Friday, August 5, 2005
Tuesday, August 2, 2005
CBS's The Early Show is expecting us Friday Morning! Then we'll proceed thru Central Park to the Bethesda Fountain.
* 7:30am – CBS The Early Show at 59th Street and 5th Avenue
* 9am - Procession to Bethesda Fountain - Central Park
* Bouquet Toss (Donated by 1-800-FLOWERS.com) Symbolizing a New Legacy
CELEBRATE FIT WOMEN LIKE YOU! THE WEDDING GOWN CHALLENGE - Celebration of women committed to being fit before, during and well after their wedding day. Put back on those gowns, dresses, suits and join us for the photo shoot at Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, NYC. (Don't have access to your gown? Just wear white.) It may be several days, years or babies later, but you've still got it goin' on!
Our chance to show the world women are bucking the obesity trend: The first annual Wedding Gown Challenge, NYC.
As seen in… TimeOut New York Magazine, FOX’s Your World w/ Neil Cavuto, Big Apple Parent Magazine and on… 106.7FM Spot-Lite on New York, Q104.3FM, WABC Radio, BaristaNet.com and HipMama.com.
See you this Friday!
Directions/Map Scroll down...
ABOUT MEME ROTH
MeMe Roth is host and organizer of the Wedding Gown Challenge. As an anti-obesity advocate, Ms. Roth's efforts to eliminate junk food from schools and to celebrate women committed to remaining fit have been featured on Fox's Your World with Neil Cavuto, New York Magazine, The New York Post, Playboy Magazine, The New Jersey Star-Ledger, WABCRadio, 106.7 LiteFM, Q104.3, Parents Magazine, Vicinity Magazine, School Administrator, American School Board Journal, The Winnipeg Sun, UPN Channel 9 News, News Target, Baristanet.com, The Item, WCRN Boston, BigFatBlog and Health Magazine.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Monday, June 20, 2005
The Wedding Gown Challenge: Take It! Friday, August 5, 2005, New York
Pull it out of the closet, storage, your mom's house...or just wear white...and PROVE to the world that you can still fit into your wedding gown. Your big day may have been last week or the last Millennium; either way, it wasn't your final destination, nor the end of your being who you are. You've still got it going on, and this summer in New York City is your chance to show your stuff.
It's more important than ever for kids to see fit grownups. Children are invited to join their mothers during The Wedding Gown Challenge.
* Friday, August 5, 2005
* 7:30am - CBS The Early Show window at 59th Street and 5th Avenue
* 9am - Procession to Bethesda Fountain - Central Park
* Special Bouquet Toss sponsored by 1-800-FLOWERS.com
* People Magazine photo shoot and more press coverage...Be there!
* RSVP today! FREE
DIRECTIONS:
Bethesda Fountain, in the heart of Central Park. Please enter the park at 69th Street and Fifth Avenue, or at 72nd Street and Central Park West.
Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: 6 train to 68th or 77th Streets (east side), 1/2/3/9/B/C
trains to 72nd Street (west side), 10-15 minute walk
Nearest Bus Stop: M1/M2/M3/M4 to 72nd St & Fifth Avenue (east side), M7/M10/M11
to 72nd Street & Central Park West (west side), M66/M/72 to Fifth Avenue or Central Park West (crosstown), 5-10 minute walk
MAP:
http://www.kelley-graphics.com/centralpark/cpmidview/sec4mdvw.html
JUNE BRIDES, WOMEN’S OBESITY AND EDDIE VAN HALEN?
-MeMe Roth, Wedding Gown Challenge Host, Ties It All Together-
New York, NY – June 20, 2005 – As brides-to-be across the country starve themselves into unhealthy and unrealistic weights for just one day--their wedding day--The Wedding Gown Challenge reaches its six-week countdown. The Wedding Gown Challenge celebrates like-minded women who have chosen to be fit for life rather than just one day. The driving concept behind The Wedding Gown challenge is for women to stop thinking of their wedding day as the “big day” when one works her self into a state of unhealthy and unrealistic expectations, only to outgrow her gown on the honeymoon. Instead it's about having the expectation of being fit before, during and well after the “big day.”
Today, there is little expectation that women will hover near their wedding day size. However, the facts according to Yale New Haven Hospital, and others, is that women need only blame five to 10 pounds on pregnancy. Additionally, gaining a modest 10-20 pounds after age 18 materially compromises one's health. According to the New England Journal of Medicine and reported by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), gaining merely 10-20 pounds after age 18 increases your chance of premature death by 15%.
Q & A with MeMe Roth, Wedding Gown Challenge host and organizer:
Q: What is the Wedding Gown Challenge?
MeMe Roth: It’s a celebration of women committed to being fit before, during and well after their wedding day. These are women who can still fit into their gowns days and years after their “big day.” We’ll be in Central Park, New York City. Pull out those gowns, dresses, suits--or just wear something white--and join us August 5, 2005.
Q: Why now?
