so, Botticelli ladies were the photoshoped playmates of the time?
I think I heard mentioned on art classes that fat equaled wealth, and so fat ladies might be desirable.
But you have a point.
100 years ago, people paid money to see a fat man in a circus sideshow.
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Re: 100 years ago, people paid money to see a fat man in a circus sideshow.
#22From: http://men-in-full.livejournal.com/111937.html referring to additional photos there: The image was taken by a photographer probably during the 1890s-1910 era. The cabinet photo measures approx. 4" x 6". It pictures a super view of a young man and woman, but both of a very large size! The back of the photo read "Chauncey Morlan, Age 25, Wt 602, Wife age 22, Wt 526". A quick "google" search revealed that they wer…
Now that's one creepy livejournal community.
Re: 100 years ago, people paid money to see a fat man in a circus sideshow.
#23I always find it interesting that sci-fi depictions of "evolved" humans (i.e. many years in the future) usually depict very tall, thin - even willowy - figures. That seems to fly in the face of general trend :)
Except in Wall-e
They got a lot of shit for it at the time, too.
Every time I see everyone in a train or line looking down at their phones, I also can't help but think of Wall-e.
Re: 100 years ago, people paid money to see a fat man in a circus sideshow.
#24Re: 100 years ago, people paid money to see a fat man in a circus sideshow.
#25so, Botticelli ladies were the photoshoped playmates of the time?
But, they were not obese.
Re: 100 years ago, people paid money to see a fat man in a circus sideshow.
#26So, 100 years ago, this kind of weight was sideshow-worthy (and remember the other things one would see in a circus sideshow...); today, it wouldn't turn heads on a subway. However: the US has become _more_ health-conscious in the past 100 years, not less. We must have something wrong, if concern for exercise and good nutrition goes hand-in-hand with this kind of obesity. I think this is due, at least in part, to the…
People here are exaggerating the fatness of the average American. Yes, obesity is an unsightly problem, but the man in that photo would still be a stand-out today-- just less of one. Instead of being someone we'd only see in a circus, he's the noticeably obese fat guy in the line at McDonalds.
He's definitely not sideshow-freak material today, but he'd definitely be the fattest person on an average subway car. I'd eyeball him at 350-400 pounds.
Also, one thing to keep in mind regarding the rightward tail is that, once you cross into the 400+ pound range, you're at constant risk of weight-related death, regardless of age. We can now keep people at that weight alive into their 50s and 60s at 500+ pounds. A hundred years ago, most of them would have died long before getting to the "circus-worthy" range (700+) today.
Re: 100 years ago, people paid money to see a fat man in a circus sideshow.
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
Average maybe but definitely not normal.
If you think that's anything remotely close to average, you have to get out of your country more often. My mother really loved moving to Canada, because of that... over there she's not thought of as fat (heck, not even as overweight). I weigh 175 lbs (80 kg) and for my height (5 foot 10 / 175 cm) I'm considered on the fat side for my country (Uruguay). Whenever a fat consultant from the US comes, he is gaped at (much…
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Re: 100 years ago, people paid money to see a fat man in a circus sideshow.
#28so, Botticelli ladies were the photoshoped playmates of the time?
I had a Bangladeshi friend explain to me ~8 years ago that all the female Bangladeshi movie stars (not to be confused with Bollywood stars) were fat. For most of the population, being thin was a sign of not being able to afford much food, so fat women were the ideal. Just goes to show how subjective certain kinds of beauty are.
Re: 100 years ago, people paid money to see a fat man in a circus sideshow.
#29Some clarifying comments on the link to the same story at marginalrevolution ( http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2010/04... ): "It says in the linked page that Morgan weighed as much as 875 pounds. I think that's still a bit unusual even today." Apparently the photo is him at a younger, slimmer point.
I imagine that number was a generous estimate given by the guys selling tickets.
I don't doubt it. But the guy in the photo doesn't look to even be half that.
Re: 100 years ago, people paid money to see a fat man in a circus sideshow.
#30So, 100 years ago, this kind of weight was sideshow-worthy (and remember the other things one would see in a circus sideshow...); today, it wouldn't turn heads on a subway. However: the US has become _more_ health-conscious in the past 100 years, not less. We must have something wrong, if concern for exercise and good nutrition goes hand-in-hand with this kind of obesity. I think this is due, at least in part, to the…
The US has become more health-conscious but also, in the last 50 years, has began to be exploited by manufacturers. Note, this person would be shocking still in Europe.
Chemicals and corn by-products are stuffed everywhere in American products. Even in crazy places like maple syrup and ketchup. I went back to the States at Christmas and we went to an upscale grocery store, yet my wife couldn't find almost anything (yogurt, etc.) that wasn't processed and littered with crap to make it "taste better" and save the producers money. I'm sorry but there is nothing in yogurt that needs corn.
The Heinz ketchup here in the Czech Republic tastes identical to the one in the States, but without any serious additives and no corn products at all. People don't eat fast food and they use natural ingredients. You can't sell GM foods here; it's not allowed.
The obesity in the U.S. is staggering, and what's worse, no one cares enough to force the companies producing it to shape up and stop getting their profit from poisoning their fellow man.