Because Fat-Shaming is Sooo Cool

GoForLew

Fat shaming, well, body shaming of any type is unacceptable, mainly because you have absolutely no idea about the lives of the people who you are shaming. The other factor is that they use the argument "unhealthy" which is crap. I know a lot of, by medical standards, overweight people that are perfectly healthy. They eat right, exercise, and maybe they have a medical condition or medicine that makes them gain weight. I also know a lot of medically thin and "normal weight" individuals who sit on their butts all day and drink pop and eat crappy food.

Willowwisp23

I am a health educator and I hate the use of the word "fat" applied to people because it automatically shames many of them, puts them on the defensive and makes them shut down. By the same token, the Medical professions cowardice lately about giving more than per-functionary mention to overweight and obesity in their patients is negligent.

I dunno when I was bigger everything was down to my weight according to my doctor. Shortness of breath? Weight (turned out to be asthma), bad back? weight (despite my thin sister having a similar problem). I don't think it's a shock to most overweight people that they are overweight.

zericaaaaa

I don't think the gay comparison is accurate, being gay isn't a medical condition. Why should I care? I live in the third fattest country in the world 2/3s of the population are overweight or obese. We also have a public health system, this level of obesity puts a unnecessary strain on the medical system and it is only going to get worse as the population ages. It is a situation that is similar to smoking. They are both lifestyle issues that can be addressed not only to limit the costs to taxpayers but also to IMPROVE the quality or peoples' lives. I have had friends in their 40s die of heart attacks that were directly attributed to obesity. I have friends that are walking time bombs that I would love to help but I can't do anything for until they want to help themselves. That is why I care. So a big **** you to all those that are making this a "beauty" issue or saying I am "elitist" or "judgemental" because frankly that is just insulting.

you would make a good point if fat acceptance was all about accepting an unhealthy lifestyle. I'm sure there are some people who use the movement as an excuse to stay unhealthy. but let me reiterate- it has nothing to do with the physical health factor and everything to do with the mental.

and as far as the gay comparison- you can choose to be fat and happy just like how you can choose to be gay and happy. fat and gay are two words that are still a little touchy in society today. it has nothing to do with a medical condition because fat acceptance isn't based on physical health. and when it comes to being fat or gay, the same rules apply- if it doesn't affect your life, and the person is happy, why should you care? taxes? are they really that high strictly because of the amount of fat people who accept who they are?

I understand your concerns, but telling overweight people NOT to accept themselves if they are unhealthy will probably not solve the problem. as someone mentioned earlier, if a person decides to drink, smoke, do drugs, eat bad food- its up to them. their health is their business and they have a choice to live a healthy life or an unhealthy one. being unhealthy does not mean you are unworthy of acceptance.

Have I mentioned once not accepting people? Gay people are born gay they can never change that fact. As I have stated a million times before I am talking about the health issue not the appearance issue. I am not telling people not to accept themselves personally I am saying that there is a serious health component to this which cannot be ignored. Putting ones' head in the sand and ignoring the health side of things doesn't help anyone.

oh so you're on the wrong thread then. this is about the emotional issue, not the physical health! we all know obesity is unhealthy I mean there is no denying that. fat acceptance movement isn't your issue, you just have a problem with the health dangers of obesity in general and that's understandable

Meerataila

I am a health educator and I hate the use of the word "fat" applied to people because it automatically shames many of them, puts them on the defensive and makes them shut down. By the same token, the Medical professions cowardice lately about giving more than per-functionary mention to overweight and obesity in their patients is negligent.

I dunno when I was bigger everything was down to my weight according to my doctor. Shortness of breath? Weight (turned out to be asthma), bad back? weight (despite my thin sister having a similar problem). I don't think it's a shock to most overweight people that they are overweight.

