While I'm celebrating the nomination of a fellow Alabamian for the position of Surgeon General, I'm disappointed with nature of some of the criticism she's already receiving.
It's important to question and challenge the choices our leaders make. However, in the comments section for this article from The New York Times, the first criticism Dr. Benjamin receives does not concern her experience, education, or other academic/political qualification. The very first attack concerns her weight .
Is this a justifiable criticism? How important is the physical appearance of the Surgeon General? Moreover, would a man receive this same criticism?
In the end, I'm most concerned that the commenters make an immediate judgment based on a single headshot, rather than making any effort to research Dr. Benjamin's actual qualifications--which, in my opinion, are more than adequate for the task at hand.
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I couldn't find the exact comment, but I do think it's ridiculous that her weight would be more of an issue to some people than her level of expertise. She was hired to do her job, not to be criticized for how she looks.
just wanted to add, hired was the wrong wording..I meant to say nominated.
I think I agree with Kate Harding in her post about Benjamin's weight. But that commenter should really have been looking at Benjamin's Macarthur bio, which explains why the foundation determined that she is, in fact, a genius.
On one hand, I understand that obesity is a problem in the US, and that some people might not trust an obese person with the nation's health. However, just because someone's fat doesn't mean they're unqualified to deal with medicine. Hell, we have fat politicians try to "fix" obesity all the time. but they're men, so I guess people feel that's okay.
The comments section of a major newspaper is always a gutter, especially when politics is the topic. Ignore it.
I'm glad you started this thread. We can be petty & quick to judge. I do think there's a popular conception of Dr's as being skinny health nuts but does anyone remember C. Everett Koop? Not a skinny guy.
i think her body size could be a positive - millions of Americans look like her, and if she shows the world that she lives a healthy lifestyle, then I wonder if many Americans who are overweight and discouraged could be a little inspired by her example.
I think it would be awesome if she were like, "c'mon America, let's shove this obesity thing away together, and i'll take the first step."
on the other hand, if she were to get up and speak about the obesity epidemic as simply a problem that "Americans have to wake up and deal with..." that could backfire bigtime, whether it's fair to her or not.
Hopefully the former happens.
But she's not obese. Being obese and being overweight are two different things. Can we stop pretending they're the same please?
I think the problem is the idea that you can look at someone and tell how healthy they are. Is there a rigorous test of every surgeon general checking their heart rate, cholesterol, etc, which are actual measures of health? Yes, I understand why you'd want a surgeon general who sets a good example by living healthily, but we, just looking at her, have NO IDEA what is right for her body.
I think there is definitely an element of sexism in the charges against her health too. Women are still held to the standard is that their first job is to look good, so it's the first quality they are judged by. How can someone who can't even do her job as a woman properly be expected to excel at another task?
I completely agree, Becky.
This is the comment I left on the article:
I’m so proud to have a fellow Alabamian selected for such an honor. Dr. Benjamin seems very well-qualified for the position.
Those of you who believe her weight damages her credibility should consider know that a person’s physical appearance is not the only indicator of health.
Thin people can be in poor health, and being thin does not mean a person exercises and eats a healthful diet. By that same token, just because a person is heavier than average does not mean s/he isn’t making every effort to be healthy.
Moreover, BMI is an arbitrary number and is, for many reasons, an unreliable indicator of health: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106268439.
Oh, the italics got messed up, but you get the idea.
Also- thanks to lightandfrothy for the original post in the community. It helped us develop our post on Dr. Benjamin and the latest news from the Sotomayor hearings.