Headless "Fat People Pictures" are worth big bucks and that's sad.

I've been wanting to do this post for some time.  As I researched the subject matter a little more in depth I came across this story.  Wow, who would have thought these photographs would produce this much revenue?  (From the story) "Sources at the BDN said offering the photos for sale might have already resulted in enough revenue to subsidize the print version for another six months."

One of my most vivid memories about these pictures came from a woman that said "God please don't let me be one of those people they use for video in news or print publications".  They are known in the industry as the headless fat people pictures.

Have you ever noticed they show a veritable smorgasbord of people allowed to be photographed due to the rules of  public domain but only one type seems to exclude the faces?    Murderers, rapists, poor people, scam artists, homeless people, literally people from all walks of life have their faces shown.  Is it because the image of being obese is so incredibly shameful and appalling that faces are not to be included?

Obesity is the last acceptable prejudice.  We have become so desensitized to seeing one of those headless "fat people" photographs we forget there is a real person carrying the shame for many.  Fortunately I escaped that walk of shame until I posted my own photograph for purposes of this blog.

Last week I posted a link to a story about a man that supposedly had to stand for a seven hour flight because he couldn't sit next to an obese man.  The article used a PhotoShopped picture that surfaced in 2006 so not only did they use a "photograph" that had nothing to with the story but used a fake image to make the story more sensational.  I wrote the reporter and the editor and they agreed to include the truth about that photograph.  Never assume you can't make a difference.  Unfortunately I couldn't do anything about the brutal comments (and they were BRUTAL) but you can ask for truth.

Since writing this draft I have become even more aware of how many of these pictures are  printed every single day in nearly every single story about obesity....and it still makes me a little sad.

Original post can be viewed HERE
 

I wrote a blog post called “are you an anchor or a motor” last year and it bears repeating. I hope you’ll read it again or maybe even read it for the very first time.

You know those people that are so quick to jump on everything in an instant?? 0-60 in seconds? They tell you “But you’re not doing it right!” Control with a capital “C”.

If you haven’t seen “Addicted to Food” on the OWN channel I would suggest you view it as soon as possible. Tennie McCarty is brilliant and I love how she talks about dealing with the BIG C. (control) We all need to learn to let go. Have we forgotten some of the simple things? Assume = makes an a$$ out of you and me. When you are pointing at someone = three fingers are pointing back at you. I love this next section by Jack Canfield.

*Are there people in your life who only have to walk into the room and totally drain you of energy? I refer to these people as psychic vampires. They literally suck the life energy right out of you. Stop spending time with them.

Are there people in your life who are always complaining and blaming others for their circumstances? Are these people always judging others, spreading negative gossip, and talking about how bad it is? Stop spending time with them as well.

Are there people in your life who, simply by calling you on the telephone can bring tension, stress, and disorder to your day? Are these dream stealers who tell you that your dreams are impossible and try to dissuade you from believing in and pursuing your goal? Do you have friends who constantly attempt to bring you back down to their level? If so, then it is time for some new friends.

You’re better spending time alone than spending time with people who hold you back with their victim mentality and their mediocre standards.

Make a conscious effort to surround yourself with positive, nourishing, and uplifting people- people who believe in you, encourage you to go after your dreams, and applaud your victories. Surround yourself with possibility thinkers, idealists, and visionaries.

I spent some time with some incredible people at an event in San Francisco and even though some agreed to disagree, we walked away as friends and a new found respect for each other. I had almost forgotten what it felt like. We were all there to be part of the solution and not one person became a part of the problem.

Next time you are about to contribute to the conversation, ask if you are being part of the solution.

The problem is already there…why don’t you do something to work on the solution?

ORIGINAL POST HERE

*referenced in this post….special thanks to Jack Canfield’s “The Success Principles”

March 23, 2011 will forever be a day that will live in history for the WLSFA.  If you could have possibly missed the story you can see the previous posts here.     

The pre story     

 And this one     

And their video here  

Jim, Toni in back. Connie, Alfred, Rosemary seated.

Toni had a dream...and that was to help people get weight loss surgery when they've been denied over and over and over.  Connie was denied for ten years and if that was not difficult enough she watched her twin sister thrive after losing 300 pounds when she was approved for weight loss surgery over 6 years ago.      

Connie has finally had her day and that's because of the vision of Toni Namnath.  There are so many involved that made this happen.  The WLSFA board with all the members, our hospital angel Trudy, Dr. Garth Davis, Dr. Robert Davis and so many more.  In a perfect world that is the way it works....many people come together working  for a common thread and if everything goes just right, the miracle happens.      

The miracle happened....     

And if Toni has anything to say about it, she'll be doing this as many times as she can.     

See ya on the other side

Connie waved at me as she walked through the door.  Just walking this distance with ease would have been impossible for her a few months ago.  She joined the gym and got busy and dropped over 60 pounds all by herself before surgery.   

And don't forget that we will all be celebrating at the Mother of all Meet and Greets and if you look at the AGENDA it will knock your socks off if you are wearing any!  

So look at this picture of Connie but don't expect to recognize her the next time you see her.  Pretty soon we will be saying "is that Connie or is that Rosemary?"

...and that's a good thing.

Original post HERE