We have a saying in the south, "you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar." If you haven't heard, there is a beef taking place in Jacksonville, Florida with PETA and their current billboard campaign promoting vegetarianism. The billboard features an illustration of an overweight woman in a bikini with the phrase "Save The Whales, Lose The Blubber: Go Vegetarian." If this is PETA's attempt at getting people to move away from an animal-based diet, I think they may want to re-think their strategy.

When I first heard this story on the news Tuesday morning, I was shocked and appalled to see the actual billboard. I do not understand why PETA would go to such measures to demean women, no matter what their size. I find this stepped way over the line of integrity and humanity.

Being overweight or obese is difficult enough, but to be the target of such malicious intent is even more frustrating and very sad to me. Why is it that there are those in our society who feel it is OK to humiliate those who don't quite fit the norm, whatever the norm is?

No one had a clue as to why I was overweight. No one knew the measures I took to lose the weight. No one knew the pain I felt when I could not walk far or when I became so out breath just walking up a flight of stairs. Being overweight is hard enough, but to have others judge me without knowing my circumstances was even harder.

As you can tell, this story opened up a lot of old wounds. Why? Because I have been in those shoes. I remember the days when I spent hours just trying to build enough courage to talk to people without thinking they weren't judging me on my size but on what I had to say. Or judging me by what I was eating when I would go to lunch with my girlfriends. Or thinking I did not have anything to offer because I did not fit in their so-called world.

There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to tackling this very complex issue. To say we should just eat less and move more is such a simple answer for so many people who have never had to struggle with a weight issue. But trust me, it goes well beyond that. It's about learning to accept what your body can do at this very moment and then striving to live a healthy lifestyle. A lifestyle that I am committed to living the rest of my life because this is something I desire, not because society deems me to be the norm.



Are you offended by ads that unfairly depict overweight or obese individuals? What about the campaign slogan--does that infuriate you more? Do you believe our society still accepts demeaning overweight individuals? Do you think it will ever change?

Update:

Your voices have been heard. PETA has pulled the controversial billboard and has replaced it with a new one. See link New Ad.