Fat Acceptance Movement - how do you feel?

[Yaberhoo 358]

For many years, obesity has been the only medical condition where it is socially acceptable to make fun of the afflicted. On the Biggest Loser, it's fun entertainment to humiliate fat people by making them run around a horse track and mock them when they fail. That's seen as good fun, but society would rightly have a fit if someone suggested a show where cancer patients compete for treatment. That double standard is wrong.

I see it as more of a self acceptance movement. It's trying to say that you should feel good about yourself no matter your size. It's not about disregarding medical advice, or purposefully avoiding improving your health. You can love yourself for being you and not feel like a reject or outsider because you don't fit into an impossible social ideal. No one is encouraging people to get fat, no one is dissuading people from losing weight. People come in all shapes and sizes and that needs to be accepted without humiliation for not falling within a socially approved range.

[GibbsGirl 483]

http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/size-model-featured-sports-illustrated-swimsuit-issue/story?id=36833523

I love this, it's nobodies business to judge, I have tons of scars, a pacemaker that sticks out of my chest, no belly button and some saggy skin. I may have been blessed to have the surgery but I think everyone is beautiful regardless of size, race, disfigurements etc. We need to Celebrate our differences.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/size-model-featured-sports-illustrated-swimsuit-issue/story?id=36833523

I love this, it's nobodies business to judge, I have tons of scars, a pacemaker that sticks out of my chest, no belly button and some saggy skin. I may have been blessed to have the surgery but I think everyone is beautiful regardless of size, race, disfigurements etc. We need to Celebrate our differences.

Ashley Graham, the Swimsuit Illustrated model referenced in that abcnews article link, is 5'9" and weighs 200 pounds. See http://healthyceleb.com/ashley-graham-height-weight-body-statistics/40966

That puts her BMI at 30 and classifies her (on that chart) as "overweight." As someone who's not even obese, much less morbidly obese, she's not a classic example of a "Fat Acceptance movement" proponent.

I am irritated by gorgeous young women who wear size 14s and say things like "People can be healthy at any size." Yes, she said that, too.

No, you can't be healthy at any size, especially if you're not 28 years old.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

She works out with a trainer too. She has a ton of muscle under that layer of fat which is why she looks so tight.

[Alex Brecher 10,516]

Good topic, @@needtorecover!

I think fat-shaming is terrible. Nobody should be humiliated because of the way they look, and typically that’s what fat-shaming is about. It’s about judgement based on looks and nothing else.

The problem that I see about the anti-fat-shaming movement, as you’ve all pointed out, is that it seems to get confused with sound messages about the true problems with obesity – unhealthfulness and interference with regular daily life.

@@Djmohr makes a great point that fat-shaming is always wrong, that there’s a better way to deliver the message.

Back to the original question, I do fear that the backlash against fat-shaming is leading people to possibly have one more excuse to put off getting healthy.

[GibbsGirl 483]

http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/size-model-featured-sports-illustrated-swimsuit-issue/story?id=36833523

I love this, it's nobodies business to judge, I have tons of scars, a pacemaker that sticks out of my chest, no belly button and some saggy skin. I may have been blessed to have the surgery but I think everyone is beautiful regardless of size, race, disfigurements etc. We need to Celebrate our differences.

Ashley Graham, the Swimsuit Illustrated model referenced in that abcnews article link, is 5'9" and weighs 200 pounds. See http://healthyceleb.com/ashley-graham-height-weight-body-statistics/40966

That puts her BMI at 30 and classifies her (on that chart) as "overweight." As someone who's not even obese, much less morbidly obese, she's not a classic example of a "Fat Acceptance movement" proponent.

I am irritated by gorgeous young women who wear size 14s and say things like "People can be healthy at any size." Yes, she said that, too.

No, you can't be healthy at any size, especially if you're not 28 years old.

I guess we can agree to disagree. There are 3 women in that story, one older, two shaped differently than what is normally shown in a swim suit magazine. Fat or body shaming goes along with what some people think about age. If the media is showing more real people as beautiful I think that should be celebrated. Thing is whether someone is overweight or underweight their health is their business. My business is to treat everyone with kindness and as beautiful regardless of what they look like.

