Reader who likes being fat is in denial

DEAR SUSAN: I think you were being realistic when "Forthright in Phoenix" complained that men do not like her fatness. If she's indeed "incredibly proud" of her so-called curves, then she should concentrate on the men who do like their women fat. If she's whining about men who don't, maybe it's because they are the norm, and she's not meeting enough men who appreciate "plus-size" women. Look, she wants to remain fat. But she can't have it both ways. She can either aim for a healthy weight and, as a result, attract more men, or stay fat and realize she'll have to pick through a smaller number of men. It's pointless to waste time and energy justifying and rationalizing. From the "Single File" blog

DEAR BLOGGER: Being proud of fat rolls is an extreme form of denial. The truth is, men despise blubber; fatness is at the top of their hate list. But the main reason for maintaining healthy poundage is to be disease-free. By maintaining a healthy weight for your height and shape, you raise your chances of living to a ripe old age. Obesity is probably America's No. 1 terrorist. And her attitude is so defiant of the facts that it boggles the mind. Mine, at least. How can she go to the beach, paddle a kayak, play volleyball? Her stance is unreal, defiant and self-destructive. And did I mention out of touch?! Being a friend to your body takes only a few minutes with your family physician in the privacy of his office. That talk may change a life.

DEAR SUSAN: I totally agree that the decline of traditional sex roles is progress! Corporate women, stay-at-home dads, moms teaching kids about football, husbands making dinner -- it's all for the good.

From the "Single File" blog

DEAR BLOGGER: You and I are firmly on the side of progress, and on the issue of sex roles, well, chalk up another victory for wholeness (aka undependence). Why shouldn't men know their way around the kitchen, women feel comfortable sitting at the head of a corporate boardroom?! It kind of meshes with the mindset of flexibility, the ability to roll with life's zingers, those unexpected zigzags that have a way of momentarily derailing the best-laid plans of mice and men. (With flexibility comes the enormous strength of bending with the unplanned, using its momentum to bring you to your goal.) And what about the children of flexible thinkers, the next generation inculcated to assimilate the best of both sexes, to bend rather than crack under stress? My guess is they will be better equipped for life than any that have gone before them. They will be more innovative than you or I. My money is on them. And yours?