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An Apple a Day
Santa a bad role model?
Posted by:
juliaperla on
December 22, 2009 at
11:21AM EST
I just came across an article that talks about Santa's "obesity problem." The health experts interviewed say that Santa needs to better use his public image to promote healthy living. They suggest that Santa should "lose his belly fat (the most dangerous kind), to eat carrots instead of energy-dense cookies and to don a helmet while participating in 'extreme sports such as roof surfing and chimney jumping.'" They even scoff at him for promoting "unsafe air travel."
Seriously? What has this world come to? I'm a huge advocate of being fit, obviously, but there comes a point when people need to take responsibility for their own health. I highly doubt that people are looking at Santa—who comes around just once a year, mind you!—and saying, "Well, if Santa's fat, then I can be too!" This brings up the issue of celebrity role models as a whole. I agree that those in the spotlight should take care of themselves as best as they're able to, but so should the rest of us. It's one thing to view a celebrity as an example of what to do (or not do), but it's quite another to rely on them to dictate what we all know we should be doing in the first place. I'm just tired of people making excuses for being unhealthy and unfit, and health experts like the ones in this article are only encouraging that blame-it-on-the-other-guy mentality. Lastly, Santa's bowl-full-of-jelly belly signifies more than the fact that he's had too many candy canes. It's what identifies him at this nostalgic time of year. When children see an image of Santa, it brings them feelings of joy, not the urge to overeat. If we're going to pick on a celebrity for being a bad example, let's look to the likes of Tiger Woods, and leave poor Santa alone.
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