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March 6, 2007
Tyra Banks says "So What!", I Say "Just Come, and Celebrate."
By:
The Dude on the Right
I've got two topics I want to blog about this evening. One was brought
about by listening to Howard Stern the last couple of days when he was
commenting about Tyra Banks' new "So What!" campaign where you can, as I'm
typing this (nice typo Tyra people),
"Upload You 'So What!'
Video". The other is a quick comment about the Olympics. Sure,
maybe as a blogger I should separate them into two different blogs, but read
about what you want.
So let's get to the Tyra Banks' "So What!" campaign. It seems Tyra is trying to empower women (and maybe dudes) to be happy and be one with some self-esteem issues by simply saying "So what!" On its surface it seems like a nice campaign, but what bothers me is that, for the most part, it pretty much only deals with weight issues. She had women on her show, wearing one-piece bathing suits, with their weight plastered on them, I guess as a testament to their being proud of their bodies (if they were that proud, shouldn't they have been in two-piece suits? I'm sorry, I digress.). Her website spotlights three women from the show, one who "So what"-ed that her thighs rubbed together when she walked, another who "So what"-ed she couldn't lose the last 15 pounds, and another who "So what"-ed that her thighs jiggled when she walked.
My problem is that weight should never be a "So what!" issue, and as someone who continues to struggle with his weight, I've joked, thanks to Homer Simpson, "I've been an obese man trapped inside a fat man's body" many a time, but never, as self-esteemish as it is, did I ever dream of shouting "So what!" about my weight. From the way I see it "So what!" things should be left for things like "Sometimes I like to pee in the shower," or maybe "Every now and then I don't shave my legs for a week," or maybe "Yes, I'm almost 40 and I like 'Smallville,'" or maybe "I like to smell my own farts," or maybe "Some days I like to wear sweats and not do my hair," or maybe "I still watch 'Survivor,'" or maybe "I'm a women and have no problem going to 'Hooters.'" And I could go on and on.
But do you recognize something about all of the above "So whats!"? None of them are really health issues. Having a "So what" attitude about your weight is a health issue, and a life issue, and if I were Tyra my campaign might be "It's My Struggle, not Yours" and not "So What!" Here's what "So what!" about your weight might lead to: Diabetes, heart issues, cholesterol issues, high blood pressure, higher insurance costs, depression, and just dying before you want to.
I know there are two things I need to do to get myself back to being a healthy person, but for reasons not for here, not right now, I am not progressing at those two things like I would want to. But even as I don't do those two things have I ever had the attitude Tyra Banks seems to want me to have about my weight, namely "So what!", because at that point I might as well come back to another quote I used to joke about, "I'm one with my fat self," and then maybe wonder when being my fat self would make me have to take at least a half-dozen pills just to stay alive.
For me I'm thinking I might have to focus a little more on the two things I need to do to keep me alive a little longer in this world rather than listen to the advice of "So what!" Sadly, for other people, they will say "So what!" for a while, and then wonder why, when they are older, they have to pop a lot of pills and say "Why me?"
Enough Tyra Banks.
Oh yea, there's that Olympic thing. This blog has gone on a little longer than planned so I'll just say this. The United States Olympic Evaluation Commission is visiting Chicago this week to see if Chicago would be a better place to host the 2016 Olympics as opposed to Los Angeles. Chicago is a better place. Los Angeles already has stuff built. We get to build new stuff. Isn't that what the Olympics are about - New Champions, and new stuff!
"If Chicago builds it, they will come. The World will. Come. And Celebrate."
And if the Chicago Olympic folks want to pay me for that slogan, I'm up for negotiations, that's the Chicago way
"So What!" is a crappy campaign, from Tyra Banks, but for the USOC, hey, just come, and celebrate.
That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!
Posted by Rightdude at March 6, 2007 9:12 PM
Comments
hi.
i understand what youre saying about the whole so what thing. but i do disagree with you. tyra banks is actually getting somewhere with this so what thing. i mean i am overweight, yes i know. she spicificially stated being overweight isnt healthy. you can be 250 pounds and still be healthy!! im a little over 200 pounds and so what?! i still workout and eat alot healthier than i used to. sorry about not using capitalization.. im really tired but i respect your opinion.
Posted by: nycole at April 22, 2007 10:55 PM
