Because Fat-Shaming is Sooo Cool

Hophead43

Not sure if I agree with all that she is saying but she does make some good points. This is a UK article but the "Fat" problem is huge in the U.S. as well. The group she speaks of in her article is a good example, obviously overweight women dressed scantly and sharing a bag of chips. Not the best image to see and its a very unhealthy picture. She make a good point about health care. All the money being spent treating people that could just watch what they eat and exercise a bit is costing all of us (fat, skinny, straight, gay, black or white ) extra money each month in premiums. Maybe she didn't take the proper approach to this but she did make some good points.
The lady that has been talking about "Fat Acceptance" do you go out in public dressed like the girls in the article? Are you trying to live a healther lifestyle or are you munch chips on the couch and watching TV. Just curious as to where you are coming from.

1princesswarrior

I'm going to be the first to say that I agree with a lot of what she is saying. If fat acceptance wasn't a thing, we would have less obese people in America. I state this as a fact because many years ago, accepting "fat" people wasn't as important as it is now. And in this day and age, obesity is one of our nation's biggest health concerns. The % of the amount of obese Americans has changed too much since the early 90s, too fast for it to be just chance. There is a cause, and "fat acceptance" is probably the cause. Some could say there is too much available fast food now, but we do have to take responsibility. Nobody forced us to eat what we eat.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't think you should go up to some happy overweight person and tell them their fat. You wouldn't go up to an anorexic person and confront them like that. And yes, I consider both of them eating disorders. It should be done by friends and family in a caring loving way out of concern. Linda Kelsey is just fed up and fired up. I do that too now and then...

Obesity was a problem long before fat acceptance groups. And just what the heck is wrong with people accepting who they are anyway? I've lost over 80lbs and still have trouble accepting who I am. Just like JoRocka said, this is a lot more about mental health than most realize. Yes I'm losing weight and getting healthy and fit but fighting the internal battles I fight daily just continue.

Yes there are extremists in the fat acceptance movement just like in any other movement or group, etc. But don't blame the few when the movement helps countless more. Just think about how much easier is it to get control over eating when you are content with who you are on the inside and you are happy with your life. I shame myself enough, I don't need others to do it for me.

wheird

Also lol at the people insulting her looks.

Hophead43

Why did she focus exclusively on overweight females?

The article was inspired by the three women in front of her at the airport.

jofjltncb6

Fat acceptance is probably one of the most damaging things to health and fitness. It tells people that fat is normal and acceptable and not a very obvious sign that they need to change their habits. Fat isn't healthy, at all. It's a symptom of eating disorders, health problems, or other issues. This would be like "rash acceptance" or something. Fat is a sign of a problem. Do not embrace it and encourage it.

Spoken like someone who has NO IDEA what they are talking about. Fat acceptance is not about damaging your body. Fat acceptance is about everything except your weight. It is about being able to appreciate the other facets of life and not letting fat or size RULE your life. Fat acceptance is about taking control of the fact that you can be happy even if you are fat, and that positive reinforcement helps people take control of their weights too.

In theory.

Go to any major fat acceptance site and read the comments. Then please try to reconcile those comments with your claim.

Aye...




...and so now I guess I'm in.

devil_in_a_blue_dress

Fat acceptance is probably one of the most damaging things to health and fitness. It tells people that fat is normal and acceptable and not a very obvious sign that they need to change their habits. Fat isn't healthy, at all. It's a symptom of eating disorders, health problems, or other issues. This would be like "rash acceptance" or something. Fat is a sign of a problem. Do not embrace it and encourage it.

Spoken like someone who has NO IDEA what they are talking about. Fat acceptance is not about damaging your body. Fat acceptance is about everything except your weight. It is about being able to appreciate the other facets of life and not letting fat or size RULE your life. Fat acceptance is about taking control of the fact that you can be happy even if you are fat, and that positive reinforcement helps people take control of their weights too.

Basically this.

All of this.

_Resolve_

Also lol at the people insulting her looks.

yea but.. you gotta admit.. she has a mouth like bass

oregonzoo

Also lol at the people insulting her looks.

