Wedding Gown Challenge Announced for New York City August 5, 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.”

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