good-outcome~ma to Bonny and it's-nothing~ma to Frank.

So sorry about your Aunt, ND.

If I could tap the ~ma one more time I'd love to ask for a bunch of it's-nothing~ma for another family member.

ND, I'm so sorry for your loss.

I have a sister that for most of her life was a "feed her a sandwich" body type. naturally very thin. Skinny. so i actually believe that there are a wide range of body types that are natural.

Definitely. Different people are differently shaped. Whoda thunk it?

I bristle at the "I'm just concerned about your HEALTH" excuse for commenting on how someone's body is too fat/thin. Because unless you actually know their medical history, it's pretty damn hard to assess someone's health by just looking at their body shape. Not all thin people are anorexic or, indeed, have health risks just because they're on one end of the bell curve. Just like not all fat people have The Diabeetus or heart disease or any other medical condition that's ascribed to being overweight.

You can *say* you're concerned about someone's health, but if you're basing your concern on an assumption instead of actual knowledge, maybe skip the concern.

Probably if she's a stranger, skip it anyway. I know I got tired of hearing about everybody's crippled grandson who was so helped by the mare-placenta injections or whatnot.(I think there is no treatment so weird that there isn't somebody who is helped by it.)

I try not to judge weight, but I have to admit to having the "feed him/her a sandwich" reaction when I see an actor or actress who I feel used to look healthy but suddenly has had a dramatic weight loss. I admit to having the reaction every time I watch NCIS this season and see how thin the actor who plays McGee has become.

Much job~ma to Aims. The world needs you as a teacher. Also, clue-sticking all around Seska's university, which I would have thought would have been thoroughly clued years ago.

Yep. What Ginger said.

ND, so sorry about your loss and how it'll affect your mom.

As far as the weight/body type commentary thing, eh-- I've been on both ends of the spectrum: both so skinny that most people thought there was something medically wrong with me and fat enough to qualify as obviously obese. And because my family doesn't believe in restraint of any sort, I heard it all, including, when I was at a healthy weight, after being so thin, "My GOD, you've gotten fat." (120 lbs, qualified for that comment.) As such, while I try not to verbalize comments like that, just because I see them as rude and intrusive, I tend to not even register them when they're directed at me. Frankly, what I do to myself in my own head is far worse than any passing comment.

Of course, that's just me. Everyone else's MMV.

so many actresses...

Barb, are you feeling any better today?

Tons of job~ma, Aims. Also, TCG and I are planning on going to England sometime in the Spring and I'll be sure to send you some royal wedding loot if any is out yet.

As far as the weight/body type commentary thing, eh-- I've been on both ends of the spectrum: both so skinny that most people thought there was something medically wrong with me and fat enough to qualify as obviously obese. And because my family doesn't believe in restraint of any sort, I heard it all, including, when I was at a healthy weight, after being so thin, "My GOD, you've gotten fat." (120 lbs, qualified for that comment.) As such, while I try not to verbalize comments like that, just because I see them as rude and intrusive, I tend to not even register them when they're directed at me. Frankly, what I do to myself in my own head is far worse than any passing comment.

Barb is me. When I was in high school I weighed 90 lbs and would have Italian relatives pinch my waist and tell me I was too skinny, but when I got above an 8 (which I am far above now) it was noticed that I was gaining weight. Although I probably got more "too skinny" comments then I do comments about having gained weight.

Ah, sj, you just reminded me...Aimee, I recently watched a British tv show called "Time Team", which is dedicated to bringing archeology to the masses, where the team spent time in all three of Queen E's castles. I thought of you.

I used to be super-skinny (6'3", 125#) in high school. I got picked on somewhat. By college I had managed to get my weight up to 140#. Every time I saw a new doctor, s/he'd say, "Have you recently lost a lot of weight?" I'd just say, "No, I've always been this way." That was the extent of concern for my health I received (and in retrospect, the doctors' questions make perfect sense).

Now I'm at about 230#, and it seems like all the extra weight is in my belly. My body image is like The Amazing Bobinski.