Fat-positive Feminism and Weight Loss

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  • JessG11
    JessG11 Posts: 345 Member
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    Is fat positive the same as the fat acceptance movement?

    I don't know, but that was my assumption. Obesity is a disease. "Fat positive" is an oxymoron. Would you say you're "cancer positive"? "MS positive"?

    At some point in America an idea took hold that everyone has to feel good about about herself or himself all the time, to the point where one is not only supposed to tolerate obesity, but argue it's a good thing. It's not.

    I have agree. And ask at what point did a woman saying she's fat and doesn't like her body actually shaming?
  • gramarye
    gramarye Posts: 586 Member
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    I actually had a lot trouble reconciling this for myself. It's hard to say, "There's no shame in a body, however it is," and then think, "Except, you know, I'm grotesque." (I have a very unhealthy inner-monologue about my own body; it's something that I'm working on.)

    What it came down to, for me, is that I needed to take control of my eating and exercising for mental health reasons. I only feel manageable when I feel in control, and food is something I've always struggled to control. And while I've never been in poor health, as I lose weight I realize that I could be stronger and in better health -- which is something I want for myself.

    So, its an active decision I continue to make for my own health, without creating blanket statements about the health or well-being of others.
  • sugarstrawberries
    sugarstrawberries Posts: 140 Member
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    I'm a feminist and I'm fat positive. I am one who doesn't believe anyone's weight, no matter how "healthy" or "unhealthy" they seem to be. I don't care if you weigh 800 or 80 lbs, I won't comment on how you are living your life because it's your life to do with what you will. However, there are circumstances that prevent people from eating foods that are better for them that others, and I think that contributes to bull**** "healthy" assessments (ex. everyone whining on here about how being "overweight" is unhealthy).
  • technobunny
    technobunny Posts: 131
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    Is fat positive the same as the fat acceptance movement?

    I don't know, but that was my assumption. Obesity is a disease. "Fat positive" is an oxymoron. Would you say you're "cancer positive"? "MS positive"?

    At some point in America an idea took hold that everyone has to feel good about about herself or himself all the time, to the point where one is not only supposed to tolerate obesity, but argue it's a good thing. It's not.

    My thoughts exactly! You're trying to fight the power or give it to the man, but kill yourself in the process? The point of losing weight is to be healthy, and the point of living a healthy lifestyle is so that you can live a little longer. Look up the #1 cause for deaths in the US. That's right, heart disease. And why do people get heart disease? Because they are fat/eat nothing but crap.

    If you want to give to the man by not being a size 0, that's great. Some women are in a healthy BMI range and according to society are still fat (aka don't look like victoria secret models). If that is what fat positive means, that's great. But saying you're gonna eat junk and embrace it because you're trying to be different, well that's just outright...stupid. If anything, you're giving the man what it wants, which is your money. All the money you spend on junk food. But, I digress...
  • sugarstrawberries
    sugarstrawberries Posts: 140 Member
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    I actually had a lot trouble reconciling this for myself. It's hard to say, "There's no shame in a body, however it is," and then think, "Except, you know, I'm grotesque." (I have a very unhealthy inner-monologue about my own body; it's something that I'm working on.)

    What it came down to, for me, is that I needed to take control of my eating and exercising for mental health reasons. I only feel manageable when I feel in control, and food is something I've always struggled to control. And while I've never been in poor health, as I lose weight I realize that I could be stronger and in better health -- which is something I want for myself.

    So, its an active decision I continue to make for my own health, without creating blanket statements about the health or well-being of others.

    This! This is a great post :)
  • Tymeshia
    Tymeshia Posts: 194 Member
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    I found that when you are truly loving yourself you are thinking of your health.
  • jamiemommy
    jamiemommy Posts: 58 Member
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    I totally get this...I never knew there was a name for it though? I love myself, I love my body and I love my life. I am happy:) My body has produced two of the most beautiful human beings ever to walk the earth. I can hike, play with my kids, travel,make love and most importantly I can look in the mirror and be thankful for my reflection. The fact is, carrying weight for a lifetime, no matter how happy a person is, will eventually cause problems and essentially shorten a human life and i don't know about you but I want to give myself every chance of a LONG and HEALTHY life so I can continue on the road I'm on:)
  • ashandstuff
    ashandstuff Posts: 442 Member
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    This is a question I get a lot from friends and family.

    Just because I strive to accept and appreciate what OTHER people do with their bodies doesn't mean I have to personally reflect those practices. I know a person who is a vegan, does that mean I have to be vegan too in order to be supportive? No, of course not! :]

    Your goals are just that, your OWN GOALS. If you aren't pushing your personal ideologies on other people, then everything is totally fine!!!!
  • Sedna_51
    Sedna_51 Posts: 277 Member
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    Oh my god, yes, this, me too please. I'm constantly, constantly trying to figure this out for myself, and it's so terribly hard! Agh. I really love the HAES movement and the emphasis it puts on non-appearance related markers of health. And I've tried to become more aware of all the different bodies around me, all their different varied shapes, and how variation is natural and interesting and GOOD.

    I always repost this piece from the National Eating Disorders Association, because I feel like it really helps to clarify so many things (at least in my head). http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/can-you-tell-anything-persons-weight
  • TheSlorax
    TheSlorax Posts: 2,401 Member
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    I think a lot of people have answered your question - loving and accepting yourself means taking care of yourself, and if that entails losing weight, then you're perfectly fine and not bending to any societal norms.

