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© 2021 Bénédicte Desrus
Naomi attends free sessions at the Ceragem Ukunda Centre in Ukunda, Kenya on August 15, 2011. Naomi Kavindu Magutu is a 60-year-old Kenyan woman with morbid obesity. She weighs 130 kilos. She was a teacher in the primary school, but she has retired since 5 years. She started gaining weight about 25 years ago and has continued gaining weight until she was 55 year old when she was unable to walk properly. She went to a hospital where she was given pain killers, but it did not help her so she started attending Ceragem sessions. Ceragem is a thermal massage therapy that is supposed to cure all ills. She then moved to be closer to the Ceragem clinic to attend her daily sessions. She says since she started the Ceragem therapy she feels light, she is able to control her diet and can walk again. She thinks her obesity was inherited from her parents. Although large parts of Africa are plagued with malnutrition, the continent must now also deal with another problem: obesity. Obesity is fast becoming a serious problem in Africa and even the poorest are now being affected. Obesity rates are climbing around the world and they are rising faster in developing countries than in developed ones.
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© 2021 Bénédicte Desrus
Donna painting her toenails in her bathroom at her home in Old Bridge, New Jersey, United States on April 11, 2011. Donna Simpson is an American 44-year-old woman. She already weighs 602 pounds and has expressed a desire to attain a target weight of 1,000 pounds. Donna already holds the Guinness World Records as the "Heaviest woman to give birth”, when she gave birth to Jacqueline in 2007 weighing 532 pounds. She maintains a website where fans pay to watch her eat and access photos of her body. Some fans send her food, she also receives hate mails. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally. The number of overweight people worldwide is now greater than the sum of those suffering from malnutrition.
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© 2021 Bénédicte Desrus
Doctor Scott J. Belsley performs a bariatric surgery in a patient named Ana Jimenez with BMI 38 and hypertension at the St. Luke's - Roosevelt Hospital in New York City, New York, United States on March 30, 2011.
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© 2021 Bénédicte Desrus
Ubaldo Alexis Garcia Lopez, a 10-year-old Mexican boy, is being treated by doctors and put on oxygen machine for symptoms related to morbid obesity at the emergency room in the Federico Gomez Children's Hospital in Mexico City, Mexico on May 20, 2011. Ubaldo weighs 170 pounds and is 145 centimeters tall. He has a BMI of 36,5 and was diagnosed with chronic severe obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea, Metabolic Syndrome X and acanthosis nigricans. Ubaldo is a young student from a family living in Iztapalapa, one of the poorest areas in the Mexican capital. The poor in Mexico have a difficult time accessing preventive health care and education about unhealthy food. There is a high prevalence of obesity among the poor in Mexico. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally. Mexico has one of the highest obesity rates in the world, and public health officials are increasingly alarmed by the rapid rise in child and youth obesity. Mexico holds the first place worldwide in childhood obesity. About one-third of children in Mexico are now classified as either overweight or obese. Also, diabetes, of which obesity is a contributing factor, has become the No. 1 cause of death in Mexico.
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© 2021 Bénédicte Desrus
Mariel Lopez Alvarez, a 13-year-old Mexican girl with obesity, attends a nutrition program with her family - to learn about how to improve their eating habits and eat healthy foods with the goal of losing weight and prevent morbid obesity - at the obesity clinic of the Federico Gomez Children's Hospital in Mexico City, Mexico on May 13, 2011. Mariel weighs 87 kilos. She has a BMI of 35,9 and has acanthosis nigricans. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally. Mexico has one of the highest obesity rates in the world, and public health officials are increasingly alarmed by the rapid rise in child and youth obesity. Mexico holds the first place worldwide in childhood obesity. About one-third of children in Mexico are now classified as either overweight or obese. Also, diabetes, of which obesity is a contributing factor, has become the No. 1 cause of death in Mexico.