MeMe Roth: June Brides all over the country are starving themselves silly as we speak. They’ll get to an unhealthy and unrealistic weight just in time for their wedding day. And by the time they return from the honeymoon? Their gown won’t even fit. Forget those buff bride boot camps. Fitness is for life, not a cheesy wedding portrait on the mantle.
Also, it’s more important than ever for children to see fit grownups. The Wedding Gown Challenge is a celebration of just that. Children are invited to join their mothers during The Wedding Gown Challenge.
Q: Your critics say your idea is sexist.
MeMe Roth: Sexist? Projecting onto women that once they become wives or mothers it’s okay to just get fat is sexist. It’s no accident Gloria Steinem looks better than ever at 70-something.
Q: You used the word “fat.” What do you mean exactly?
MeMe Roth: Fat is health-compromising excess weight.
Q: Why the sole emphasis on women?
MeMe Roth: Women are the focus because women--married women, especially mothers--are most at risk. On the flip side we’re the most likely to stop the obesity epidemic. It’s never reported that women are central to the obesity epidemic, but we are. Women make more than 90% of food-buying decisions. I hate to give women one more thing to do, but intervening in the obesity epidemic is up to us.
Plus there’s a long list of diseases and complications obese women are likely to suffer from or make worse: Breast cancer, gallstones, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, colon cancer, dementia, infertility—it goes on and on. Not to mention sleep apnea, snoring and psoriasis.
Q: What about child obesity?
MeMe Roth: Apples don’t fall far from the tree, and neither do peaches. Mothers must break the obesity cycle; we can’t leave it solely up to our children. If we’re fat, our children are 15 times more likely to be fat. This generation of children is the first to be given a lesser life expectancy than their parents. Cancer, diabetes, heart disease, social stigma—you know the list.
Some child somewhere will sue his parents for making him obese. Mark my words; there will be a lawsuit.
Q: Isn’t obesity hereditary?
MeMe Roth: I come from a long line of obesity and always assumed I would get fat after I got married and fatter still with each child—just like my relatives. The groomsmen on my wedding day even wagered as to how long it would be until I got fat. I don’t blame them; I wondered the same thing.
The worst thing you can do is tell someone her weight is not up to her. Genetics, pregnancy, depression—all great excuses, but unless you have a doctor’s note stating otherwise, your fitness is 100% up to you.
Q: What do you weigh?
MeMe Roth: It’s not about the number. I know the five-pound range where I recognize myself—in looks, energy and confidence. The rest of the world told me I looked great 15 pounds heavier, well with that dreaded caveat “you look great for having had children.” Forget that; I just want to look great.
I don’t believe in diets and never have. It’s up to you to decide your fitness is of paramount importance. Once a woman makes that decision, she’ll figure out the right balance of food and exercise that works for her.
Q: What about Anorexia?
MeMe Roth: This isn’t about women struggling with Anorexia and other serious eating disorders, or those diagnosed with Prader-Willi Syndrome. The Wedding Gown Challenge speaks to the general population of women—where more than half are overweight or obese. Outside of Hollywood and New York City, the bar is set entirely too low.
Q: You’ve suggested dumping ones fat friends?
MeMe Roth: Your fat friends are more likely to suggest a Starbucks topped with whipped cream than your fit friends who might think a yoga class or quick jog sounds fun. This is about your health; it’s no different than alcoholics avoiding drinkers.
Q: Any special motivation?
MeMe Roth: I see staying fit as an obligation to my self and my family. Back in the 80s when I was Van Halen’s “number one fan,” I did get the chance to meet the band. Eddie Van Halen made me promise I’d never get fat. He said I looked like something out of Playboy. Talk about making a girl swoon... I kept my part of the bargain; maybe he’ll come to the Wedding Gown Challenge?
Q: I heard you’re in Playboy.
MeMe Roth: I’m told by the editors they’re publishing a piece I wrote about MILFs in the August issue of Playboy. I agree with Uma Thurman; being a mom is sexy sexy sexy!
Q: Parting advice?
MeMe Roth: Join me August 5, 2005 in New York City for the Wedding Gown Challenge. I’ll be there—this year and every year. Some will choose to don their gowns among a small circle of friends, others alone, and still others have set goals to join us next year or the year after. The Wedding Gown Challenge is a standing invitation to all women.
About MeMe Roth:
MeMe Roth is host and organizer of the Wedding Gown Challenge. As an anti-obesity advocate, Ms. Roth's efforts to eliminate junk food from schools, eradicate Secondhand Obesity™ (obesity handed down from one generation to the next, as well as from citizen to citizen), and to celebrate women committed to remaining fit have been featured on Fox’s Your World with Neil Cavuto, New York Magazine, The New York Post, Playboy Magazine, The New Jersey Star-Ledger, WABCRadio, Q104.3, Parents Magazine, Vicinity Magazine, School Administrator, American School Board Journal, The Winnipeg Sun, UPN Channel 9 News, Baristanet.com, The Item, WCRN Boston, BigFatBlog and Health Magazine.
