Chewing on a particularly gooey caramel chocolate, Susan lazily took in the program on the TV. The screen displayed some sort of talk show, with a group of women sat on a couch and the lively show host sat in the middle, firing questions and soundbites at the participants. Taking some interest, Susan examined the show guests. They were a diverse bunch, but all of them were to varying degrees overweight. Curious, Susan took a handful of candies and filled her cheeks with them, munching slowly as she watched the show. The host was asking some kind of question to one of the women, who answered in a defiant tone. Susan couldn’t quite hear over the sound of her own chewing, but she caught the end of the woman’s answer. “… she think she all that coz she skinny, but she didn’t raise three kids, didn’t have to work all day long, didn’t have to do no nothing on the projects”.
Susan wasn’t quite clear what her point was, and listened more closely. The woman was enormously obese, about twice Susan’s size, and sat with her legs spread to accommodate her vast belly. ‘What a whale’, thought Susan, ‘I’d never let myself get that fat’, and she subconsciously sucked her gut in a little. The presenter turned to another woman, who was more Susan’s size, and said “And I’d like us all to meet Stacy. Stacy is a stay-at-home Mom who loves outdoor activities like hiking and skiing, but since her first born has struggled to keep the pounds off. Tell me, Stacy, what pressures do you think there are on young moms that make them gain weight?”
“Well, I get so bored at home that eating is my main companion, it’s like something to do to fill in the time. And when you’re tired you just don’t have the energy to do your normal activities, so you get no exercise. I used to run around my house like crazy, but with my weight now I get out of breath so easy that I just don’t get the workout I used to.” Nodding her head, the perky presenter probed with more questions as the overweight Stacy looked slightly uncomfortable, folding her hands nervously over her jumbo belly and answering in a quiet voice.
Susan couldn’t figure out what this Stacy was being so shy for, since she was far from being the fattest woman on the show. But then a sharp interruption from a guest that hadn’t been on screen whilst Susan was watching revealed the source of Stacy’s fear. The camera cut to a super-skinny blonde woman dressed in a lycra workout suit, who spoke with a sharp and cutting nasal voice. The tagline on the bottom of the screen introduced her as Yvette Strickland – Fitness Expert. “Excuses! Excuses! I’m sorry but that’s all overweight people ever want! ‘You’re too tired’ or ‘don’t have the time’, or ‘bored’. Listen, sisters, you’ve got to realize that you’re eating your way to death, and you’ve only yourselves to blame. I’ve raised five, fit, thin kids and I never turned into a lazy, flabby slob! The key is discipline, self-respect and a good dose of my Super Plus Intensive Diet and Exercise Regime for Stay at Home Moms!”
Some of the overweight Moms started to argue back, but the presenter cut in “Now we all know how important it is to stay healthy for our kids – I think we can all agree that our countries most precious resource is our children – and don’t you ladies think that you’d all benefit from some of Yvette’s programs?”. Before anyone had a chance to answer, the presenter interrupted again, saying “Important thoughts and issues to reflect on for overweight Moms, and we’ll be right back after these messages…”. As the program cut to commercial, Susan thought how hideously similar Yvette was to her own neighbor, Marcia. Still, thought Susan, swallowing a caramel cream, she’s right, those Moms should have more self-respect. Although the program was about people very much like Susan, she didn’t identify herself as the target of Yvette’s outburst.
Susan didn’t think of herself as the flabby house-mom she had become, and still vaguely imagined herself to be the toned and sleek young woman she had been years ago. Shifting her bulk slightly, Susan reached over for some more chocolates to fill the commercial break. Rhythmically her hand rose and fell, bringing chocolately treats to her ever-chewing jaws. Lazily, Susan wondered what those chubby housefraus on the TV were eating that had made them so fat.
The show came back on air as Susan reached the half-way point in her box of chocolates. Licking her plump fingers clean, she reclined to take in the rest of the show, sinking deeply into the bed and hearing her stomach gurgle slightly. “Welcome back to our season special ‘Help! I’m a Fat House Mom’”, said the sparkling presenter, “we’ve been chatting with Moms who just can’t say no to that extra portion, and whose idea of a workout is baking a chocolate cake. Helping them confront their issues has been Yvette Strickland, a fit and healthy young Mom who has made it her mission to shape up America’s obese housewives”. She went on “Now, Yvette, you’ve helped a great many mushy-mommies get back their toned-tummies, perhaps you can tell us about your methods?”.
“I’d love to”, said Yvette, “and I think I’m right in saying that we’re going to see a film I made about the issue?”.
“Yes, we’ve got that coming right up”, said the presenter, “and perhaps you could tell us a bit about it and its message before we show it?”.
“Of course. I really wanted to get out a message today. And that message is not just for these poor fat women sitting here”, she gestured at the row of tubby women sitting on the couch, “but for all the fat Moms who I KNOW are out there watching this right now. It’s a personal message, it’s not a presentation. I know that there are people out there who need to hear it. In my experience, most obese moms are in denial, and this video is a wake-up call on a very personal level. I’m really hoping to reach some people who might be in their own little dream world about their problem."
“That’s really exciting, Yvette, I can’t wait to see it!”, said the skinny presenter, “let’s roll the film!”. As the featured video started to play, Susan idly rolled onto her back, peering at the television past the mound of her belly. Balancing the half-empty box of chocolates on her stomach, Susan looked forward to hearing this segment of the show and munched away slothfully as the titles rolled. The sappy power montage showed Yvette doing high-impact aerobics and running around, but soon the screen cut to a plain scene of Yvette in a room, looking straight at the camera. “I’d like to talk today directly to you – the obese house Moms of America. How do I know who I’m talking to? Well, I don’t. But if you’re watching a talk show in the middle of the afternoon, the chances are you’re one. I know my target, and I’ve been in this business long enough to know everything about the psychology of overweight women like you. I know that you’re sitting down on a big sofa or lying on your bed dressed like a slob, and I know that you’re either munching a snack right now, or thinking of going and getting one”. Susan stopped chewing. “I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that I just guessed that, and that even thin people watch daytime TV and have snacks”. Susan stared hard at the television, and reached for the remote control to turn it off before this horrible woman could say anything more. But the remote was not on the bed.
Struggling to get up to find it, the chocolate box fell off Susan’s belly, and she slumped back to try and stop the chocolate treats falling all over the bed-covers. The television played on “I know that you’re a fat mom, because thin moms will have left the room by now or changed channel. You’re sitting there, probably reaching for the remote control but finding it just outside of your reach, you’ve given up, and you’re just sitting there because you know you need to hear what I have to say”. Slowly hauling herself up, Susan propped her back up against the headboard of the bed, and looked down on her bulging belly and it’s thick rolls of fat. Her eyes scanned down to her chunky thighs, their rounded outline clearly displayed even through the large sweatpants. Sucking her belly in hard, Susan reminded herself that she wasn’t a fat mom at all, and was just a little less in shape than she had been.
But then Yvette hit another home run, “You’re looking down on your body right now, asking yourself whether you’re really that fat. You’ve probably pulled in your big tummy and tried to convince yourself that I’m talking to someone else. But I’m not. I’m talking to you”. Susan was so transfixed by the nemesis on the television that she’d stopped thinking about turning it off, she’d even stopped thinking about reaching for another chocolate.
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