This infuriates me. I also have a bad back which was much worse when I was at my thinnest than my fattest because of the work I was doing at my thinnest (heavy lifting). But no doubt if I'd gone to a doctor about the relatively minor pain I suffered at 245 pounds, I would have been told to lose weight and it would be fine. Is my back better for having lost weight? Yes. But many of the things I do to lose or maintain actually aggravates it if I'm not careful. And I'll take being morbidly obese and barely able to walk downstairs but relatively pain free over the agony of a slipped disc any day.

besaro

if it werent for this thread, i never would have seen this

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salembambi

people need acceptance regardless of weight. being fat is hardly just physical. the fat acceptance movement is all about separating the connection between self worth and your appearance. it is not a group of lazy fat people praising bad health i mean come on

Seriously do some googling there are tons of groups/people/propoganda fooling themselves into thinking that it is just that: a healthy lifestyle

Iwishyouwell

Also no matter how fat someone is there is no NEED to lose weight. It's not the fuggin law to be skinny. And if it was we would be living in a fascist state. It's peoples CHOICE weather to be healthy or unhealthy. Fat or thin. We can encourage them one way or another but in the final analysis it is always their choice and some people are always going to choose in a way you don't like. I politely suggest you learn to live with other peoples choices. Because they really are none of your business. And if you think they should be degraded for them then I simply don't respect your opinion or you at all.

Except obesity and severely overweight related health issues are adding billions upon billions to the health care systems around the world. And everyone is paying for this increase, not just the obese. Never Mind that some countries, including the USA, are running into issues with having able bodied young adults svelte and fit enough to actually serve in the military. How about the additional one or so billion of gallon of gas that's being, in the US alone, to transport our heavier bodies? What about the billions of dollars losses in workplace productivity due to the fact that obese and overweight workers tend to miss work more because of diseases directly related to their overweightness? The lists go on. Obesity is having detrimental societal wide impacts the world over.

There are no easy answers to this, but we're globally well past the point of just pretending that individual obesity isn't having a huge collective impact on us all.

Meerataila

Also no matter how fat someone is there is no NEED to lose weight. It's not the fuggin law to be skinny. And if it was we would be living in a fascist state. It's peoples CHOICE weather to be healthy or unhealthy. Fat or thin. We can encourage them one way or another but in the final analysis it is always their choice and some people are always going to choose in a way you don't like. I politely suggest you learn to live with other peoples choices. Because they really are none of your business. And if you think they should be degraded for them then I simply don't respect your opinion or you at all.

Except obesity and severely overweight related health issues are adding billions upon billions to the health care systems around the world. And everyone is paying for this increase, not just the obese. Never Mind that some countries, including the USA, are running into issues with having able bodied young adults svelte and fit enough to actually serve in the military. How about the additional one or so billion of gallon of gas that's being, in the US alone, to transport our heavier bodies? What about the billions of dollars losses in workplace productivity due to the fact that obese and overweight workers tend to miss work more because of diseases directly related to their overweightness? The lists go on. Obesity is having detrimental societal wide impacts the world over.

There are no easy answers to this, but we're globally well past the point of just pretending that individual obesity isn't having a huge collective impact on us all.

Since our culture is not communal, no individual should ever concern herself with the consequences of her actions to society, nor should anyone expect her to.

KameHameHaaaa

Eh, the only thing I get from this article is this woman is RANTING. She is a "self-confessed fattist"...

fattist
Web definitions
(fattism) discrimination against people who are overweight

Sorry lady, but discrimination is discrimination. I find the article to be pointless and only a rant simply because it's written by someone who has admitted to being biased. I don't need to insult her physical appearance because her personality is ugly, and it shines through in her writing.

As someone who has been morbidly obese their entire life and trying to change that, I can say body shaming of any type is NOT acceptable. It is one thing to be a family member, a close friend, or the family doctor explaining that to you that your weight is an issue. This woman isn't a doctor... She's not a MD, nutritionist or a therapist. She's a self-confessed hater of fat people. She's simply on a rant after seeing a group of "jolly" overweight women daring to act happy in public, and because she DOES discriminate, it has angered her to the point of feeling the need to write this article. That's really the jist of it.

