The Fitness of Fatness

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 302, 16 September 1933, Page 20

The Fitness of Fatness

“In the only sense of tlie word fit that has true meaning, the fat are the fit—not fit for this or that particular Olympic game perhaps, but fit to live in the modern world without dying of exasperation in one of its many forms. A man can easily live in a modern city with very little physical effort. He. can do much of his work in a recumbent position; he can use lifts and be carried about everywhere in vehicles. But he must be easy-going and the way to be easy-going is to be of a comfortable build.

“This doctrine is the kind of truth that is particularly palatable to Governments. It was Cassius with this lean and hungry look who gave so much cause for anxiety; and, if fat and wellfed voters are a little inclined to be apathetic, that is much better from a politician’s point of view than an excessive addiction to plots.

“Perhaps this doctrine should have been preached, and this party founded, before the vote was so widely conceded to women, for it is women rather than men who are the champions of slim- ' ming. The adjectives of bulk are kindlier for men than for women; and such words as ‘portly’ and ‘substantial’ and ‘of ample girth’ give a pleasing impression of reliability and importance when applied to men and of slight ridicule' when applied to women. “It must be the business of the stalwarts of the Stomach party to change all that, and to the picture of the modern woman, reclining in her laboursaving home and putting on weight in the interests of that mental peace and gay inward serenity whicii, they can powerfully but without undue exertion urge from their strong platforms, are the best friends and harbourers of that ■perennial youthfulness which is foolishly sought and quickly lost in the joyless pursuit of a fretful scragginess.”— “The Times,” London.