Cultural Factors, Black Women & Working Out...

In Tokyo, you don't run into too many black women.  I myself average about 1 or 2 a month (excluding myself obviously and my friend QueenY :), and that's a rough estimate because I don't really keep track...   

Anyway, when I first arrived to Japan, I would get a little annoyed with how Japanese women reacted towards my size (I'm petite-- 5'3 103 lbs) "oooooh, you're soooo slim!  How Cool!  I love your shape!!!!"  It's really silly now to be annoyed at such fabulous compliments :)-- but, I guess I felt they were acting so surprised to see a slim black woman.  In retrospect, it may be that they were simply surprised to see a petite foreign woman, given that I have yet to encounter another foreign woman my size; or they simply loved my size :).  Thanks, I love my size too!

Anyway, there is a point to all of my ramblings....

YoungGifted&Black, a regular discussion board member of Black Tokyo shared an insightful article on black women and exercise in an article titled "Cultural Factors Keep Some Black Women Away From the Gym". 

The writer of this article touched on several factors that keep some black women from joining the gym, engaging in a regular exercise routine, and having an overall positive attitude towards having a healthy lifestyle in regards to diet and exercise.  I won't quote the entire article, but I will share with you my opinion on a few points the writer touched on.

"78 percent of black women are overweight, and that includes the 50.8 percent who are obese"
--What!  DAYUM, I am almost in disbelief at these numbers.  Though a few BT posters did make the point that these stats are similar to those of Americans period, I am still in amazement!

"Compared with overweight white Americans, overweight black Americans are two to three times more likely to say their weight is average - even after they've been told they are overweight or obese by a doctor, according to womenshealth.gov.  'There's been less pressure for blacks to lose weight because of a cultural acceptance of higher body weight and heavier body shapes,' the site says."
--Totally believable.  Where I come from, terms like "thick", "curvy", "somethin' to work with", and "meat on her bones" are all good terms used to describe women who may be either a little overweight, or not slim or skinny.  Having thickness in all of the "right" places is what a lot of black women strive for.  Having a shape like a "white girl" or worse, like an asian woman is not a compliment for many.  So, I could see how a lot of overweight black women would consider themselves average in size and see their weight as a positive thing. (Which I would argue, there is nothing wrong in having a positive self-image.)

"To get black women to exercise and adopt healthful lifestyles, you must take hair and appearance into consideration," Railey says.  If a woman spends hours in a (salon) chair and spends $60, she's out of the gym for at least two days," Railey says."
--Heheheh!  I will even take this a step further-- if a woman has a perm (relaxer, straightened), you don't want 'sweat your perm out' either.  Seriously, back in the day, sweat was the straight up enemy for me.  And, don't even think of going swimming!  So again, totally believable.  (I still haven't posted on the number one MOST POPULAR QUESTION I am asked on Sista in Tokyo, "How/Where do you go to get your hair done?"  Post forthcoming-- I'm gathering resources and lots of helpful info. for you!)

With that being said...  Here's a really interesting point--

"Black women who want to build relationships with black men are still forced to try to catch a man by looking the best they possibly can. Until a (black) woman is in a culture where the man says, 'I love you just like you are; I love your kinky hair and I select against long hair.'"
-- Uh Oh!  We're opening up Pandora's box right here...  This is getting into other issues completely-- mainly beauty standards in terms of black women and hair.  But, I think this also raises another interesting issue-- Black women dating exclusively black men and feeling that black men are the only ones who will accept their beauty and find them attractive. 

