Health in the Black Community

So a friend of mine, who is White, and I had a conversation awhile back. We were walking on campus and I said something along the lines of "I'm getting fatter and fatter each day lol" and she responded with "But you're black. Black people are more acceptable of larger sizes on Black people, than White people are. Society as a whole is much tougher on White people who are overweight or obese." 


That resonated with me and has really stuck with me. I quickly responded with "No, that sounds crazy *side eye*" But as I thought about it, I couldn't help but to ponder if she was right. I def. think that the Black community sees health, diet, nutrition, etc. in a much more relaxed way than Whites do, and I'm not sure if that's a positive thing or not. I have to admit that if I saw an overweight Black woman and an overweight White woman both walking down the street, my brain would go "huh?" at the White woman more than it would for the Black woman.

Of course, we as women and men are bombarded with messages daily that etch images of skinny minnies in our heads, but I also think if we were honest with ourselves, the Black community is much more relaxed on the push for healthy body images. Granted, the concept of "healthy body image" is debatable in our society, depending on who you talk to. However, I'm curious to know:

• Is it more acceptable to be overweight/obese as a Black person in today's society?
  
• What stereotypes or cultural entities in our community prevent us from promoting healthy concepts of body image?
  
• What needs to be done to push Blacks to have healthier practices in their lives?

This is also this week's Tweetin' Thursday question, so you're welcome to post your thoughts below, or wait for the FB/tweet later this evening and post then!