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© 2021 Bénédicte Desrus
Jose Manuel Perea Rosas, a 16-year-old Mexican boy, during his monthly medical check-up for symptoms related to severe morbid obesity at the Federico Gomez Children's Hospital in Mexico City, Mexico on April 27, 2012. Jose Manuel weighs 333 pounds and is 162,5 centimeters high with a BMI of 57,2. He has gained 32 pounds in 3 years since his first visit to the hospital in 2009 when he weighed 301 pounds and was 161,3 centimeters tall with a BMI of 52. He says he has been larges since he was 4 years old, and kept on gaining weight. He has been diagnosed with morbid obesity, Metabolic Syndrome X, insulin resistance, acanthosis nigricans, systemic arterial hypertension, Ventricular hypertrophy, fatty liver disease, chronic severe obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea, Cryptorchidism, bilateral genu valgum, instability of the Capsular ligaments and Palmoplantar keratodermas. Jose Manuel would like to get a bariatric surgery, but he must loose weight and get his BMI down to 45 before he can apply. Jose Manuel is a student from a family with financial difficulties living in Ecatepec de Morelos. The poor in Mexico have a difficult time accessing preventive health care and education about unhealthy food. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally. Mexico has one of the highest obesity rates in the world, and public health officials are increasingly alarmed by the rapid rise in child and youth obesity. Mexico holds the first place worldwide in childhood obesity. About one-third of children in Mexico are now classified as either overweight or obese. Also, diabetes, of which obesity is a contributing factor, has become the No. 1 cause of death in Mexico.
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© 2021 Bénédicte Desrus
Ruth Gathu takes a shower after a swimming workouts session with Alice Ojwang-Ndong, her nutritionist and dietetic consultant in Nairobi, Kenya on December 11, 2012. Ruth Gathu is a 35 year-old Kenyan woman who works as an office administrator. She weighs 299 pounds and is 175 centimeters tall, with a BMI of 44.3. She says: “In Kenya, people don’t spend money on nutrition programs", “Obesity is in all the social class in Kenya, the rich, the middle class and the poor.” Nairobi has a high prevalence of overweight and obesity among women, especially those in the middle and upper class. Like elsewhere in the world, the main drivers of obesity in Kenya are rapid urbanization and westernization, that have resulted in changing lifestyles such as increased consumption of “unhealthy diets” and adoption of sedentary lifestyles. Obesity rates are climbing around the world and they are rising faster in developing countries than in developed ones.
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© 2021 Bénédicte Desrus
Donna takes care of her daughter who is sick at their house in Old Bridge, New Jersey, United States on April 11, 2011. Donna Simpson is an American 44-year-old woman. She already weighs 602 pounds and has expressed a desire to attain a target weight of 1,000 pounds. Donna already holds the Guinness World Records as the "Heaviest woman to give birth”, when she gave birth to Jacqueline in 2007 weighing 532 pounds. She maintains a website where fans pay to watch her eat and access photos of her body. Some fans send her food, she also receives hate mails. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally. The number of overweight people worldwide is now greater than the sum of those suffering from malnutrition.
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© 2021 Bénédicte Desrus
Magdalene Wanjiru, a 46-year-old Kenyan woman, is being weighed by a nurse at the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa on July 12, 2012. Magdalena weighs 305 pounds, is 165 centimeters tall and has a BMI of 50.8. She has high blood pressure and suffers from several morbid obesity-related diseases. Her legs often hurt, but she didn't linked the pain to her weight. Every time Magdalena needs to go to the hospital to be treated, she has to travel two hours and a half from where she lives. Magdalena has 3 children and is a housewife. Although large parts of Africa are plagued with malnutrition, the continent must now also deal with another problem: obesity. Obesity is fast becoming a serious problem in Africa and even the poorest are now being affected. Obesity rates are climbing around the world and they are rising faster in developing countries than in developed ones.
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© 2021 Bénédicte Desrus
Magdalene Wanjiru, a 46-year-old Kenyan woman, is being checked and having her arm measured by a nutritionist at the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa on July 12, 2012. Magdalena weighs 305 pounds, is 165 centimeters tall and has a BMI of 50.8. She has high blood pressure and suffers from several morbid obesity-related diseases. Her legs often hurt, but she didn't linked the pain to her weight. Every time Magdalena needs to go to the hospital to be treated, she has to travel two hours and a half from where she lives. Magdalena has 3 children and is a housewife. Although large parts of Africa are plagued with malnutrition, the continent must now also deal with another problem: obesity. Obesity is fast becoming a serious problem in Africa and even the poorest are now being affected. Obesity rates are climbing around the world and they are rising faster in developing countries than in developed ones.
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© 2021 Bénédicte Desrus
Candidates representing the Midi-Pyrenees region get dressed in the changing room during the regional elections of the Miss Curvy France contest in Toulouse, France on September 17, 2011. Miss Curvy is a new annual beauty contest targeted at females aged between 18 and 35 years old who are of a size 10 and over. The contest mission is to encourage plus sizes and curvy women to accept themselves and celebrate women with curves. The winner, Thais Churel Cuellar-Dussillols, will represent the Midi-Pyrenees region at the national contest that will be held in Paris in December 2011 to determine the next Miss Curvy France.