Monday, May 2, 2005
-- Women at Center of Obesity Epidemic and Intervention. Women Make More than 90% of Food Buying Decisions --
New York, NY – With obesity rates soaring, The Wedding Gown Challenge is announced today to celebrate like-minded women who have chosen to be fit for life rather than just one day. The driving concept behind The Wedding Gown challenge is for women to stop thinking of their wedding day as the “big day” when one starves her self into a state of unhealthy and unrealistic expectations, only to outgrow her gown on the honeymoon. Instead it's about having the expectation of being fit before, during and after the “big day.”
Today, there is little expectation that women will hover near their wedding day size. However, the facts according to Yale New Haven Hospital, and others, is that women need only blame five to 10 pounds on pregnancy. Additionally, gaining a modest 10-20 pounds after age 18 materially compromises one's health. According to the New England Journal of Medicine and reported by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), gaining merely 10-20 pounds after age 18 increases your chance of premature death by 15%.
“This very day happens to be my wedding anniversary—I can fit into my gown today and plan to for a long time to come. Why? Because contributing to the obesity epidemic is unacceptable, unhealthy and a ridiculous role model for the next generation of wives and mothers,” said MeMe Roth, Wedding Gown Challenge host and organizer. “Forget buff bride boot camps that promise weight loss just in time for your wedding. Commit to being healthy for your life. Come celebrate August 5th with the many women who’ve chosen to be fit for every day, not just one.”
Wedding Gown Challenge: Take It! August 5, 2005, New York
Pull it out of the closet, storage, your mom’s house…wherever it is…and PROVE to the world that you can still fit into your wedding gown. Your big day may have been last week or the last Millennium; either way, it wasn’t your final destination, nor the end of your being who you are. You’ve still got it going on, and this summer in New York City is your chance to show your stuff.
August 5, 2005
Central Park, New York City
Procession to Bethesda Fountain
Bouquet Toss Symbolizing a New Legacy
Fast Facts:
-Women are at the center of the obesity epidemic. More than 90% of food buying decisions are made by women. Women have the opportunity to intervene now.
-65% of U.S. adults are overweight or obese.
-A child of overweight parents is 15 times more likely to become overweight.
-Today’s generation of children is the first to be given a lesser life expectancy than their parents. This due to obesity related health complications: cancer, diabetes, heart disease, etc.
-The Wedding Gown Challenge encourages women to focus on being fit for life—maintaining a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI)—before, during and after their wedding day.
MeMe Roth Speaks Out:
“Somewhere between the wedding reception and delivery room, many women abandon their brains, body and libido.”
“It’s wrong to be fat. It’s easy, but it’s wrong.”
“We know who buys the food. We can let junk food swallow our children’s health or we can intervene.”
“Dump your friends who plan to grow fatter with every year. Surround yourself with those who aspire to greater things.”
“Stop scape-goating your pregnancies.”
“As your metabolism slows, you're supposed to adjust your eating and exercising, not just submit.”
“Refuse to excuse.”
“We should all, with a little help from SPANX, be able to squeeze into our wedding gown, regardless if it's several husbands or babies later.”
###
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Name Anyone Who Can Still Fit into Her Wedding Gown
(a friend? your wife? you?)
Wedding Gown Challenge: Take It! August 2005, New York City
Pull it out of the closet, storage, your mom’s house…wherever it is…and PROVE to the world that you can still fit into your wedding gown. Your big day may have been last week or the last Millennium; either way, it wasn’t your final destination, nor the end of your being who you are. You’ve still got it going on, and this summer in New York City is your chance to show your stuff.
Women of all ages are invited to join in this momentous occasion, the Wedding Gown Challenge, NYC August 2005, where we paint the town in Wedding Gowns. Show yourself…and the rest of the world what it looks like to be a woman. Little girls need not assume that growing up means growing fat.
“Do it for yourself—Do it for all daughters across the country,” said MeMe Roth, Wedding Gown Challenge organizer and host. “There’s a detrimental expectation that all women get fat. Think ‘mom’ and you’re thinking pudgy lady at the grocery store. It’s an outdated image and terrible legacy. Let’s blow it out of the water.”
Maybe it was one “big day” or a few trips down the aisle… Maybe you’ve never had a baby or you’ve had four. No matter what, you haven’t let yourself go--You’ve never let life events lower the standards set for yourself. No excuses! You’re a role model for all women…and this is your chance to make a difference. Join us this August 2005 New York City. Wedding Gown Challenge. Take it! DATE/VENUE TBD.
2005 New Year’s Resolution? Or just time to reclaim your body? Start today and be ready for the Wedding Gown Challenge…and the rest of your life’s adventure.
Fast Facts:
- Yes, bring your daughters; heck, bring the whole family…
- Yes, share your stories… Oldest, Youngest, Kept that weight off, Had many children and still stayed fit… We all want to hear your tale.
- No, it doesn’t cost any money… Just come for the photo op and show the world that not all women are destined for fat farms.
- No, you don’t need to be a mom, just someone who’s kept her self-standards high…
- Keep posted to this site for updates on the latest information re: the Wedding Gown Challenge
- Portion of Proceeds to be donated to charity fighting against Child Obesity
**Sponsorship Inquiries Only - Please contact MeredithPR - 770-846-1911**