This morning at Starbucks, I had the temerity to order a “healthy” 12-grain bran muffin alongside a malted vanilla frappuccino topped with whipped cream (read: milkshake). There should be a word for people like me at moments like these, and I suggest that word should be:
Lipocrite n. (LIPP – o – kritt) A person who negates health-conscious food and lifestyle choices with corresponding unhealthy behavior. That lipocrite totally just smothered his green salad in ranch dressing, cheddar cheese and bacon bits.
5 comments
From lipos, the Greek for fat and grease? I like it for sound and simplicity, though it does seem to specifically emphasize the form of your particular lipocrisy.
Yes, that would be the one. And yep, this is a completely narrow coinage. But we all love words and phrases invented to describe strikingly specific phenomena, right? (See: Google-fu.)
Kind of like the people at the movie theater who order a large popcorn with extra buttery topping–and a small Diet Pepsi.
Actually, Amy, I always quibble with that classic example, though the popcorn does strengthen it (vs. some other greasy food)—people can be unconcerned about their innards but still worried about their teeth; also some people have more digestive obvious problems with sugar (or fructose death syrup) than with butter or carbs.
+10 for the phrase “unconcerned about their innards”!