Phat or Fat?

I dont watch BET much, especially since that [hostile] take-over. However, I did stumble on an excellent program a few weeks back that I highly recommend. 'Meet the faith' is hosted by Carlos Watson (howzit a black mans' called Carlos anyway?) I digress... the program deals with issues currently affecting the Afr-am/colored diaspora in north-america. It comes on at 11am Sunday (thats Vancouver time, y'all figure out what time it comes in your neck of the woods coz i've lived in three different time zones and this time thing confuses me now). A few weeks ago they were talking about black women- are we phat or just plain fat? I was intrigued because there are a lot of things I did'nt know that I really should know by now (my general sense whenever I watch this program, which is why I like it so much). Did you know that according to a college study, black people view obesity positively; we link it to attractiveness, strength and social acceptance. And did you know that 1 in 2 black women is overweight or obese by the time they are age 40? and that this puts us at a disproportionate risk for diseases such as type II diabetes, hypertension and even some forms of cancer. Have mercy!
See i've never bought into the weight/image hoopla, its a never ending suck cycle but this really got me thinking (maybe i'm buying now?) I dont know of many black mama's over 40 who are within their weight range. Were we really created to be overweight? how big a role does genetics really play? is there really such a thing as big boned or is it a timeless excuse? Is phat all about a healthy self image, or about covering up the pain of not being able to control a lacklustre inner image, haunting emotions, maybe even food...? A few weeks ago I watched the comedian Monique on Martha Stewart (quite the combi!) and she said 'look at my head, I have a big girl's head, can you imagine how ugly I would look if I had this big head on a small body?'. I remember looking at it and thinking 'enyewe thats a big head and that would not be pretty!'. But now i'm thinking... what came first... the big body or the big head? Was the big head naturally selected for the big body or vice versa? We need to ask ourselves some serious questions because our life expectation is significantly lower people! hey hey before y'all jump on me, I know that events like Katrina (grr), drought and famine, AIDS, they all play a role in afr-am mortality rates; but are we just passing the buck on this weight issue? Even if genetics and big bonededness play a role, is it that significant? and for that many people... hmm... Disclaimer: I have nothing nothing against phat/fat people. Infact we were just sitting in the student lounge talking and we discovered that almost all of the students in my graduate program had added at least 20 pounds since they joined the program 2 years ago (as we used to say...fill in the gap). I just firmly believe that everyting you learn needs some consideration then you can decide whether to toss it or absorb it. (I have stumbled on some pretty useful stuff through this policy so i'm sticking to it).
Next order: Curves with no rolls - It is on the menu so step on the bike! (now where is that gym membership form I tossed in the wastebasket?)

Wasiwasi

The Bolton Challenge

One sunny day when I was about 10, I walked into the living room and a white man wearing an old white t-shirt, faded jeans, and a denim cap over long blonde hair was on tv. He was seated on a simple old wooden stool holding a microphone, with nothing and no one else on stage. I remember standing there completely mesmerized by his performance, and reading his name at the end of the concert - Michael Bolton. It was'nt that he was cute (and that he was) but I had never seen anyone with so much passion for what he was doing. He had such confidence, such ease, so much joy and he looked so fulfilled! Watching him, I felt like he loves his music so much that he would play it and sing whether we watched it or not, and whether we liked it or not. At that moment, I began to understand and pursue greatness, not as we know it, but as it was created to be. That we know and understand who we are and why we were created, that we believe in the task we were born to fulfill regardless of the value the world places on what we were called to do, that we realise our impact on others lives, and that we give of ourselves wholeheartedly to what we believe is our purpose.
Fast forward to a few years later; without knowing how significant this moment was to me, Billy (my loving, simple and very very handsome half) calls me up from his office this Wednesday and nonchalantly says to me "I got tickets to a Michael Bolton concert Friday.. would you like to go?" WOULD I LIKE TO GO???? - it was only in my 99 (or was it 101) "things I had to do before I die" list.
After much anticipation, we went to the concert at the River Rock last night and Looooooord he did not disappoint! From the red roses for all the ladies as we were walking in, to the intimate setting (there were only about 400 seats in this show), to the well choreographed lighting, and the large entourage of accompanying musicians - it was PERFECT. Definitely one of the best, if not the best two hours I have ever had in this lifetime. He performed from Boston swings Sinatra, and of course vintage songs. The first time I heard of his new CD I thought it was too ambitious but he pulls it off exquisitely. The crowd l-o-v-e-d him, asking him to come back for one more song at the end (which he graciously did). Ironically, at one point during the show he stopped abruptly and announced "i'm just gonna change out of this suit"; a few minutes later a spotlight goes on in the audience and there he is... Michael Bolton...in faded jeans and a white shirt. He sang his way down the the stage where he proceeded to sit on... you guessed it... a simple old wooden stool! (i'm so convinced it was a sign).
Its a long way from a dusty, play obsessed, wide eyed, 10 year old, black, African girl with corn rows and no shoes, to a grown up professional who wears her shoes (well most of the time anyway!). If you have ever watched Bolton live you will understand when I say - the man is passionate about what he does. I dont know why that moment came to mean as much as it did to me, but I know that from that moment I have always asked myself - what would Michael Bolton have been if he never picked up a microphone? Thank God we never have to find out. Have the courage to be who you were created to be.
Wasiwasi