I think you're getting hung up on the word virtue automatically implying a moral judgment. To me, the word "virtue" is simply not loaded that way.

I'm struggling with this one too. I can't make it work in my head that if one choice is virtuous, others are not implicitly non-virtuous. It simply is a value-laden word. And yet, there clearly are better and worse choices and saying so shouldn't be so fraught.

"beneficial". If you are using "virtue" as a synonym for "beneficial", why not say "beneficial"?

I'm with Teppy on this. If I had a shiny pound coin for every time I've heard a woman refer to her eating choices in terms of "sinning", I'd be able to buy myself an iPhone. That whole virtue/vice paradigm IS applied to food choices in the media, and in everyday conversation, all the time, framing food choices as moral choices. Not just "sensible" choices, or "healthy" choices, not just good in that specific sense, but moral choices. Advertisers make conscious use of this, both cashing in on the ideal of virtuousness and the seduction of sinfulness in relation to food. Desserts are "wicked" and "sinful" and "decadent" - this is very morally loaded terminology. Women who have broken their eating regimen say they have "been bad" - not "made a bad decision", generally, but "been bad". Or naughty, or wicked.

It is a specific linguistic tick that always irritates the hell out of me, because I think it's profoundly unhelpful.

vw, that purse is gorgeous!!!

I want to say that I am VERY lucky in that the many women in my workplace do not talk about weight or food. Shoes, pets and pop culture, yeah, but weight, no. I know this is rare and it's a real pleasure, especially here in SoCal.

All this talk of healthy inspired me to put a few extra slices of bacon in brunch today. AIFG!

All this talk of healthy inspired me to put a few extra slices of bacon in brunch today. AIFG!

Bacon's good for your soul. You may draw your own conclusions about the state of Perkins' soul.

All this talk of healthy inspired me to put a few extra slices of bacon in brunch today.

I have no bacon. Now I cry.

Working with teenagers for more than a decade has made it very obvious to me that women are taught that being overweight is morally wrong; not just in terms of how it affects them personally, but in terms of their place in society. On a personal note, my mom's family comes from the aforementioned hearty peasant stock on top of being short, and I watched her struggle with her weight and self-image my whole life. As much as she loved me, I know part of her resented the fact that I took after my dad's tall, skinny family (well, nsm with the tall, but you know what I mean). I felt guilty about being thin my whole childhood. I remember watching her diet and exercise and fret while I did nothing and stayed thin. People assumed she was unhealthy because of her weight, and she ate so much healthier than I did.

I definitely think our society equates thin with healthy. I can't tell you how many times I had people comment how "good" I looked after losing ten pounds because of the pneumonia last year or the stomach flu this year.

Huh. Ranting. Sorry.

You people help me understand why I wanna punch everyone who tells me I look more beautiful with that fucking braces on better. I love that in an online community.