h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I contend that our society is exploitative; success is seen as coming from disempowering people. So by making people feel bad about themselves we boost industries that give people the illusion that they will feel better about themselves by using products. For instance there is at one and the same time industries that market products to make people look better, like cosmetics, or diet supplements, and others that encourage people to consume fattening food when they feel bad about themselves. The two sides boost each other while the consumers lose out.

An ethical diet/bodyweight control/health improvement industry would in essence sell people the keys to its own destruction. If diets and so on really worked they would soon become unnecessary.

But to return to the point - why are we doing this? It is clear that a healthy body is also a good looking body. But seemingly not many people are aware that they can easily be healthy and good looking, whatever their body type. We've been talking about good looks, but what about health? Health is more basic, but it is very important. Personally I want to be healthy because I want to be able to do lots of physical things in my life, and I want to live very, very long. Being lean improves health, because there's less of a strain on the body, and there's less accumulation of plaque in the veins and arteries, than when you carry a lot of fat. So for health and longevity, healthy leanness is best. Note that does not mean emaciation, which is leanness carried to an extreme. That can end your life quite quickly.