Tyra apologizes for the 'Top Model' thin waist clip

Supermodel talk show host and presenter of the hit TV show 'America's Next Top Model', Tyra Banks, has released a statement apologizing for a shocking video which showed the amazingly thin waist of one of the show's contestants, Anne.

The clip shows the girl, who is tall - about six foot two - auditioning for a part in the upcoming season of the show. The judges, including Banks, appear amazed and mystified at the size of her midsection.

The statement Banks released is shown below:

In an effort to create a fun and entertaining sneak peak of the upcoming cycle, America's Next Top Model released a trailer that was edited in way that misconstrued our overarching message.

As a leader in celebrating and promoting healthy body image, I must admit that I regrettably didn't see this clip before it was released to the public, (with multiple Top Model departments, it's just impossible to review everything) but on behalf of the Top Model team, these were not the intentions, and we truly apologize for any confusion, anger or disappointment it may have caused.

The passionate response the trailer has evoked proves that the message to promote and celebrate all different -- healthy and natural -- body types has resonated with our viewers and I'm so proud of every one of you who voiced your opinion and participated in this conversation. I have experienced body image scrutiny from one extreme to the next -- as an awkward, extremely thin pre-teen who couldn't gain weight no matter what I did, to later being slammed by the media for my fuller, curvier frame.

Driven by these personal experiences I am committed to expanding the definition of beauty which includes ALL shapes, sizes and proportions, from skinny to curvy and everything in between. It's about women telling the world to KISS their -- skinny, wide, droopy, flat, cellulite-covered or FAT -- you know what!

Through Top Model and my other platforms, I am able to connect with women directly. During this season of Top Model, you will see that Ann (the woman featured in the trailer) provided another opportunity for me to support a young woman struggling with her own body image issues (she's 6'2''; and is the receiver of countless stares and ridicule). Helping young ladies, like Ann and countless others that have confided in me, furthers and supports my core mission.

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Feel your teenage boy is eating a lot? There's science behind that.

Ever heard a mother of adolescent boys complain about how their son eats so much, or merely mention it in amazement at the sheer volume of food that can be consumed in one sitting? There happens to be a significant amount of scientific fact in their ramblings, as shown by a groundbreaking US funded study.

The study, which is run by the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (wow, try fitting that on a letterhead) has found that the average boy aged 14-17 can consume up to around 2000 calories in a single lunch sitting, if given the option.

According to Reuters:

During two study lunches, the youngsters were told on one day to eat as much as they normally would during lunch and on the other day, to eat as much as they wanted.

Overall, the researchers found, boys ate more than girls.

Prepubescent boys - generally between the ages of 8 and 10 - averaged nearly 1300 lunchtime calories, versus 900 among prepubescent girls.

Girls showed the biggest increase in appetite during early- to mid-puberty, roughly between the ages of 10 and 13. Girls that age averaged almost 1300 lunchtime calories, and that figure was only slightly higher among girls who were in late puberty.

Read the full report from Reuters. 

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Stuff opens up a fat can of hate comments

An article appeard on the country's top news website (the same story was also featured on the popular current affairs program Close Up), today, outlining how two women who have struggled to lose weight and are on death's door should they continue at their current weight, have been denied previously promised surgery to reduce their stomach size.

Perhaps the best illustration of New Zealand's - and indeed the world's - misguided and misinformed attitude towards obesity and weight loss surgery is to read the comments submitted below the story.

Some are sympathetic, some are informed - some are somewhat offensive. Here are some highlights of the more direct comments:

mike chch   #152   12:50 pm Jun 14 2010

why make the tax payer pay for something that these individuals have done to themselves, what about private health insurance, or how about paying for elective surgery yourself. you ate the food, no one held a gun to your head and told you to eat it. you should pay your own costs, or but a stairmaster!

nice one johnny #61 and cecelia #65, i totally agree with you.

not much sympathy from me for any obese people, but obesity is self inflicted.

johnny   #93   10:34 am Jun 14 2010

i know how to fix this, put the pies down and do some physical activity. why should my tax payer dollars pay for an operation just beacause you cant control yourself. have you heard of a salad?

CN   #92   10:31 am Jun 14 2010

"I eat healthy and I exercise...."

How many times have I heard people say that and then you see then dilly dallying around in the gym thinking they are working hard yet they arent even breaking a sweat and their heart rate hasnt moved since they got out of bed in the morning, and then they down a bottle of electrolyte as they have 'worked so hard'.

You can not cheat on exercise and diet, as at the end of the day the only one who suffers is you.

Find out what it really means to exercise properly and eat healthily and people might be extremely surprised to discover that what they do is a LONG way from that. 

Read the article and the comments here. 

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