There used to be a time when Black people weren't as health conscious as White people. Either you were naturally thin or you participated in some sort of activity that kept you trim and fit. Having gym memberships, jogging and exercising regularly, and eating healthy foods were seen as things White people did. There was also a time when anorexia and bulimia was considered to be a White folks disease (yes, they are diseases).
Aside from the obvious difference in skin color, the way Black people were built was also a factor that differentiated Blacks from Whites; which I suspect was an underlying cause of so many cases of anorexia and bulimia. White people were really shallow and judgmental of other White people with even the slightest bit of puffiness around the midsection or buttocks, a characteristic usually associated with Blacks due to the eating habits they had grown accustomed to since slavery.
It seems that things have come full circle. More and more Blacks own gym memberships, exercise regularly, and eat healthier. But why? Is it because most diet and exercise related diseases affect Blacks at a higher rate than their white counterparts (although, a lot of these conditions are hereditary)? Or, is it because they have become more conscious about the way their body looks in the same way that White people are/were?
More and more White people, on the other hand, seem to desire the very things that they used to despise. They are getting injections into their buttocks, lips, and breasts in an effort to appear to be more voluptuous or more like Black women.
Although, White people still tend to be just as shallow and judgmental about a person's physique or figure, it seems that a lot more Black people have joined them in this.
If you're not coping with high blood pressure, diabetes, or any other diet and exercise related illness, then do your thing, live your life, love yourself. However, make sure you remain conscious of eating foods that may lead to the onset of those illnesses.
Other than that, love the skin you're in.
Well, that's the Green Chimp's take on it. What's yours?
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