By Tamar Haspel, Illustration: Cece Pascual/The Washington Post/iStock, The Washington Post, June 29, 2023
There’s a scene in the 2002 movie “Real Women Have Curves” where the heroine, Ana (America Ferrera), who struggles with her weight, is in a restaurant with her mother, Carmen (Lupe Ontiveros). Dessert comes, and Carmen looks daggers at Ana, whom she habitually belittles and criticizes about, among other things, her body.
“Don’t eat the flan,” Carmen says.
Ana takes a defiant bite and pushes it away.
Carmen represents an entire school of thought on obesity. “Just eat less” is the school’s line. “It’s a matter of individual responsibility.”
If you’re of the Don’t-Eat-the-Flan school, can we try a little hypothetical?
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