love handles

i was studying with a friend and she suddenly commented that i have no "love handles". by genetic luck, most of us filipinas have petite frames prior to bearing a child. americans come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. tomorrow, we are operating on a 300 lb patient. i had an "ally mcbeal moment" looking at her belly when i saw her in clinic the other day :). i thought that i can probably fit in her belly if i assume the fetal position. no, i'm not making fun of her, of course. it's quite sad actually, we're highly suspicious that she has ovarian cancer.

our dining tables at mount holyoke had these tentcards with various facts and figures raising awareness about eating disorders and the ridiculousness of the media's portrayal of a woman's body. naomi wolf's book, the beauty myth, concerning the negative effects of these unrealistic images of beauty on women, just came out the year prior.

i wonder if men care about other men's love handles. i guess i do notice other women's figures sometimes. i wonder how much a woman's self-esteem is related to her weight. for some, it seems that the past history of being overweight still affects their confidence even after they have lost the weight. i try to be vigilant with my girls in sunday school. i want them to love their bodies. one day, one of them was crying because someone called her fat. i had a long talk with her to reassure her that she is beautiful the way she is. i felt obliged though to tell her that pb has a big crush on her. that was probably a mistake on my part. we shouldn't really be defined by how a man sees us but rather how we see ourselves.