Regina Benjamin - Does Size Matter For Health Officials?

by Bethany Sanders (Subscribe to Bethany Sanders's posts)
Jul 22nd 2009 1:00PM

Categories: Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment

Photo: Getty Images

Surgeon General nominee Regina Benjamin is one accomplished physician. She's won numerous rewards, a MacArthur Foundation genius grant and a Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights. She's also a doctor who cares so much about her patients, she's been known to accept payment in oysters.

So why, then, is America talking about Dr. Benjamin's weight? As Slate points out, the Internet is a-twitter (heck, even Twitter is a-twitter) about Dr. Benjamin's BMI. Can a health official who's overweight -- and therefore, some presume not in charge of her own health -- really take care of America's health?

Take, for example, this quote from a commenter at the Washington Post: "It is clear why she was selected and it has nothing to do with health," writes wagner4. "Someone who is failing- not succeeding at the very basic levels of control and self restraint regarding food and their health....Is this what we want America's Doctor to look like. We are rewarding the sub-standards not the very best in their field."

But by all reports, Dr. Benjamin is one of the very best in her field. She's a champion for the poor, she took care of residents in the after math of Katrina -- rebuilding her own clinic twice -- and she's nationally recognized for her work in her field.

Salon's Broadsheet hits the nail on the head:

"This country is full of above-average weight women and children struggling for dignity as well as to lose weight. Achieving either of these is not easy. (Never mind that none of these criticisms have mentioned any actual health concerns Benjamin might or might not have, instead presuming "obesity" as a catch-all for bad health.) Having a confident, big-bodied and big-spirited woman as America's family doctor could do more to improve their health than skinny HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius. It's good to know that even doctors struggle with their weight -- and lead full and active lives in spite of adversity."

There are politicians who lie, who steal, who cheat -- if a person's heart is in the right place, if she has the experience to do the job and do it well, does the size of her waistline really matter?

What do you think?

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Comments (6)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

amyt 7-22-2009 @ 4:59PM

I don't give a flying fig what size she is, and I agree she may be able to provide an example of "healthy but large" to many women in the USA.

However, she is supposed to deliver health advice for the whole of a country, and frankly people will tune her out based on her weight.

I'd at least give her a chance to show that she leads a healthy lifestyle and is physically fit. The best PR move for her right now would be to run a 5k and do some pushups to show that she can be big - but fit.

Convincing anyone to "eat right and exercise" is hard enough, but it will be impossible if you can't walk the walk yourself.

u262f 7-22-2009 @ 10:53PM

I completely agree with amyt. Just because she's big doesn't necessarily mean she's unhealthy. I hope she wins and stays in the public eye until she happily, healthily, and energetically outlives us all.

chanel handbags 7-23-2009 @ 6:10AM

Very nice opinion.Health and happy live are the most important.

Sharon 7-23-2009 @ 10:05AM

I find it interesting that people are so quick to criticize this beautiful, intelligent, compassionate African-American woman. I honestly don't think people would be making these comments if the surgeon general nominee were a man. Men in this country are allowed to gain weight, have wrinkles, and generally show their age - women aren't. I don't think Dr. Benjamin's weight disqualifies her in the least and I'm appalled that this has even become a topic of discussion.

Marie 8-04-2009 @ 7:51PM

One issue that many people are not aware of is traditionally the Surgeon General also becomes an Admiral in the US Public Health Service, one of the less known branches of the uniform service. Officers, both men and women, are subjected to weight-height standards; and for those who got kicked out or denied promotions, it would be utterly unfair for Dr. Benjamin to waltz in and becomes the head of this group of public health professionals.

The previous Surgeon General, Dr. Carmona, ran several miles EVERY morning, even when he was on business trips. Dr. Joycelyn Elders, another former Surgeon General and an African-American woman was no Barbie Doll, but she looked much fitter than Dr. Benjamin.

The bottom line is if she can do the 1.5-mile run, sit ups and push ups and meet the physical fitness standards for Public Health Service Officers, I don't care how much she weighs.