I just said she looks very angry.

UsedToBeHusky

Personally, I don't understand why people think that flinging around insults is a motivator. I mean, sure, some people can get angry and use that anger towards working out. But most people aren't motivated that way.

If a kid was struggling with reading, you wouldn't scream at him that he is a worthless, illiterate. You would take time to encourage him and help educate him.

eomuno215in541

"Why are today's young women so unashamed about being fat? Horrified by the rolls of flesh she's witnessed on show this summer, LINDA KELSEY takes no prisoners."

^^That is a quote I read from the article linked below. Yes, being overweight is unhealthy but this lady's tone totally made me feel like she wrote this article thinking to herself, 'I'm going to be so cool for calling fat chicks out'. Ugh. What is your take on this article?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2686676/Why-todays-young-women-unashamed-fat-Horrified-rolls-flesh-shes-witnessed-summer-LINDA-KELSEY-takes-no-prisoners.html

Here is Linda Kelsey.
I guess she considers herself to be attractive and perfect unlike 'fatties' as she references overweight girls/women in the article.

Thin people - I call em "skinnies". They're almost as evil as gingers.

wheird

Also lol at the people insulting her looks.

yea but.. you gotta admit.. she has a mouth like bass

I like people with atypical features.

jofjltncb6

Fat people are immoral.

oregonzoo

Also lol at the people insulting her looks.

yea but.. you gotta admit.. she has a mouth like bass

Wouldn't men see this as bonus?

workout_ninja

I agree with her...to a point. The points she was making were valid. HOWEVER, the way she wrote about the girls at the airport and the fact she kept referring to these girls as "fatties" was just rude and unnecessary - which completely negated the point she was trying to make

wheird

Fat people are immoral.

Gluttony is a sin.

MegE_N

Fat acceptance is probably one of the most damaging things to health and fitness. It tells people that fat is normal and acceptable and not a very obvious sign that they need to change their habits. Fat isn't healthy, at all. It's a symptom of eating disorders, health problems, or other issues. This would be like "rash acceptance" or something. Fat is a sign of a problem. Do not embrace it and encourage it.

Spoken like someone who has NO IDEA what they are talking about. Fat acceptance is not about damaging your body. Fat acceptance is about everything except your weight. It is about being able to appreciate the other facets of life and not letting fat or size RULE your life. Fat acceptance is about taking control of the fact that you can be happy even if you are fat, and that positive reinforcement helps people take control of their weights too.

In theory.

Go to any major fat acceptance site and read the comments. Then please try to reconcile those comments with your claim.

This is a big reason why the fat acceptance movement is misunderstood.

You go to a forum and see people applauding a picture of a sassy fat woman in a short dress. They may say things like "You're perfect the way you are" or "Work it!" You see this as glamorizing a fat lifestyle and go about your day.

That is not the fat acceptance movement.

The fat acceptance movement is something you live and go through by spending a lot of time looking at these pictures, reading these conversations, and participating in them yourself. By understanding that you are a good person the way you are, a contributing member of society, even possibly desirable, your confidence in all those other aspects of life builds. You understand - hey! I don't have to live my life in a burlap sack with a paper bag over my head hiding in the corner. I can talk more. And sing if I want to. And dance. And it's no different than a healthy or a too-skinny person doing those things. I am more than my size. The natural extension of the fat acceptance movement is the skinny acceptance movement. We are all more than our size.

Are there skinny-shamers on fat acceptance sites sometimes? Sure. I'm not proud of them and I don't agree with them. Are there also people on there telling women to eat more because it's fine, it doesn't matter? Yup, and most of them are guys believe it or not.

Fat acceptance helped me realize that I matter, that I can contribute to the world, and that I don't need to be embarrassed just because I walk into a room. That's really how I used to live my life. And it took years of building up for me to get the confidence I have today - just as it took years of parents, teachers, peers, and strangers all telling me that every aspect of me was worthless because of my waist line. I was lazy, they said. Had no self-control, they said. No pride in myself, no desire to take care of myself. I had all those things, but I was just also fat. But no one believed that - they couldn't believe that. Rebuilding myself through the fat acceptance movement is what is allowing me, hell even promoting me to take control of my health and my weight today. Because I'm worth it.

