Dara Torres-Amazing

The Sectionals championships are underway in Austin right now. Just like I have done for several years I watched dozens of heats of fast swimmers. I don't see rampant unnatural thinness. These teenage girls are fit, but none look like bulemic models. I have known some of these girls for ten years and the thin ones were thin when they were 10. I see no problem with pictures of women with low body fat. We have a fat problem, not a thin problem, in America. We have a problem with both! I encourage you to go to the USA Swimming website and read about the work done by USA Swimming's Network Task Force on Disordered Eating. There is a difference between eating disorders and disordered eating. Also there is a difference between anorexia and bulimia. Anorexics are underweight. That is one of the defining criteria for the disorder. Bulimics can be underweight but most are of a normal weight or even overweight. My understanding is that Dara suffered from bulimia. Aside from any questions about her recent swimming accomplishments, I admire her for having the guts to do something about her bulimia. If anything else, I hope that she is clean so that she can continue to be a spokesperson on the topic and give women some hope in that area.

Not a fan of fake boobs ... I hate the word "cow" to describe women. Really, exercise seems to be correlated with your desire to do it, not with whether you work or not. I've pretty much worked out the same whether I was working full time, part time or not at all. My swim meet observations are the same as Hofffam's. Nice point, Amy! Thanks, "Fort" (can I call you that?) :) I'm not a big fake boobs fan either. Genetics have been fairly kind to me. But, as far as chest size--not so much! No way I'd have surgery to change that, though.

You really just opened Pandora's box. I am going to sit and wait for the vietnam vets and current military members to comment on what a great role model she is! Thought I'd take the heat off Dara for awhile. I hope she never reads this thread!

In the age of rampant disordered eating among teenaged female swimmers, do we want to be glorifying pictures of women with low body fat? If the woman in question is fit and not underweight then why not?

I see no problem with pictures of women with low body fat. We have a fat problem, not a thin problem, in America. I think we have an epidemic of both. The thin problem is really really bad (anorexia, etc).

I'm not making assumptions. I'm deciphering the transmission that you made. Remember in all written communications but ever more so in e-comms. Meaning and interpretation are made by the reciever. It came over like you somewhat blamed athletes (or athletic lookers) for eating disorders, which possibly has some relativity via coaches. The stay at home mom thing being more respectable for an over 40 woman came over like neanderthal view...forget dark ages. Whether it's societal or your personal view. Again, if a guy was to (seriously) say that or something like "women belong in the kitchen" he'd be branded a sexist. I just pointed out that you show some sympathy for that in your posting. To both points I suggested the main problem is the way media portays women as goods, and depreciable assets who's value is linked to their size, shape, colour, etc etc. These are at the crux of societial influence on eating disoarders. Certainly not blaming athletes - just all the hype about low body fat whether it be on an athlete or a non-athlete. I don't necessarily think it is more "respectable" for a woman over 40 to stay at home. It depends on the particular situation. Some women would go nuts if they stayed at home and their families are better off if they are working full-time. What is relevant about Dara's personal life is that because of society's expectations about a woman, Dara is going to get beat up on by the media when she really should not. My views and society's views rarely match up but I am a realist. With Dara, I simply put out there the blunt reality of the day and age we live in - BALCO, etc. Perhaps it was my statement about my being a mother and what I would want my son's wife to be doing. Sorry, but what mother would like it if her son's wife left him with their child for a month? :rolleyes:

The stay at home mom thing being more respectable for an over 40 woman came over like neanderthal view...forget dark ages. Whether it's societal or your personal view. Again, if a guy was to (seriously) say that or something like "women belong in the kitchen" he'd be branded a sexist. I just pointed out that you show some sympathy for that in your posting. Come on now, Neanderthals had a more equitable division of labor than early humans. Everyone went hunting, instead of that hunter/gatherer division those sexist homo sapiens used.

In the age of rampant disordered eating among teenaged female swimmers, do we want to be glorifying pictures of women with low body fat? No, but pictures of women remaining active and healthy way into their 40's? Yes. Don't blame the epidemic of body image on athletes...you are joking right? I'd love to see what an olympic athlete eats on an average day. Body image is less to do with keeping fit and more to do with crappy media glory of virtually impossible 38-22-30. There's really only one reliable way to lose weight, and even then it's not going to tun you into a supermodel: Eat less crap, move about a bit more and stay active. Even if you're big you won't be as big and your internal health will be better. Elise, respectuflly, here and with earlier comments you made, you seem to add support to the "valuation system" for females and how their worth declines as the years and pounds go on,; or they have kids and then should morph into mothers with no life for themselves!

In the age of rampant disordered eating among teenaged female swimmers, do we want to be glorifying pictures of women with low body fat? The Sectionals championships are underway in Austin right now. Just like I have done for several years I watched dozens of heats of fast swimmers. I don't see rampant unnatural thinness. These teenage girls are fit, but none look like bulemic models. I have known some of these girls for ten years and the thin ones were thin when they were 10. I see no problem with pictures of women with low body fat. We have a fat problem, not a thin problem, in America.

We've already had a good example of that - Jane Fonda. You really just opened Pandora's box. I am going to sit and wait for the vietnam vets and current military members to comment on what a great role model she is!