Weigh of All Flesh

Awilda Charriez

Age 35

Resides New Jersey

Occupation Occupation Advertising

Is Monica Lewinsky an effective role model? What else is she going to do? She’ll never be taken seriously anywhere, but she has to work. This is what it’s come down to again—women and their weight.

What celebrity would inspire you to make a change? Iyanla Vanzant. She writes books on self-help.

What’s the kookiest thing you’ve done to lose weight? My problem is keeping weight on. I eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and everything in between to maintain a normal weight.

Lee Kaplow

Age 58

Resides Manhattan

Occupation Occupation Nutritionist

Is Monica Lewinsky an effective role model? Are we still even thinking about her? How about the mistress of Dwight Eisenhower? They went after a liberal president who did what presidents have been doing forever.

What celebrity would inspire you to make a change? No one. It’s all out there now. You used to never know that people were struggling with real issues. You never saw Roosevelt’s wheelchair and you weren’t aware that he couldn’t walk.

What’s the kookiest thing you’ve done to lose weight? I ate no protein and developed pernicious anemia. This was before I made the decision to become a nutritionist.

Marina Guvenc

Age 24

Resides Brooklyn

Occupation Occupation Project coordinator

Is Monica Lewinsky an effective role model? Yes, it’s a funny idea, but I think it’s a great one, too. She’s given a lot of larger women more attention, and because she takes such good care of herself, many people find her attractive.

What celebrity would inspire you to make a change? It would definitely be a female. I like Hillary Clinton because she’s smart and poised.

What’s the kookiest thing you’ve done to lose weight? I just had a baby. Right after the birth, I exercised like crazy and ate nothing but turkey and toast.

Clotaire Pierre-Louis

Age 43

Resides Manhattan

Occupation Superintendent

Is Monica Lewinsky an effective role model? No, but she made a mistake and society should give her a second chance. She’s lucky that she gets to make money and lose weight at the same time.

What celebrity would inspire you to make a change? Denzel Washington, Bill Cosby, or John Travolta. They’ve been in public life for years and they’ve maintained such good reputations.

What’s the kookiest thing you’ve done to lose weight? I’m diabetic. I can’t afford to do anything crazy in terms of food.

Ethan Sonne

Age 27

Resides Manhattan

Occupation Occupation Product developer

Is Monica Lewinsky an effective role model? It’s ridiculous. She’s an artificial creation, the result of a problem she got herself into.

What celebrity would inspire you to make a change? The Dalai Lama, because he practices what he preaches.

What’s the kookiest thing you’ve done to lose weight? I started smoking to keep from eating. I became manic and started exercising a lot. It’s the culture giving you these messages, and most of the time, if you take the time to look in the mirror, you know they’re not based on any kind of reality.

Roger Moore

Age 42

Resides Bronx

Occupation Residence assistant

Is Monica Lewinsky an effective role model? Yes, she’s overweight. She could easily motivate people, but she’s naive. She’s a babe in the woods.

What celebrity would inspire you to make a change? I motivate myself. I want to lose weight and be a better husband. I recently told my wife that I want us to be married forever so that we can see ourselves no longer overeating or smoking.

What’s the kookiest thing you’ve done to lose weight? I was skinny my whole life until I hit 40. Now I’m trying to take it off but the holidays knocked me out. My vice is anything with chocolate in it.

Luna Ukai

Age 31

Resides Manhattan

Occupation Ceramicist

Is Monica Lewinsky an effective role model? No, she’s much too infamous.

What celebrity would inspire you to make a change? It would have to be someone smart and beautiful—a combination of Gwyneth Paltrow and Hillary Clinton.

What’s the kookiest thing you’ve done to lose weight? Once, I consumed nothing but lemon juice and brown sugar for a whole week. I’m small, but I’d like to be smaller.