Yes, it’s fun to read about the smoking ban on campus, abusive football coaches and the eternal struggle between left and right, but these issues are just distracting us all from the real problem that plagues the UNM campus: fat people.
Yes, I know that America is an overweight nation in general and that UNM is not exceptionally fat, but perhaps we should take it upon ourselves to set the example.
The problem isn’t even the rolls of fat I see hanging out (from the oddest of places), it’s the clothes people wear that accentuate them. It’s high time someone pointed out this issue to the poor, and hopefully unaware, overweight souls on campus. Please, no more muffin tops. Those who cannot walk up a flight of stairs without panting should not wear overly tight or short clothing. Try the husky section at Wal-Mart. The problem here isn’t really the health issue, but the aesthetic issue. Those of us who are in shape and working it shouldn’t have to be subjected to the visual atrocities that result from the abysmal wardrobe choices that so many obese people make on a daily basis.
I realize that perhaps a small percentage of these overweight students may have a gland problem or freakishly low metabolism, but the majority of them need to put down the bag of Sonic they bought in the SUB and hit the treadmill. And when I say hit the treadmill, I do not mean walk on it at a leisurely pace for 10 minutes while chatting on the phone with your girlfriends. You know who you are. With UNM accepting too many students as it is, competition for treadmills in Johnson Gym is fierce enough. I know that personally.
Seeing an obese person waddling in front of me with his or her back fat hanging out for everyone to see is far more disturbing than a smoker blowing smoke in my face (fat smokers are the worst). I find it an interesting paradox that it’s in one of the most image-obsessed nations that people often think they look good, even when they so clearly do not.
Many of the people reading this will probably not even immediately realize that they fall into the category of people I am talking about. But please. Put away the halter-top, try eating a vegetable, and stay away from drive-thrus at 3 a.m.
And to all the fit people out there: simply stay your sexy selves.
Victor Murthy is a UNM student.
