With the recent spike in obesity and the health issues that it entails, the focus on the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, proper dieting, and weight management has been viewed as a reasonable requirement, whereas the opposite habits used to be condoned. However, the recent turn toward inclusivity in every domain of people’s lives and the resulting focus on body positivity has defined a new trend in the attitudes toward weight issues. In her essay, Mojola Omole addresses the concept of viewing obese people that do not show visible signs of health problems as people with metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) (Omole, 2020). Omole’s opinions concerning the subject matter are quite compelling, yet they are not devoid of inherent contradictions. The idea of body positivity and the focus on abstaining from shaming obese people is a positive change. However, viewing MHO as a natural state as opposed to a health condition is likely to create problems since metabolic problems are likely to manifest themselves at an older age, where they will no longer be preventable.
Leaving a general impression of ambiguity due to the controversy of the topic, the essay by Mojola is definitely worth contemplation as a paper in which stigmatization of obese people collides with the tools for effective management of health threats associated with obesity. It appears that, by combining these two separate issues into a single concept, the author seems to overlook the risks that the proposed solution entails for obese people and especially children. Namely, the author could have deployed a more critical approach toward the social factors underlying the phenomenon of bullying as it occurs to people with weight issues, thus suggesting strategies for social change (Omole, 2020). It appears that the conflation of the social perception of obesity and the understanding of its medical implications affects the argument significantly.
The style that the author uses is one of the aspects that deserve being unambiguously praised. Instead of using the vocabulary and structure that creates an implicit feeling of persuasion, Omole opens the opportunity for a debate. The specified approach is much appreciated in the current setting of media debate, where dissenting opinions are usually shut down, whereas the mainstream narrative is upheld and lauded as the only possible opinion to hold. In addition, the use of credible primary sources that support the argument adds weight and credibility to the article. Specifically, direct quotations from patients like Hilz and healthcare experts such as Dr. Sean Wharton are a welcome addition to the conversation (Omole, 2020). While the former helps to create the sense of authenticity and offers a first-person perspective on the issue, the latter supports it with medical evidence. Although the concept of MHO is yet to be questioned and scrutinized further as a fairly recent and somewhat ambiguous concept, the presence of an authoritative opinion in the essay is appreciated.
However, the omission of the opposite points of view and their analysis in the essay somewhat devalues the message that the author represents. There are significant reasons for focusing on the negative aspects of obesity, mainly, the effects that it is likely to have on young people as their bodies develop, leaving a plethora of opportunities for chronic conditions (World Health Organization, 2020). In addition, the fact that childhood obesity has been on the rise along with the rates of childhood diabetes deserves attention as the essential arguments against the adoption of MHO as a legitimate concept in health management. Namely, the introduction of MHO is likely to obscure the process of preventing and containing the negative effects of obesity in children, which is why the concept of MHO as a legitimate addition to the healthcare vocabulary may not be a good idea.
Overall, the essay written by Omole conveys an important message of tolerance, yet it also misses the importance of considering the adverse outcomes of the proposed solution. While shaming people with weight issues is deplorable and needs to be condemned, the long-term outcomes of having weight problems need to be acknowledged in order to prevent the development of health concerns in the future (World Health Organization, 2020). Although young people with what Omole refers to as “MHO” may not necessarily experience challenges associated with physical health currently, they are likely to develop them as they age and their bodies lose the resilience to external and internal issues caused by increased body mass.
Despite the understandable desire to address the problem of discrimination of obese people, the concept of MHO appears to cause more long-term harm than good, which is why Omole’s standpoint on the subject matter deserves to be heard and supported. The author provides a compelling argument on the subject at hand, pointing out the fact that the negative attitude toward and stereotyping of obese people needs to cease, yet their state still has to be recognized as a potential source of health concerns. In addition, the introduction of MHO may imply the removal of obesity from the list of threats that require immediate medical attention, which may jeopardize the lives of millions of people whose obesity is not classified as MHO.
References
Omole, M. (2020).What does it mean to have a healthy body? Web.
World Health Organization. (2020). Why does childhood overweight and obesity matter? Web.