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Email stirs 'fat shaming' controversy at Bryn Mawr College

Sam Wood, PHILLY.COM Last updated: Friday, January 30, 2015...
Bisexual mad cow disease
  01/30/15
sigh. it's always stupid entitled women complaining
orchid zombie-like trailer park corn cake
  01/30/15
enslave them all
bat shit crazy vigorous dog poop gunner
  01/30/15
...
Bisexual mad cow disease
  01/30/15
"You're telling students that it's more important to lo...
Ocher arrogant hunting ground new version
  01/30/15
..."said Rudrani Sarma, a pre-law junior" LJL. ...
Bisexual mad cow disease
  01/30/15
"it's more important to lose weight than to be healthy&...
Sick Kitchen Headpube
  01/31/15
...
Bisexual mad cow disease
  01/31/15
It's pretty creepy to get a targeted email about your weight...
stimulating cruise ship
  01/31/15
cr. odd case.
Maize lascivious cuckoldry
  01/31/15
this is PROBLEMATIC and not okay, said the turdskin pre-law ...
Spectacular brilliant multi-billionaire
  01/31/15
subtle BMI trolling
Aphrodisiac flushed orchestra pit hissy fit
  01/31/15
Of course, it's a bunch of entitled women who can't "Sh...
Motley sweet tailpipe
  01/31/15
...
swollen rose corner
  01/31/15
Sarma ended it with "How dare you, Bryn Mawr?"
Sticky garnet pit
  01/31/15
tyft.
very tactful weed whacker
  01/31/15
... and it's important to have a discussion about ...
mauve field national security agency
  01/31/15


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Date: January 30th, 2015 9:43 PM
Author: Bisexual mad cow disease

Sam Wood, PHILLY.COM

Last updated: Friday, January 30, 2015, 6:39 PM

Posted: Friday, January 30, 2015, 6:25 PM

Sometimes you just can't win for losing.

Bryn Mawr students are planning a demonstration next week to protest what some described as an insensitive email sent to women with "elevated BMIs," that is, a little overweight.

The email was an invitation to participate in a free individualized fitness program.

The list of 100 recipients had been generated from records compiled by the college's health care center.

"There were truly good intentions behind this," said Bryn Mawr spokesman Matt Gray. "It's a program that includes individual counseling, nutritional advice and group support."

The program, initially launched in October, has had 12 students go through it. Besides one critical blog post in October, no one complained, Gray said.

This time the invitations hit a nerve.

Rudrani Sarma, a pre-law junior from Colorado who is not obese, received one of those invitations and was mortified.

"It felt awful to be targeted like that," she said.

In an angry post on her Facebook page, she called the invite "problematic," "hurtful" and "just plain stupid."

"You're telling students that it's more important to lose weight than to be healthy. You're telling students that you discriminate based on weight by compiling a list of "fat" students."

Sarma ended it with "How dare you, Bryn Mawr?"

Sarma's post went viral. It collected dozens of comments. She filed a complaint with the Dean's office. On Monday, she received an apology from the health center which told Sarma her name had been included on the list because a nurse had entered her height incorrectly.

The apology came too late to quell interest in Sarma's story.

The Phoenix, the student newspaper at nearby Swarthmore College, noticed Sarma's Facebook post and published a 1,200 word story Thursday about the perceived affront. Buzzfeed.com, the enormously popular website specializing in viral news, picked up the story Thursday.

Reached by phone, Sarma said she was surprised by the controversy she had stirred.

"A lot of people were angry, and when that happens, it's kind of like wildfire," she said. "Body policing and fat shaming are both involved here and it's important to have a discussion about how we want to talk about our bodies."

George Loewenstein, a professor of economics and psychology at Carnegie Mellon University who has studied behavioral economics and obesity, said the targeted email was "probably a mistake."

"It's selecting one arbitrary group and saying 'We've identified you as being in need of change.'"