So please don't sit there and tell me that you read some comments on a reddit and you know that the fat acceptance movement is about promoting a fat lifestyle. I have been living the fat acceptance movement for a few years now, and I intend to remain a part of it even when I've lost all this weight because it's about self-esteem, self-worth, and pride in every aspect beyond a person's size, which I believe most people could use no matter what their BMI might be.

Lauren8239

Wow @ the people dissing her looks. Makes you a much better person than her doesn't it?
What she wrote is true for the most part, but I agree she certainly could have worded it better.

theserpah

This is where fat acceptance comes in, and actually has a role. You can't tell a girl 'it's what is inside that counts' one day and 'how dare you even come out on the street where decent people can see you?' the next.

Fat acceptance is about not being afraid to be happy and enjoy life despite your size. It is NOT about promoting gaining unhealthy amounts of weight for poops and chuckles. This is what a lot of people don't seem to understand.

As someone who has been fat all my life, the fat acceptance movement really helped me lead a fuller, richer existence. It made me realize I can do well in my career, have friends, and fall in love - and that doing all of those things while being fat was ok. And in turn, it made me realize that I can take control of my weight. That's why I'm here.

I know on MFP I'm going to take a lot of flack for being pro-fat acceptance, but there it is.

Also please replace the word 'fat' with 'gay' and tell me if that article is still considered okay. No? Hmm, that should be a clue.

Not a valid comparison. What we put in our mouths is a choice. Our sexual orientation is not.

Discrimination is discrimination. A belief that someone does not have the right to be happy because they are X at the end of the day boils down to the same. I'm not trying to say that discrimination against gays is equal to discrimination against fat people because so obviously it is not. The gay communities in the U.S. and across the globe have gone through such hell as I can't even fathom.

What I am trying to say is that the words she is using in this article are discriminatory, no matter who she is speaking against.

I don't believe that's true. Is it discriminatory to say your child should stay away from a child down the street because you've seen that child being 'mean'? Mean is an adjective, just like fat. It's not an adjective most of us would like to see applied to us but it's adjective all the same. Is 'Mean Acceptance' something we advocate for? I can be mean, should I just expect people to accept me and continue inviting me to their parties, even though I'm always mean to them?

Now you're wondering, what in the hell is this guy talking about? right? What I'm trying to say is there are traits some of us see in others that we're fine with. Other traits we learn to tolerate and finally, traits we just don't want to accept. I was raised to believe people who take more than their fair share were rude and people who don't do a lot of exercise were lazy. The byproduct of those two behaviors, to my maturing mind, was fatness. So basically what I'm trying to say is the root cause of fatness, as some people see it, is a series of behaviors that most of us were raised to believe were wrong. So as a result, some people feel like fat people simply did the stuff we were told as kids were wrong.

/meandering

jofjltncb6

Fat people are immoral.

Gluttony is a sin.

MegE_N

Because fat people weren't a thing before fat acceptance movements. All the fat people lost their weight after being ridiculed and made to feel worthless in every aspect of their lives from the loving and supportive family members they all had back then.

Damn millennial fatties!

Not all the fat people! If you look at the statistics from the CDC, its increased by a large %.

Anyway, no one should ever have to feel worthless just because of their appearance. When I was at that large weight, I was still a contributing member of society. I still had people I care about and they care about me. Nothing has really changed, except for how I feel. I'm not saying we should ridicule anyone, but I don't think I'd standby and let my sister gain 100 lbs from bad habits without saying a word.

Then your sister is lucky to have you. Maybe. It depends on what those words might be.

Also, from my experience the fat acceptance movement is more about people who have had weight problems for many years, or throughout their whole lives. I can say that I've never met a real person (read: non-troll) who actually decided to put on 50lbs because she wanted a fatkini instead of a bikini.