[BCs 1000 364]

I really like the

http://haescommunity.com

Challenges scientific and cultural assumptions;

Values body knowledge and people’s lived experiences.

[BCs 1000 364]

Oops, hit reply before I finished.

It is still important to look after your health no matter what size you are. Obese people are constantly toms to lose weight by Drs as a response to all health conditions. While weight can be a big influence in many conditions, it is silly never to address any of the other contributing factors.

Nutrition is still important even if the goal isn't to lose weight.

[#MagicWithinme 173]

In this day and age of weight awareness, in schools, on TV, online, if you don't know you are overweight , there's a problem. Or you don't care and figure society will take care of you (which unfortunately will happen)

[nieuwevis 294]

A PCP should not say "You fat (bleep), why don't you put the fork down some time and go for a walk!" -That would be cruel, unprofessional and unsupportive.

They could say "According to the weight/height charts, you should try to grow 4 feet taller".

lol my dr did say that my height was too short for my weight. it was very nice to visit a few months after surgery

[katanne 215]

I used to read FA websites/blogs/books all the time. I have no problem with wanting everyone to be treated with dignity regardless of size or health status. My problem is with some of the people in the movement/phenomenon (Paul Campos, Kate Harding) - they continue to insist that fat doesn't cause health problems, although Campos at least makes an exception for type 2 diabetes.

I think it's safe to say few of us would be getting WLS if not for concerns about our health. My blood pressure is MUCH lower when I'm thin. I can move around with MUCH less pain and shortness of breath when I'm thin. My body can fit into WAY more yoga poses WAY more easily and without fear of injury when I'm thin. And so on and so forth. My lived experience just does not back up their assertions on this point.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

Never heard of Kate Harding ... until I read the above post.

And then I googled her and read this polemic she wrote about how being fat is so healthy:

http://kateharding.net/faq/but-dont-you-realize-fat-is-unhealthy/

Bless her heart!

[gowalking 10,790]

I was doing OK with reading her article till I read the following below. I call BS on that. We're all in this predicament because we eat/ate more than we burned. The reason we are losing the weight is because we've cut our calories drastically..and are eating less unhealthy choices..though she does mention that in her article and I have no disagreement there. But don't tell me we don't eat more than thin people...or that we are more sedentary...because we are, and we know it.

no one has proven that fat people generally eat more or exercise less than thin people. Period.

[JamieLogical 8,727]

I was doing OK with reading her article till I read the following below. I call BS on that. We're all in this predicament because we eat/ate more than we burned. The reason we are losing the weight is because we've cut our calories drastically..and are eating less unhealthy choices..though she does mention that in her article and I have no disagreement there. But don't tell me we don't eat more than thin people...or that we are more sedentary...because we are, and we know it.

no one has proven that fat people generally eat more or exercise less than thin people. Period.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure most thin people aren't sitting on the couch 6-8 hours a night, watching TV, eating an entire large pizza, and a pint of Ben & Jerry's like I was. I'm pretty positive I was fat because I ate a crap-ton of food and never worked out. Every single time I ate less and exercised more, I lost weight. Which is exactly how I've lost weight post-sleeve as well. I eat way less and exercise 5 times a week!

[BCs 1000 364]

I do think it is important to still look after your health and nutrition no matter what your size. Obese people often receive the exact same advice for every single health condition - just lose weight.

Obese people, not ready, or not interested in weight loss, can still make changes to keep themselves healthy.

We all log everything into MFP now to ensure we hit our nutrition goals, don't eat too much salt etc. Even if you are consuming 4000 calories a day, you are better off if those calories at least hit your daily nutrient requirements.

The same for exercise. Walking to the shops rather than taking the car has merit. It isn't only worth it if you can sprint 5kms.

I think part of the point of the movement is to remove some of the all or nothing mentality so obese people can be as healthy as possible at that size.