#fatacceptancemovement

@theheartadvocate ~

Now listen, before I begin, I would like to start off by saying that I don’t hate fat people as a whole. I’d like to use a quote from something I read once: “It’s in the same way I hate cancer. The people who have been diagnosed with cancer, I don’t hate them. The people who find ways to stop it, I don’t hate them. I hate the issue itself.” I myself have had a few fat friends in my time, and all of them make a joke out of being fat; they accepted there was an issue and decided to do something about it. They didn’t get angry when I called them fat, because they knew they were, and that their diet was unhealthy. But this is about the women (and men, but not so much) that have created the otherworldy and vindictive “Fat Acceptance Movement”(FAM). 

     Obesity is a problem. It can have horrific and painful side effects, such as horrendous back pains, shortness of breath, clogged arteries that could possibly lead to heart failure and occasionally even cancer. Doesn’t sound good, does it? If any other lifestyle choice had these effects, such as smoking, for example, there would be a major uproar about it. You have to be over 18 to buy cigarettes so you can be mature enough to make the decision to tar your lungs up. And there’s also plenty of promotional art, adverts etc to sway you from doing that to your body. But the FAM have condemned such things when it comes to unhealthy life decisions; saying that it’s “Ok to be obese” and that you “shouldn’t listen to doctors as they’re ‘fatphobic’. I’ll cover the whole “fatphobia” nonsense later, but for now, I’d like to point one thing out: Doctors are trained medical professionals that have studied this topic for many years. I have yet to see any supporting evidence that proves the ludicrous claims that “some people are born fat”, “some people cannot medically lose weight” and “I am still fat despite eating healthily and exercising enough.” Despite this, I have witnessed many charts, graphs, tables etc showing the direct correlation between an unhealthy lifestyle and getting a BMI much higher than what’s good for you. Stop promoting the FAM, because as such you’re promoting the diseases that come along with being overweight. Granted, I can see where they’re coming from when they preach about being happy with yourself, but you should still realize it is a very bad thing to be obese and could lead to medical issues and set out to become healthier. Also, by saying that is is “Ok to be obese”, you’re telling younger, more impressionable children that it’s ok to have the health complications mentioned prior, as it’s impossible to not have those issues when fattening up.

     Secondly, the whole “fatphobia” thing is utter nonsense. You see, the reason racial inequality, misogyny, and ethnicity-culling were/are such big deal is that ethnicity, gender, and race are all things that can not/weren’t able to be changed. This is due to the fact that gender transitioning is a fairly new practice, and ethnicity and race are dependant on your bloodline and genetics. Therefore, when black people were undergoing segregation, they could do nothing about it as they couldn’t change their roots. Fatness, however, is due to environmental factors, rather than genetics. And although many people say they were “born obese”, that’s simply not true as there is no other type of animal in the known universe that is “born fat”. And it’s not due to evolution making babies obese now, as evolution is there to make a species more strong and agile, not to slow down their hunting speed. So, because of this, it is not “fatphobia” as there is something that cannot be changed. It would be classed under nothing more than high school bullying’ if that. You see, most of the comments seen as “fatphobic” are mainly about how it is quite definitely possible for you to become thin again, if you just do the right amount of exercise needed to slim you down as prescribed by a doctor, as well as what diet your doctor thinks you should be on. (By the way, eating a lot of healthy food is basically the same as eating a medium quantity of unhealthy food due to the excess sugar, carb, protein etc intake. Ever heard the phrase “too much of a good thing has ill effects?”) Additionally, if you think somebody stating the obvious that you are fat is offensive, then you most definitely are not “loving yourself”, as that is definitely the talk of someone very weak and fragile.

Historically, curvy, voluptuous women were considered idealistic. However, in today’s society, Americans who are overweight and obese undergo negative stigma and discrimination every day. From institutions such as health care and educational facilities to the workplace, there are common beliefs and norms surrounding what constitutes as a healthy ‘normal’ weight, and within all of these environments there is often this idea that people who are overweight are lazy, unmotivated, and lack self discipline. In an effort to combat this, members within the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, also known as the NAAFA, are aiming to re-create these norms and subdue the limitations that overweight people face on a daily basis. By advocating that people can be healthy at any size, and challenging society’s current idea of beauty, groups such as the NAAFA have become the main leaders within the fat acceptance movement. However, as many know when trying to change one’s social environment and the cultural ideals that already comfortably exist for so many, society always responds.

Below are specific questions in regards to the fat acceptance movement that many have sought out to answer:

‘Will accepting that being overweight or obese is fine…lead to behaviors that are not unhealthy?’

‘Can you be fat and fit?’

‘Is body image as important as heath?’

‘Does Health at Every Size Actually Exist?’

By going through quantitative and qualitative data regarding the fat acceptance movement, and answering questions raised by the media, doctors, and citizens alike, I will be able to obtain a deeper understanding and position as to whether or not such a movement is benefitting society in the best way possible and if there is more action that needs to happen to ensure such a movement is not actually detrimental for individuals who are overweight and obese.

After assessing and analyzing multiple resources containing videos, articles, and personal experiences in regards to the fat acceptance movement, I have come to my own personal conclusion that while it has been proven that obesity is detrimental towards one’s health, I strongly believe that our current social environment and culture need to be more accepting of people who are considered overweight. The fact that this particular community faces discrimination, bias, and harassment on a daily basis is unacceptable. Especially when someone feels that they are constantly living in an environment that is endangering them. The worst part of it all, is the reminder that the concept of a “normal weight” is simply a socially constructed idea that was created to classify people as having higher and lower status. While these factors are frustrating, it is still important to keep in mind that there are serious health risks associated with being overweight and that while healthy at every size may not be entirely correct, beauty at every size always will be.  

In Is the weight acceptance movement bad for our health? an article posted on CNN, Tammy Worth explores how organizations and business today are redefining what beauty means in our current society, “…but, [she challenges], is that message undermining [people’s] health and allowing overweight people… to become complacent?”. Through a woman’s personal experiences as well as expert opinion, Worth does a successful job in answering this question. She begins with a story from Deb Lemire, who also happens to be the president of the Association for Size Diversity and Health, “a group that advocates that people can be healthy at any size”. Since she was ten years old, she was told she was overweight, so what she wants for the children of this country is to encourage healthy behaviors, and let them know that any size is okay. However, some are concerned that if we accept “…that being overweight or obese is fine – [are we undermining] the progress [that is] being made towards things like heart health?” When exploring the question of ‘can you be fat and fit?’ experts have all agreed that being overweight is not good for one’s health, especially your heart, states Worth. However, research conducted at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of Southern California, suggests that some people can actually be overweight and healthy, as stated by Michelle May, M.D., “We use obesity as a marker of whether someone is not practicing a healthy lifestyle, but that does not determine if they are making healthy eating choices, are physically active, etc.”. On the other hand, Stephen Nicholls, M.D., is concerned that the fat acceptance movement may communicate the wrong overall idea that being overweight or obese is not a health issue, when it is. “Obesity is the single greatest public health problem we face in the US today,” Nicholls states. So is the weight acceptance movement actually bad for our health? It may seem like there are two very different positions being presented, however, all of the doctors have agreed that being overweight is an indicator of an unhealthy lifestyle. While there is factual evidence in the doctor’s favor, there is no specific proof that advocating health at any size is increasing obesity within America today, and therefore bad for our health.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/01/06/fat.acceptance/index.html#