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© 2021 Bénédicte Desrus
Haysam Mohamed, a 29-year-old Egyptian man, and his wife Mona Mohamed, 27 in their bedroom at their home in Cairo, Egypt on November 30, 2011. In 2008, Haysam weighed 440 pounds and he decided to have a gastric bypass surgery. He says “I made the surgery because I kept gaining weight. 10 kilos every year.” “It’s an expensive surgery that costs a lot of money in Egypt. Not all people can do it. My dad had to land money and paid for the surgery.” Haysam since lost 220 pounds and today he weighs 218 pounds. After such a weight loss, he had an abdominoplasty to remove excess skin and a body lifting. Haysam works with his dad sharpening knives. He get married 8 years ago and because of obesity-related health problems, he can’t have kids. An increasing number of Egyptians are dying prematurely from noncommunicable diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, as a result of rising smoking and obesity rates, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). Obesity is rising rapidly in Africa. Egypt has one of the highest rate of adult obesity in the world.
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© 2021 Bénédicte Desrus
Plasticines made by Haysam Mohamed, a 29 year old Egyptian man with obesity, shows him before and after his weight loss and the changes on his alimentation, at his home in Cairo, Egypt on November 30, 2011. In 2008, Haysam weighed 440 pounds and he decided to have a gastric bypass surgery. He says “I made the surgery because I kept gaining weight. 10 kilos every year.” “It’s an expensive surgery that costs a lot of money in Egypt. Not all people can do it. My dad had to land money and paid for the surgery.” Haysam since lost 220 pounds and today he weighs 218 pounds. After such a weight loss, he had an abdominoplasty to remove excess skin and a body lifting. Haysam works with his dad sharpening knives. He get married 8 years ago and because of obesity-related health problems, he can’t have kids. An increasing number of Egyptians are dying prematurely from noncommunicable diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, as a result of rising smoking and obesity rates, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). Obesity is rising rapidly in Africa. Egypt has one of the highest rate of adult obesity in the world.
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© 2021 Bénédicte Desrus
Diana Alondra Lopance Rosas, a 17-year-old Mexican girl with severe morbid obesity, is being checked by a doctor at the General Hospital in Mexico City, Mexico on June 25, 2012. Diana weighs 315 pounds, is 158,5 centimeters tall and has a BMI of 56.7. She was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus type 2, arterial hypertension, metabolic syndrome and deep venous insufficiency. Her mother died as a result of complications from diabetes. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally. Mexico has one of the highest obesity rates in the world, and public health officials are increasingly alarmed by the rapid rise in child and youth obesity. Mexico holds the first place worldwide in childhood obesity. About one-third of children in Mexico are now classified as either overweight or obese. Also, diabetes, of which obesity is a contributing factor, has become the No. 1 cause of death in Mexico.
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© 2021 Bénédicte Desrus
Portrait of Naomi at her home in Ukunda, Kenya on August 15, 2011. Naomi Kavindu Magutu is a 60-year-old Kenyan woman with morbid obesity. She weighs 130 kilos. She was a teacher in the primary school, but she has retired since 5 years. She started gaining weight about 25 years ago and has continued gaining weight until she was 55 year old when she was unable to walk properly. She went to a hospital where she was given pain killers, but it did not help her so she started attending Ceragem sessions. Ceragem is a thermal massage therapy that is supposed to cure all ills. She then moved to be closer to the Ceragem clinic to attend her daily sessions. She says since she started the Ceragem therapy she feels light, she is able to control her diet and can walk again. She thinks her obesity was inherited from her parents. Although large parts of Africa are plagued with malnutrition, the continent must now also deal with another problem: obesity. Obesity is fast becoming a serious problem in Africa and even the poorest are now being affected. Obesity rates are climbing around the world and they are rising faster in developing countries than in developed ones.
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© 2021 Bénédicte Desrus
Michael Hebranko (R) and his wife Madelaine Hebranko (L) at the St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York on November 9, 2012. Michael Hebranko is an American man suffering from an extreme case of morbid obesity, known to be among the heaviest people in the world. Michael was born in Brooklyn in 1954. At the age of 16 his weight was 353 pounds. In 1990, he was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest recorded weight loss. He dropped his weight from 906 pounds to 200 pounds in 19 months with the help of the dieting and exercise coach Richard Simmons. But then he gained most of the weight back again and in June 1999, Hebranko was at his peak weight of 1,100 pounds. Over the past years, he had to be repeatedly hospitalized and today he weighs 550 pounds and is battling for his life. He says: “I'm a food addict, and like any alcoholic who has their first drink, or heroin addict who first injects, I fell off the wagon.” Michael Hebranko died on July 25, 2013. He was an advocate for the obese and founded OPIN, a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching and helping people that suffered from obesity and also educating the public on this condition. His whole life he battled with obesity.
