so different from the norm can bring about change and breed more acceptance… which lord knows we need more of. Do you want people to talk about how shitty they feel? I don’t get your point… again, get over yourself….
I love Gabby 🙂
I like her, but I don’t want her to get diabetes and heart disease, either, nor anyone else. It’s hell. I also do not believe that anyone is truly comfortable overweight, let alone that overweight – one would have to be thick skinned to the point of obliviousness to be immune to the rudeness one will suffer. Add to that: difficulty in finding clothes, let alone flattering clothes, less people will be interested in talking to you, not to mention dating you.
I agree with loving yourself but that begins with eating healthy and exercising. She isn’t doing herself any favours by being morbidly obese.
Most of you are so obnoxious and arrogant; you assume you know a lot about a celeb (or anybody) by how they look. Geesh – if Gabourey would just learn to purge after eating . . . then we would accept her!?! Shame on you idiots!
Chickadees4me: @ Shy, everyone is not like you, being 55 kg and having a belly tells me you’re not very tall, and you’re assuming people eat tables of food which is bullsh*t. 8 lbs aint worth whining about, shallow.
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I’m 1.60 cm. But you count on feet or something. Belly was not hang out. It was visible (can’t find the right word). “Tables of food” is figuratively speaking. I actually have no idea how much food she is eating every day to stay that obese. If she would just start to eating less and hire some diet couch she would loose weight. Just ask John Goodman or Jennifer Hudson.
I ain’t whine about 8 lbs. I just say that it is possible to lost weight if you really want it. But you are in such defense of your love for food that you can’t understand it. The “I love my body the way it is” is just the lame and hypocrite excuse for their weakness.
What will they say? “I just love to eat that and that. I know that i will be overweight and will have health problems. But i just love to eat and don’t have the will to drop it”.
The same things that every drug addict will say when he goes to rehab.
I guess there are lot of overweight girls here judging from reaction. Throw that lame excuse. You can do it. Just exercise, go to Internet and read about diet and the products that are healthy and the one’s that are not. And start to eat half the way you usually do. You will lose the weight.
P.S. But still no one explained to me the irony that overweight girls always choose not the overweight boys who love themselves the way they are. Somehow they always choose the most skinny boy to adore. Between Jonah Hill and Zac Efron they always choose Efron. So you judge other people by their weight and look and then go to Internet and whine that everyone else judging you?
@Shy: ‘The “I love my body the way it is” is just the lame and hypocrite excuse for their weakness. ‘
No, the fact that you have such problems understanding it is quite sad though, quite pitiful. I’m so sorry that you see so much value in physical appearance and have such trouble understanding those who have depth. You must have been raised terribly, you poor thing.
LOL mimi and some of the other comments, I totally agree, well said. I have noticed that too on many occasions.
Also, despite some of the comments disagreeing with Shy’s view, I actually think she brings some good points to view.
The biggest difference between a crack head, or smoker and an overweight person is that someone can stop doing crack or stop smoking and they never have to go back. You can’t stop eating food. If food is your addiction you can’t get rid of it which is why obesity is such a big problem.
I definitely agree with being happy with who you are, but able to see that you can always improve.
I think she is a pretty girl, and no one needs to make her lose weight, but being able to walk briskly into an interview without puffing and wheezing would be a very good thing!
It also does confuse me how much weight is in her arms. It just seems strange. All that weight above the elbow just seems like it would be so uncomfortable.
She will lose weight, anyway, it’s inevitable. Every actress who goes into Hollywood saying “I’m not going to lose weight, I love who I am” always does. America Ferrera, for example. I mean obviously Gabby is a lot bigger than most, but.
she should definitely make use of her access to personal trainers and healthier food options. i never understand how celebrities (and other people with money) are obese. they have the money to pay for a great personal trainer, and they can afford to eat healthy. if she suffers from food addiction, she also has the means to buy therapy sessions. 😉
If you are talking about a bump on your nose or stumpy legs, then I agree – love the things about you that are imperfect because they make you unique.
HOWEVER, I completely disagree that you should accept your weight and love your body when you are obese. Obesity is unhealthy and causes a slew of illnesses. It is a public crisis. Loving yourself in this case means taking care of your body, eating healthy foods and going to the gym. She is doing a disservice to other obese people.
@Shy
I really get what you are trying to say. It’s really simple on paper. Spend more calories than you take in and you’ll lose weight. Do it exercising more or eating less or a combination of the two. And in moderation, it’s the only way to maintain a healthy weight.
But, and here’s the big BUT. If it were so simple, we would all be the perfect weight. I am an educated, 40ish stay at home mom. I’ve read all you can read about diets and metabolisms. I’ve tried several diets with mixed results, but always tend to bounce back and gain everything back. I realize that I have to do a complete lifestyle change if I want to permanently lose weight, but sometimes I get angry and I feel like… why? For whom? For society?
I guess that even when I’m down because I can’t find anything nice that fits me when I shop for clothes, I wish to be accepted as I am, 40 pounds overweight. And I rebel. It’s very complicated and obviously has many psychological implications that can’t even begin to be listed here. So, body image and weight gain are not a black and white issue…. there are too many gray areas, mostly overlooked or ignored.
So, to finish, Shy, I get where you are coming from with your comments, but they are somewhat naive and limited. I admire you for your self-control but try to understand that for many of us (and not just the morbidly obese) it is a constant and daily battle. Just my two cents.
As for Ms. Sidibe, good for her if she feels good about herself. If she wants to get healthier, good for her too, but I am no one to judge her if she doesn’t.
Well i love myself all the time and even to the point that my hand aches and my wrist hurts .
i’m also morbidly obese and it’s getting harder to love myself cause i can’t reach over my belly,it’s got to the point now that my talking scales say .. ” One at a time please” !
The reality is there are a lot of people who look like Gabby in real life though, and that needs to be represented in the media so that people become used to seeing all different body sizes, rather than just the western ideal of white, blonde, and skinny. If she’s happy that’s all that really matters. Ya’ll need to stop hatin’, sounds like you’re the ones with self-esteem issues. Stop you’re own neurotic obsessions with weight.
Let me start with, I think it is very refreshing to see someone of her size on tv and in movies, there is a need to represent folks like her, because there are alot of “big” people in this world. She’s very lucky that Precious boosted her into the lime light. Having said that, her weight is very unhealthy, and I would hope that she has medical people in her life.
I was once obese, I weighed in at 324 in 2002. I lived very unhealthy, smoked, had a drinking problem, did not eat healthy and at 27 I developed diabetes, of which I IGNORED until I was 29 and pregnant. I ended up on insulin for my pregnancy and lost 42 pounds while pregnant. Eating right, stopped drinking and smoking. It was a very hard pregnancy. After my daughter was born, it took 2 years to shed 200 pounds. However, my medical issues got worse. Diabetes was worse, nerve damage caused by the diabetes, cholesterol high, blood pressure high, all a result of not taking care of myself prior to having a baby.
I had 4 angina attacks before I actually suffered a legit heart attack at the age of 39. Its an on-going battle. The damage is done.
As much as I would like to say “As long as she’s happy, that’s all that matters” I cant because her weight will eventually cause her long term medical issues ifnot addressed asap.