"Black women with a little more meat on them seem (attractive), and that's not a bad thing. A little bit of hips, being curvier, is appealing, and sometimes you do have men telling their girlfriends and wives not to lose weight because they like the curves, the extra softness."
--UmmmmmmmHmmmmm!  I once had a boyfriend who told me it wouldn't hurt to put ON a few pounds.  I was pissed for at about 2 weeks!!!  I was insulted that he felt my body size was not good enough for his standards and I told him.  Seriously!!!  I just couldn't believe that!  Of all of my years, I'd never had a boyfriend suggest that I put on a few pounds.  I had always been proud that everyone I dated was happy with my body size.  Anyway, it's completely believable though.  I think a lot of black men like to brag about how "thick" his woman is and how "phat her ass is" and that's cool.  But don't tell me I should put ON a few pounds. (heheheh!)  I love me just how I am-- and it took me a while to get to the point of loving my petiteness, especially since I've always had beautiful and thick friends.

The article also touches on a few other things.

I had this discussion with my boyfriend the other morning, and I told him that I felt there is a bit of a negative stigma placed on having a positive attitude toward healthy eating, exercise, or simply being petite and or slim. 

You would be surprised at how often women back home will rudely ask me, "Do you EAT?"  I mean-- how insulting to imply that I am starving myself to be thin! Now if I were to respond, "Obviously not as much as you!"-- Then I would be in the wrong... But I think this is a good example of how being slim, exercising regularly, and eating healthy are often associated with having an eating disorder or being unhealthy-- especially to some black people. 

To some black women in particular, I think being overly concerned with your weight and appearance is associated with weight obsessed white women.  Terms like bulimia and anorexia are associated with problems white women experience.  Though I hear these disorders are increasingly becoming a serious issue among African-American women.

Anyway, I am anxious to hear what you guys think about this article.

Comments are open!

Comments

[Soton]

Sorry, but this is a bit long...
So, I think I'm going to open up pandora's box...

Interestingly enough, this is closely related to the subject of my sosc lecture today. The text was Marita Golden's "Don't Play in the Sun" and De Beauvoir's "The Second Sex," and the topic dealt heavily with perceptions of female beauty. Ironically, Golden's thesis is the opposite of what you have here. Essentially that being "thick" along with the other traits you list as desirable are undesirable among black women and men. She writes that the tendency is that the lighter, more caucazoid (elevated nose bridge, not so full lips, less full figure, long hair, etc...) you are the better and more attractive you'll be perceived. At least commercially this is undeniably true. Magazines, film, bilboards, and television confirm this standard of beauty.

But to what extent to black women (and then black men) really buy into it? Do black women really believe on a wide and general scale that black men are the only men who can really appreciate there physical beauty even though there seems to be a tendency for black men to prefer "less black" (for lack of better term) women (at least according to Golden)? Moreover, statistics seem to show that it is much more likely for a black man to pursue an interracial relationship than it is for a black women. Why? In fact, in scouring the web for thoughts and stances on this issue, I've discovered that a black women pursuing a non-black man receives more negative feedback and attention among black men and women than a black man pursuing a non-black woman, which typically attracts negative attitudes from black women. In fact, among black female friends, if I express any interest in non-black men the response is usually very negative as though I am betraying myself and them or don't "appreciate the brothas."

Over the past year and a half this topic has turned into a sort of hobby/free time research project, and I've found that most non-black males looking for possible interracial relationships are not interested in black women. Some will relay interest in mixed women but not black. Could this be a confidence issue with black women who would otherwise look outside their race? A popular question, I find, for young black girls interested in things Japanese is whether or not Japanese men would find them attractive.

[anonymous]

Sorry if this seems like prying, but you mention your boyfriend a few times. I'm just curious but is your bf a Japanese local, an Afro-American or other? If local boy, how does difference in culture and possible ignorance/faux pas play in this - if it does factor in at all?

[Nini]

Actually I was wondering the same thing Anonymous was asking. And sorry to stray from the topic, but where DO you get your hair done?

But yes, that article pointed out some really good points about why most black women don't excercise. I've heard them before, especially that black women should be "thick" etc. And I also agree with what Soton is saying [I skimmed most parts though]. Sorry for not having much to say.

