This morning, while scrolling on Facebook, I came across a story on Frances Chan, a 20 year old Yale student who was forced to gain weight by Yale health authorities. Frances is petite – about 5’2″ in height and 90 lb, according to reports. Yes, this is very light for her height, but it isn’t too much out of line. I’m around her height and am just a little bit heavier (anywhere between three and six pounds, depending on time of day and what I’ve eaten). I know I’m a bit on the lighter side, but that’s how I’m built. That’s most women on the maternal line of my family is built. I think I’m the only woman who actually BROKE 100 lb while NOT being pregnant (I hovered around 100-103 lb between the ages of 13 and 22 on the account of cafeteria food in high school and university). It is no worse than body shaming people who are overweight. Fat or thin, body shaming is body shaming.
According to the articles I’ve read on this issue, the school “forced” Frances to gain weight by making her eat junk food. As in ice cream and Cheetos. As someone who tries to lead a healthier way of life, I find it appalling (and I’m not even a nutritionist). I can’t believe that this is even true. Doesn’t Yale have a medical school? How can a health centre even APPROVE of something like this? Have people actually READ what’s in most commercial ice cream? It ain’t just milk, cream, eggs and sugar (plus fruit or chocolate, depending on flavour). It’s a whole bunch of other things, often ingredients that most people can’t pronounce. And Cheetos is even worse (it has such a foul taste that I never ate it as a child). No wonder Frances felt sick.
I think the major problem here is that Frances went through the school’s health services when she had a lump checked out. Yes, one’s health is important and when you need to have something checked out because you think it might be cancer, then you should go for it. However, if she went to her doctor back home (which isn’t too far away, in New Jersey), then perhaps this whole debatical would never have happened. After all, Frances can’t be the only petite, small-framed student at Yale. She was just one who happened to get medical help for another issue.
Image courtesy of WendellandCarolyn/iStockphoto
