Obesity Expert MeMe Roth Takes Heat From Jordin Sparks Fans

Jeannette Walls of MSNBC.com spoke with MeMe Roth of the National Action Against Obesity in wake of critical and sometimes threatening comments she received for going on television to urge ‘American Idol’ viewers not to vote for Jordin Sparks because of the 17-year-old being overweight and the negative example it sets. Roth admires the ‘Idol’ champ’s talent and “effervescent personality”, but says that “her extra weight is a reflection of today’s society and a culture where many of our children have compromised health due to unhealthful food choices and inactivity … We have to stop with the ‘baby fat’, ‘curvy’, ‘goddess’ euphemisms and own this child health crisis.”