This has been a busy few days for busybodies who can’t help but stick their collective noses in other folks’ business.

First Linda Kelsey wondered why big women are “unashamed about being fat”. She believes we’re all unattractive, eating ourselves into early graves and should be shamed into hiding our fat bodies away until we’re sufficiently slender enough to not offend her sensibilities. After all, being fat is (gasp!) UNHEALTHY!

Then scores of folks took to social media to critique ESPN Magazine’s choice of baseball player Prince Fielder as one of the cover models of their Body Issue. Some questioned how a fat man could be athletic while others suggested that Prince’s lack of a six pack was due to copious consumption of six or even twelve packs. Even The Paleo Manifesto author, John Durant, added his 2 cents to assume that Prince is not at his athletic prime because he’s “overweight”. Personally I suspect John is just unhappy that Prince avoids meat (hey, nachos are vegetarian!) so won’t be buying his book.

On Friday, Cheryl Burke, of Dancing with the Stars, posted a photo of herself wearing a bandeau top and enjoying the sunshine only to be slammed for looking “too thin”, “anorexic” and “unhealthy”. This is the same Cheryl Burke who, a few years ago, was slammed for looking “fat” and “unhealthy”.

Now some are in a tizzy because Bethenny Frankel, of reality TV and brief talk show fame, posted a photo of herself in her 4-year-old daughter’s Hello Kitty pajamas. The comments are divided between Bethany is “obviously not keeping (her) body healthy” (because she can fit into her daughter’s PJ’s) and that her daughter is fat (because she can fit into her daughter’s PJ’s). I think it’s only fair of Bethenny to try on her daughter’s clothes because I’m sure the little tyke puts on a lot of hers. I admit to borrowing some of my daughter’s tops and skirts although not until she was a teenager.

As concerned and caring as the busybodies purport to be, there are several things to consider:

First of all, unless one is psychic, there is no way to determine the status of a person’s health simply by looking at their photo. If a busybody does possess such psychic ability then they’d be better off playing the winning numbers of their local lotteries for the mega-million dollar jackpot instead of playing doctor.

Secondly, a person’s health is no one’s business but their own. If even half of the busybodies were truly concerned about health and, instead, spent their time posting reminders for bikers and cyclists to wear helmets, party goers to call a cab instead of driving drunk, motorists to obey the speed limit, truckers to get a good night’s sleep, base jumpers and sky divers to think twice, there might be way less accidents which lead to exorbitant hospital and doctor bills not to mention the costs of physical rehabilitation and apparatus like crutches, wheelchairs, etc.

Lastly, I must ask of the busybodies… why? What thrill is there in embarrassing another person? What joy is derived from critiquing someone’s body? It simply should not be tolerated… thin or fat, healthy or unhealthy, celebrity or John/Jane Q Public… we all deserve respect. So unless someone specifically asks, “what do you think of my body/health”, it’s really none of your busybody business.