You can have a helicopter on your head and be skinny, too!
A little known obstacle in black women’s efforts to lead healthy and active lifestyles is the extravagant hair styles that they maintain. In an effort to spare these women from the so-called obesity ‘epidemic’, an army of black hair stylists will be mobilized across America to trim the fat.
The initiative to arm black hairstylists with the weapons they need to combat obesity among black women is being spearheaded by U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin and UnitedHealthCare. This week, the dynamic duo plans to recruit 60,000 hairstylists at the the Bronner Brothers International Hair Show in Atlanta, Ga.
“Recognizing that data show many African American women avoid certain fitness activities in order to maintain their hairstyle,” a UnitedHealthCare press release states, “the initiative will feature the first-ever exercise-friendly hair competition, designed to remove hairstyle-related barriers to physical activity for women.”
Promoters of the initiative cite unspecified studies that show black women sporting extravagant hair styles avoid certain types of physical fitness activities just so they can maintain what’s on their heads while neglecting their waistlines. According to recent government statistics, nearly 4 out of 5 black women are overweight or obese, though hair styles are not cited as a contributing factor.
“As the Surgeon General of the United States, my number one goal is to improve the health of the nation and I’m proud to join with First Lady Michelle Obama to attack this problem head-on,” said Regina M. Benjamin, MD, MBA and the 18th Surgeon General of the United States. “I know first hand the important role salons play in our African American culture. I look forward to being an honorary judge of the Hair Fitness competition and to sharing the lessons we learn from this throughout the nation.”
The hair show this week in Atlanta will instruct black hair stylists on practical techniques that can be passed-on to women in their salons so they will no longer be fearful of breaking a sweat and messing-up their costly hair styles that often take several hours to perfect. A “Hair Fitness” competition will be held to determine best practices for low, moderate and high impact hair friendly workout routines.
“The stylists will be judged on the technical execution of the styles, originality, suitability and head contour, and new ideas,” according to the press release. “The hair show will allow the audience to get ideas for clients who are looking to become more active and health conscious, while maintaining their hair regimen at the same time.”
White women with extravagant hair styles remain at risk of obesity unless special treatment is prescribed by the Surgeon General.
If you are wondering why the U.S. Surgeon General and one of the nation’s largest health care providers only focusing on black women who have their hair professionally maintained at beauty salons, promoters of the event say obesity among blacks as a whole “dramatically outpaces the corresponding obesity rates for Caucasians.”
We will be curious to see if any federal funding is allocated to mobilize an army of black hair stylists charged with helping clients achieve their personal fitness goals. As the Surgeon General noted, “I’m proud to join with First Lady Michelle Obama to attack this problem head-on,” so one has to wonder if the racially targeted program will become part of the federally-funded “Let’s Move!” anti-obesity crusade or buried inside an unrelated piece of legislation to ensure its passage.
The national initiative will reach every black community across the nation once all of the troops are in place. Therefore, blaming extravagant hair styles for preventing black women from exercising should no longer be an excuse for them to remain sedentary and obese, if all parties embrace the plan.
Whether or not we witness a dramatic decline in obesity rates among black women due to the dedication of the U.S. Surgeon General, the First Lady, UnitedHealthCare and 60,000 black hair stylists engaged in their war against obesity remains to be seen. Perhaps black chefs at restaurants with predominantly black clienteles will be recruited to teach patrons how and what to eat, effectively providing the knockout punch against the obesity ‘epidemic’ that is plaguing black Americans.
The First Lady recently told attendees at an NAACP conference, “We are living today in a time where we’re decades beyond slavery, we are decades beyond Jim Crow.” Yet, here we go again with prominent black Americans in the Obama Administration and their minions in the private sector telling blacks they can not overcome much less severe personal struggles without instilling a sense of victimhood and offering a ‘helping hand.’
I find your assertions to be light on any actual scientific citations, and heavy on interesting, if not unfounded, Racial Stereotypes. Stories such as these tend to perpetuate the notion, especially among those of questionable intelligence, (which would likely include most of your members), that Blacks are more concerned with Fashion than Health, and frequently engage in unhealthy and overpriced practices.
I could, if any of your membership is interested, produce citations from numerous scholarly publications debunking your assertions, and veiled insinuations. Please feel free to send a request to me, through this organization, and I will be happy to provide those citations to this organization for perusal, and potential rebuttal.
If possible, however, I would ask that you at least consider making a small gesture towards some even-handedness in the manner in which you present your criticism of the so-called “Nanny State.” Followers of a Movement gained in the fervor of mindless emotion add up to little more than a “Mob,” (for example, the “Tea Party Movement).
If you have a valid set of points to present–and I acknowledge that you do offer some limited information suggestive of inappropriate Governmental activities, and expenditures–then you should confine yourselves to presenting such information in a non-sensational, and more rational fashion, so as to excite far less hysteria, and more rational ACTION to correct the problems. Thanks.
Unfortunately this is not a sensationalized piece it is all too real. Currently Im at work (paying for liberals to exist through taxes) and cannot reply further. If however you would like some sensationalist pieces I implore you to head over to the huffingtonpost.com where you can see the headlines with captions the size of half your screen and the moderators with all the openmindeness of Heinrich Himmler
What assertions specifically were you referring to when you spoke of racial stereotypes? Did you actually read the article? Did you miss the part that said:
“According to recent government statistics, nearly 4 out of 5 black women are overweight or obese, though hair styles are not cited as a contributing factor.”
All of the information in the article comes directly from the event’s Website and the press release (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/an-exercise-in-style-unitedhealthcare-us-surgeon-general-and-the-bronner-brothers-international-hair-show-launch-fashion-friendly-fitness-initiative-for-african-american-women-2010-08-09?reflink=MW_news_stmp).
The assertions I believe you’re referencing come directly from the Surgeon General and UnitedHealthcare. Perhaps you’d be better off writing the Surgeon General with your citations.
You’ve shown what an idiot you are by not even reading the article or doing a cursory search of the internet to find out who is actually responsible for the assertions within.