    I'm hoping you can answer my question: what is the point of fat acceptance? Isn't it kind of bending to society, in a way, if you feel you have to give it the middle finger and be fat to spite it? By going out of your way to not conform to society's pressures, you're still expending energy on societal rules - even if the efforts are on breaking them. Wouldn't it be better to have people be "self positive", in that they accept their spirit and mind wholeheartedly and learn to love who they are on the inside? I guess I am a little confused in how this is a good thing, and a better alternative to focusing on being thin, because it's still largely dependent on someone's appearance. I'm not trying to be sarcastic or trollish, either, this is genuinely tripping me up a little bit.
  • BuffyEat2Live
    BuffyEat2Live Posts: 327 Member
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    Is fat positive the same as the fat acceptance movement?

    I don't know, but that was my assumption. Obesity is a disease. "Fat positive" is an oxymoron. Would you say you're "cancer positive"? "MS positive"?

    At some point in America an idea took hold that everyone has to feel good about about herself or himself all the time, to the point where one is not only supposed to tolerate obesity, but argue it's a good thing. It's not.

    I'm offended that you compare obesity to cancer and MS. Those are legitimate diseases. Obesity is how much one weighs. Not a disease.
  • JessG11
    JessG11 Posts: 345 Member
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    Is fat positive the same as the fat acceptance movement?

    I don't know, but that was my assumption. Obesity is a disease. "Fat positive" is an oxymoron. Would you say you're "cancer positive"? "MS positive"?

    At some point in America an idea took hold that everyone has to feel good about about herself or himself all the time, to the point where one is not only supposed to tolerate obesity, but argue it's a good thing. It's not.

    I'm offended that you compare obesity to cancer and MS. Those are legitimate diseases. Obesity is how much one weighs. Not a disease.


    Actually the AMA just recently categorized it as a disease.
  • TheGymGypsy
    TheGymGypsy Posts: 1,023 Member
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    It's one thing to love your body if you are overweight/ out of shape. HAES (health at every size) is complete and total bull**** though. I'm sorry, but after a certain weight you are not healthy. That doesn't mean you shouldn't love yourself, but don't tell me your health isn't at all impacted by your weight. That pisses me off.

    Body acceptance- YES
    HAES- Never in this lifetime
  • onwarddownward
    onwarddownward Posts: 1,683 Member
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    I like who I am. I feel good about myself, but most of that's because I'm moving in a positive direction. I lost a lot of weight several years ago and hated my body still, because I hadn't gotten to the place where I became thankful for my body no matter what it looked like.

    It took severe illnesses caused by my crash dieting to turn that around. Being thrilled with having a body that could heal my abdominal surgery incisions - all four of them! Bing pleased with a body that could move, dance and sing again.

    So I'm happy with me. But I'm still moving onward and downward (Scalewise!) every day!
  • lndsylck
    lndsylck Posts: 9 Member
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    Absolutely adored this -- Thank you!
  • TheGymGypsy
    TheGymGypsy Posts: 1,023 Member
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    It's one thing to love your body if you are overweight/ out of shape. HAES (health at every size) is complete and total bull**** though. I'm sorry, but after a certain weight you are not healthy. That doesn't mean you shouldn't love yourself, but don't tell me your health isn't at all impacted by your weight. That pisses me off.

    Body acceptance- YES
    HAES- Never in this lifetime

    THIS
    there is no "fat acceptence"
    get rid of the fat before it makes you sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I don't think you understood the point of this...
    Everyone big or small has the right to be confident and love themselves the way you are.
    I just don't believe in the delusion of being healthy at 300 pounds. But not being healthy does not make you any less worthy of love.
    Based on your other responses to this thread, you do not agree with this viewpoint.
  • alikonda
    alikonda Posts: 2,358 Member
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    To me, being fat positive is about knowing what it means to be fat (or big, or overweight, or curvy, or whatever other adjective does it for you), including the negative health effects, and choosing to be that way anyway. I've recently been conceptualizing choosing to be fat as a way to "fight the power" so to speak, to challenge societal standards of beauty and femininity.

    Loving yourself and realizing that you have worth without wearing a size 0 is important, but doesn't preclude a want to change to be healthier/stronger. Wanting to be healthier does not mean that you look down on people who are less fit than you, and that is what body acceptance is all about.

    Your definition of "fat positive" is negative in so many ways. It doesn't sound like you're loving your body, since you recognize that there are negative health effects associated with its current state. You're creating unnecessary stress for yourself by creating a dichotomy where you want to be healthy yet want to remain unhealthy as some oblique political statement.

    If you want to stand up against the system, participate in movements that prevent modeling agencies from recruiting at eating disorder facilities. Sign petitions to have fashion designers stop hiring underweight prepubescent models. Celebrate the beauty in everyday women around you. When interacting with small children, make a point to highlight "unconventional beauty." Remind people to focus more on what their body is capable of, rather than what pant size they wear or what the scale reads in the morning. Be the best you that you can be without obsessing over your clothes, your weight, or what society thinks.

    I've had strong feminist tendencies from a young age, but I still struggle with self acceptance. There are too many external factors telling me what my worth is, and I make a conscious effort every day to identify them and think about how wrong they are. People are beautiful, both big and small, plain and simple - but killing yourself to try and point that out to people is not going to do any good.

    fitvillains.tumblr.com <-- That's a blog I've been following on and off for a couple years. It focuses on body positivity and fitness, and I often go there when I need a boost.

    Good luck in your journey, and remember to love yourself!

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