World's Largest Hips, Self Love, and Obesity

I was watching The Talk at my office a few days ago-- I work in Public Relations, and we have various news and consumer programs on during the day to find media opportunities for them -- and the ladies at The Talk were also discussing this woman.

This is Mikel Ruffinelli, a 39 year old woman with "The Largest Hips in the World." She weighs 420 pounds, has a 40 inch waist, and measures 100 inches around the hips. That's more than 8 feet, folks.

Mikel has said in articles that she must buy two airline seats to accommodate her hips, and often has trouble getting around. Another video circulating the internet shows Mikel manipulating her body to walk through the halls of her house, or having to stand sideways to fit in her shower.

I applaud everyone who feels great in their skin -- if you're big and beautiful -- You are a rockstar of self esteem and confidence, and I look up to you as you've achieved something I still struggle with. However, I do believe that 420 pounds is not a healthy weight for anyone. For context, I also think that 92 pounds is also an unhealthy weight.

If she's healthy, then I have nothing to say -- may her self esteem seep into other women around the world. However, interviews features her children admitting that Mikel cannot stand for very long, a feat which a healthy woman should be able to do.

I think it comes down to a health issue. Being obese does not make this woman ugly. She is not ugly. She is beautiful. However, having that excess weight may be extremely unhealthy -- and that's something to consider and rethink, I believe.

The ladies of The Talk ended their segment with the following:

Do you see 85 year old people who weigh 400 pounds? 

I'm curious to hear people's thoughts on this issue and their comment.