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| I’m Not Fat, I’m Thick: Black Women in Media (Toccara, Beyonce, Queen Latifah, Monique) Black women are constantly told through images in the media about what is beautiful. We are constantly shown what images of beauty are through music videos, hip hop music, movies and television. Everyone wants to fit their butts in some Apple Bottom Jeans, to be Bootylicious, Black women have been taught to honor their curves and fuller frames, however the question still remains? Are We Fat or Are We Thick ? Whether you consider yourself to be fat or thick. These Celebs say it is important that you make sure your healthy. Beyonce ain’t thick by accident. We all know the girl loves to eat. But she hits the gym and is a dancer She doesn’t just sit around without any physical exertion. This girl runs for 40 minutes at a treadmill speed every day except Sunday, at intervals of about 6.0 mph to 7.5 mph and does about 20 minutes of strength training and this is all before practicing her dance routines. So, she works out about 6 days a week. How bout them apples!! She does this so she can eat what she wants but avoid heart disease and improve her life. All Hail The Queen In addition to following the Jenny Craig program, the singer-actress hit the gym five to seven days a week, switching between the treadmill or elliptical machine for an hour. "My jeans are looser, I feel more energetic," she said of shedding the weight. "People dig it. They come up to me and say 'I'm glad you're talking about the health side of it.' People get that message, which is important too." Even though she's slimmer, Latifah said her fans know she's still one of them. "They see that I'm doing this for the health reasons but also say, 'She's still representing for the big girls. She hasn't abandoned us!' " Latifah said. "This is me doing something for me, but if I am going to be a role model I hope people can catch on." Mo'Nique Keeping it Very Real Here’s what cracks me up. If Tyra Banks, who I dig and I think is incredible, spoke of her beauty nobody would question it, but when I speak of my beauty it’s up for debate because America has said looking a certain way is a bad thing. Listen here, I dig Mo’Nique. I dig Mo’Nique’s double belly, her thighs that rub together, her arms that slap in the wind and her double chin. Now, don’t get me wrong Mo’ Nique wants to be healthy, and Mo’Nique makes sure she works out and goes for her walks with her trainer, so I can walk up a flight of steps without being out of breath and not suffer from high blood pressure. The reason I am so vocal is because I’m in the public, but I ain’t trying to hide nothing like, “Let me say I love my body, even though, I’m going through a deep depression about my weight.” That’s absolutely insane. We should all want to live healthy lives because we don’t want to be in a position where there are things we can’t do and places we can’t go. My husband said to me one day, `I want you for a lifetime.' Then it clicked that my weight had become a major concern. I wanted to be around for my family." Why We Love Toccara I'm Toccara, and my weight doesn’t define me. No, really. The thing is, I’ve always loved Toccara from day one. I’m so comfortable with me and secure with me, that even if I decide to lose weight and wanted to be thin, as long as it’s OK with me and I except it, then it’s OK. And, for those who don’t except it, that’s their problem. I’m going to be successful, regardless. Watching women like Toccara become fitter while still maintaining their curves is inspiring to woman who are trying to improve her health and shed some weight by way of diet and exercise. For me, looking at photoshopped images of Mariah, Janet, or insert- hypersexed-scantily-clad-pop star here has never worked as inspiration. Instead, I look to celebs who I can identify with, who I know must work consistently hard and sweat to achieve their goals. That’s why I admire the efforts of Missy Elliott — who lost 71 pounds in an effort to escape the high blood pressure that runs in her family — and Queen Latifah, who is working to lose 5 to 10 percent of her body weight with Jenny Craig. Like them, I am proud of my curves, but I’m also trying to lose some weight for health reasons. |