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© 2021 Bénédicte Desrus
Janie Martinez, a New York based plus-size actress, model, dancer, singer, and body positivity activist, on the set of the music video for Action Bronson's latest single “Strictly 4 my jeeps” in Queens, New York, United States on May 10, 2013. The music video is directed by Jason Goldwatch. Action Bronson, is an American rapper from Flushing, Queens, New York of Albanian descent.
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© 2021 Bénédicte Desrus
Pedro Alfonso Ignacio Vanegas Bravo, a Mexican 17-year-old teenager, during a medical check-up after a consequent weight-loss at the Federico Gomez Children's Hospital in Mexico City, Mexico on September 20, 2013. Pedro became obese at age 7 and at one point weighed 128 kilos, a condition he inherited from his father who died of morbid obesity. In 2011 Pedro had a bariatric surgery and today he weighs 74.3 kilos. He is a student and passionate about playing American football. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally. Mexico has one of the highest obesity rates in the world, and public health officials are increasingly alarmed by the rapid rise in child and youth obesity. Mexico holds the first place worldwide in childhood obesity. About one-third of children in Mexico are now classified as either overweight or obese. Also, diabetes, of which obesity is a contributing factor, has become the No. 1 cause of death in Mexico.
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© 2021 Bénédicte Desrus
Marbella floating in the swimming pool of her hotel in Acapulco, Mexico on September 8, 2013. Marbella Aguilar Sosa is a 57-year-old Mexican woman with morbid obesity. She suffers from several obesity-related diseases: hypertension, high blood pressure, hypertriglyceridemia, knee arthritis and spinal sclerosis. “I have a lot of pain and I can barely walk”, she says. Marbella used to weigh 140 pounds but when her daughter died of leukemia, she went into depression, started to change her eating habits and gained a lot of weight. Today, she weighs 277 pounds and has a BMI of 51.6. She will be having a bariatric surgery at the end of the year at the Rubén Leñero hospital in Mexico City. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally. Mexico has one of the highest obesity rates in the world. Also, diabetes, of which obesity is a contributing factor, has become the No. 1 cause of death in Mexico.
Public Story
Globesity
Credits:
bénédicte desrus
Updated: 02/02/21
•
GLOBESITY
Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally. The number of overweight and obese people worldwide is now greater than those suffering from malnutrition, according to the International Red Cross. The problem, first documented in rich countries, is dramatically increasing in the developing world, particularly in urban settings, from Kenya to Mexico. And it’s happening quickly. Fifty years ago, we did not have obesity indicators. Since 1980, the number of overweight and obese has more than doubled.
These photographs explore the consequences of the obesity crisis globally, how the West exported it to the developing world, and most interestingly how cultures are coping and struggling with it.
In 2011, I started to photograph Donna Simpson, a 602-pounds American who holds the Guinness World Record as the heaviest woman to give birth. In 2008, she began a quest to reach a thousand pounds. Internet fans supported her, paying to watch her eat, and news media flocked to her story. But she also received hate mail, showing Americans’ contradictory attraction and revulsion towards food and obesity.
Her story drove me to investigate obesity and its impact more deeply. I began observing obesity’s growing impact in places like Egypt, Kenya and Mexico. The consequences of obesity and related diseases are especially dire for the developing world whose health systems are already reeling from the toll of infectious diseases like Malaria and HIV. The so-called “nutrition transition,” where cheap, processed, sugary and fatty foods replace traditional diet, is wrecking silent havoc on the world’s poor. Now they face diabetes and heart disease, illnesses that take massive resources to treat, resources their governments do not have.
Obesity hurts not only individuals, but is also a symptom of an unsustainable global economy and social norms. The processed, energy-dense and unhealthy foods exported by the West replace traditional diets and reshape agriculture to produce the industrial ingredients needed, leaving a deep ecological footprint. In the slums of Nairobi fried food has taken over the streets, in Mexico soda is called “agua,” or water.
This reportage aim to shed light on the truly global nature of an epidemic still thought of by many as a “rich world" problem.
Also by Bénédicte Desrus —
