PHAT DEFINED

For the Detroit Free Press, Desiree Cooper writes this column which defines and provides some reasoning behind the word "phat." She grew up in a black community and was culturally influenced to appreciate ampleness in body size. She states:

My grandmother would always greet her grandchildren, big and small, with the same observation: "Baby, you're so fat!" Grandma, who stood on tree-trunk legs with arms akimbo on her ample hips, meant it as a compliment: Fat as in rosy and healthy, strapping and strong. . . .

[ . . . ]

There's a lot about slang and hip-hop culture that mystifies me, but when I first heard a young person exclaim, "Man, that's phat!" there was no need for a translation. I knew it was a compliment about something that was buttery rich, deliciously opulent and lip-smacking cool.

So, phat means fat and it means it in a complimentary manner. Desiree also includes in her column an analysis of the conflict between the cultural bias for fat by the black community and the desire for thinness by the fashion industry. Her conclusion is that there has to be some sort of healthy middle ground. I agree.

Other points brought up by Desiree are worth mention. She writes "that black women seem to have fewer esteem problems associated with their weight," which is something, frankly, I've never even thought about. And, she states that "researchers are hard-pressed to find an anorexic black teenager," and, again, something that has never crossed my mind.

The column is thought provoking. Consider for a moment. Would a truly culturally integrated society have equal percentages of black and white anorexics? Or is it desirable to have all women suffer from esteem problems because of their weight?