[Birdee]

If I remember correctly and I could be wrong I don't think that it's just an American thing. Most Africans I have spoken to say that they prefer a woman with a little meat on their body as it is a sign of health. I remember watching the discovery channel some years back and one tribe acutally had soon to be wedded women stay in a hut and learned marriage skills and were feed consistantly in order to fatten up. It use to be the same in Europe as well. Skinny women were consider sickly and unfit to have children. Fat on a woman back then meant that she would be strong and healthy enough to have and nourish many children. Some where along the lines the definition of beauty has changed. You can see this simply by going to an art museum and looking at how women were represented over time.

[soton]

birdee that's so true. at least up until the end of the renaissance, in europe having more meat on your bones as a women was considered desirable b/c it implied wealth. I've also heard that it's a similar case in china as well.

[Birdee]

Really in China too? I never knew that. The only thing I heard about was foot binding, but that's a whole other subject.

[qwert]

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[ghoul]

Well that's interesting. I think sisters back home use excuses like "skinny white girls" as a reason for staying big. A little extra meat is one thing. Hell Japanese girls in Tokyo have gained that weight on many of them and they looking delicious with the extra 5-6 pounds going right to the love spots. But any girl with a beer gut or bigger love handles than their boyfriend needs to think about some changes. Their men do too but in so many places in the poor world, extra weight means prosperity. In America Blacks waste money on showy items AND lead the country in obesity (if you don't count Mexicans (an observation)). We need change.

[Birdee]

I just thought of something. In ghoul's post he mentions "skiny white girls". It might sound strange but can it also be looked at as some form of rebellion aganist the social standards of beauty in America? If you think about it if you look in all the magazines (execpt for thoses gear towards blacks) all of the women are like that. Black women are just not built like that nor are Latinas. It's no excuse for being an unhealthy weight but at the same time why should women strive for standards that does not fit their heritage?

[Soton]

i'd agree with you birdee, if the majority of black women were aiming for a physique like serena williams (in or out of shape) but they aren't. i know i sometimes tell myself the "skinny white girl" thing at the gym, but that's usually while lifting weights. anyway, perhaps the weight issue also has someting to do with economics and the price of food types. I mean compare a grocery store like whole foods, the food sold there and the price (and the sort of people who typically shop there) to your neighborhood >insert store< or something. Being a (necessarily) cheap uni student, I know I'm tempting to head for the mac and cheese aisle when shopping on my own. Also, compare suburban and urban too, I think. Oh, and i am not trying to be obnoxious or classist or anything else equally irritating when bringing up the socioeconomic thing.

[ghoul]

Black women aren't built like that is another excuse. That has absolutely nothing to do with extra fat period. Extra fat is from excess in an otherwise health person. Put down the beef and high calorie stuff for a while. If I go to any "Black" neighborhood I have ever lived in, people are eating waaaaayyy more than they need. It's not just about good foods either, it's also portion size and lack of movement. Almost every sister with a big ghetto booty got it from too much food. Truck size asses are not normal no matter how wide your hips are. No one has hummer hips, I mean Lord have mercy.

[ghoul]

I realize that in all due respect to sisters I have to include our truck sized "Hummer Assed" brothers in the equation.

[ViolentAJ]

I don't HATE Black women. I only like Japanese women (so I dson't like honky women, spic women, paki women, etc.), but too bad, since am Black, I am a member of the only race that cannot attain Jap bitches. Too bad, so sad, oh well.

I hate the Japanese. I am glad that I was designed only to like jap whores. It made me realize just how much non-Blacks hate us, and how it is our duty as Blacks to lash out ahainst the evils of the oppressing non-Black devils.

[kes]

hi just found this site i love.......japanese,chines men love they have such good treatment i was in love with .one and almost married anyway it ended i really want to meet one.a part of me cant imagine myself married to a none asian as i enjoyed a chines somuch HOPE I COULD FIND ONE JUST ONE LOL
GUYS THEY ARE REALY NOT THAT BAD

BLACK PROUD AND HAPPY
KAY

[buy fioricet online]

just be proud on who you are..some people may insult and some may love you but that's normal. it's up to you if you are going to be affected by them. Just be positive. Just like what they said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.