Trend Alert! Health is the new Wealth

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Doutzen Kroes, US Vogue April 2009

Whatever the eventual outcome of the new health bill this historic occasion will, when it comes to matters of well-being, undoubtedly lead to a major shift in the nation's collective consciousness. It might even mean that the notion of needing to be wealthy to stay healthy will be turned on its head. A national survey by the CDC polled 79,000 Americans, ages 18 and up, from 2005 to 2007. The results reconfirmed other studies that found the number of overweight Americans has jumped. The CDC's last survey, released in 1997, found that 35 percent of adults were overweight. The new survey finds that 68 percent of men and 53 percent of women weigh too much. The good news is that fewer Americans are smoking. Twenty-percent are regular smokers, several percentage points down from the last survey, and 58 percent have smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime.


Michelle Obama, Official White House Portrait 2009

The fight for fitness begins not just with the President and his landmark legislation but also with his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama and her plans to eradicate child obesity in the "Let's Move" campaign. She is suggesting that parents to serve smaller portions, cut out sugary drinks in favor of water and fresh juice, turn off the TV and urge everyone in the family to get more exercise.


Doutzen Kroes, Prada F2010

The fashion industry will hopefully do their part too. The irony is that they need to examine what a healthy body looks like from the opposite viewpoint, encouraging a bigger frame rather than a smaller one! Michael Kors has made a commitment to showing healthier and more realistic-looking models, stating this week that he will no longer use girls younger than 16. Miuccia Prada was praised for using a "curvy woman" on the runway for Fall 2010. In fact, 25 year old Doutzen Kroes is only a size 6, but adding her to the bevy of size 0s is at least a step in the right direction. Congratulations America, we are on our way to becoming healthy and wealthy, if we just act wisely!




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