On other hand, he said the program itself appeared to be well designed, given that it includes dietary and exercise components.

"It could be that some people will take it up, and it could benefit them," Loewenstein said.

There is scant research showing that schools, companies and other institutions are able to change behavior with weight-loss programs and incentives, as such a finding would required a randomized study that no employer or school is likely to conduct, he said. Still, they could be helpful for some people, he said.

Gray, the college spokesman, said the health center is rethinking how it will invite students to participate in the future.

"One of the things we'll look at is wording," he said. "We'll figure out something so this doesn't happen again."

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/health/20150131_Email_stirs__fat_shameing__controversy_at_Bryn_Mawr_College.html

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2795870&forum_id=2#27219060)



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Date: January 30th, 2015 9:44 PM
Author: orchid zombie-like trailer park corn cake

sigh. it's always stupid entitled women complaining

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2795870&forum_id=2#27219072)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 30th, 2015 9:47 PM
Author: bat shit crazy vigorous dog poop gunner

enslave them all

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2795870&forum_id=2#27219082)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 30th, 2015 10:00 PM
Author: Bisexual mad cow disease



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2795870&forum_id=2#27219164)



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Date: January 30th, 2015 10:08 PM
Author: Ocher arrogant hunting ground new version

"You're telling students that it's more important to lose weight than to be healthy. You're telling students that you discriminate based on weight by compiling a list of "fat" students."

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2795870&forum_id=2#27219230)



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Date: January 30th, 2015 10:10 PM
Author: Bisexual mad cow disease

..."said Rudrani Sarma, a pre-law junior"

LJL. god help us

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2795870&forum_id=2#27219246)



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Date: January 31st, 2015 6:25 PM
Author: Sick Kitchen Headpube

"it's more important to lose weight than to be healthy"

So much for libs supporting science.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2795870&forum_id=2#27223315)



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Date: January 31st, 2015 5:37 PM
Author: Bisexual mad cow disease



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2795870&forum_id=2#27223115)



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Date: January 31st, 2015 5:41 PM
Author: stimulating cruise ship

It's pretty creepy to get a targeted email about your weight from some school health office. Gotta side with them on that point.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2795870&forum_id=2#27223132)



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Date: January 31st, 2015 5:42 PM
Author: Maize lascivious cuckoldry

cr. odd case.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2795870&forum_id=2#27223135)



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Date: January 31st, 2015 5:48 PM
Author: Spectacular brilliant multi-billionaire

this is PROBLEMATIC and not okay, said the turdskin pre-law major

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2795870&forum_id=2#27223156)



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Date: January 31st, 2015 5:49 PM
Author: Aphrodisiac flushed orchestra pit hissy fit

subtle BMI trolling

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2795870&forum_id=2#27223158)



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Date: January 31st, 2015 6:19 PM
Author: Motley sweet tailpipe

Of course, it's a bunch of entitled women who can't "Shake It Off" as the kids say these days.

And because it's a bunch of entitled "elite" school women, it gets national news attention.

This happens at Oklahoma State no one cares, there is no retraction from the school, maybe a few fat girls get some weight-loss help. But since it's an urban elitist center, the coastal-capitalist-crusaders of feminism get another day of clicks and outrage.

2015 feminism: urban elite privilege for girls.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2795870&forum_id=2#27223281)



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Date: January 31st, 2015 6:29 PM
Author: swollen rose corner



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2795870&forum_id=2#27223338)



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Date: January 31st, 2015 6:28 PM
Author: Sticky garnet pit

Sarma ended it with "How dare you, Bryn Mawr?"

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2795870&forum_id=2#27223330)



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Date: January 31st, 2015 7:16 PM
Author: very tactful weed whacker

tyft.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2795870&forum_id=2#27223588)



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Date: January 31st, 2015 7:24 PM
Author: mauve field national security agency

... and it's important to have a discussion about ...

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2795870&forum_id=2#27223634)