There is nothing wrong with being happy. There is nothing wrong with wearing less clothing in the hotter months. There is nothing wrong with having snacks with your friends. For all she knows the girls she saw are on this very site, and have logged the calories from their chips. She doesn't know anything about them except that they're overweight and she discriminates against people who are just that. She's just a hateful person. And hateful people don't like seeing other people happy.

I think everyone's goal should be to be healthy. It doesn't matter which end of the weight spectrum you're starting at, just be healthy. But by all means, be happy while you're in that process. Because in my experience and the experience of those closest to me going through similar life transformations, the process is so much simpler when you're happy with yourself.

RHachicho

Also no matter how fat someone is there is no NEED to lose weight. It's not the fuggin law to be skinny. And if it was we would be living in a fascist state. It's peoples CHOICE weather to be healthy or unhealthy. Fat or thin. We can encourage them one way or another but in the final analysis it is always their choice and some people are always going to choose in a way you don't like. I politely suggest you learn to live with other peoples choices. Because they really are none of your business. And if you think they should be degraded for them then I simply don't respect your opinion or you at all.

Except obesity and severely overweight related health issues are adding billions upon billions to the health care systems around the world. And everyone is paying for this increase, not just the obese. Never Mind that some countries, including the USA, are running into issues with having able bodied young adults svelte and fit enough to actually serve in the military. How about the additional one or so billion of gallon of gas that's being, in the US alone, to transport our heavier bodies? What about the billions of dollars losses in workplace productivity due to the fact that obese and overweight workers tend to miss work more because of diseases directly related to their overweightness? The lists go on. Obesity is having detrimental societal wide impacts the world over.

There are no easy answers to this, but we're globally well past the point of just pretending that individual obesity isn't having a huge collective impact on us all.

No I am sorry. You are not right about this. Yes this IS a problem. No the solution is not to shame or force people to tow the line because society can't bear it any more. There is an easy answer your line of reasoning. And it always ends up the same. Force the people to fall into line hurt the ones who don't. And that my friend is fascism and/or communism in a nutshell. People didn't choose a fascist way of life just to be cruel. At least not most of them they did it because they believed the common good of society should take precedence over an individuals freedom to live their life the way they choose. It's easy to dismiss fascism and communism because the western world has made them the great enemy. But good people chose that way of life for good reasons. And they are the reasons you are supporting right now.

I however do not hold to that. I believe individuals should be free to live their lives how they choose. But I believe that with the right approach we can totally reverse this trend without resorting to verbal or physical harassment. In fact if certain studies are to be believed this is already happening.

Because the idea that is is right to harass or force obese people to lose weight is really no different than the idea that it is ok to enforce sterilization to control population. If you look at it simply in terms of what is good for the "human race" as a whole honestly anyone with an iq below 100 should have been sterilized years ago. There are no degrees in this. You either subscribe to the idea that peoples individual freedom or the good of society comes first. No matter how uncomfortable it might make you feel.

This is what freedom costs folks. The strong take up the slack for the weak.

And no I am NOT accusing everyone who supports this woman of being a Nazi or whatever. I am simply laying it out that you can't say oh we have to be healthy for the "good of society" and call yourself democratic. You are not. In a fascist or communist society the approach to problems solving is to elimination the weak people or force them to become strong. But in a free and democratic society the approach should be to encourage and help people to become stronger. Obviously fascism/communism will produce more strong people and less weak people. Since the uncomfortable fact is that populations in general respond better to force than to persuasion. At least up to a point. So in a free society there will always be an element of support. If you are a tax paying member of society you support the weak who can't pull their weight. Pardon the pun.

So our solution should be educational and supportive. We should educate people about the benefits of fitness. And the dangers of ill health. And perhaps start initiatives that allow poorer people to afford gym memberships. Provide initiatives and subsidies for local athletic clubs. etc etc. But in the end if after all that fails and someone is still overweight. We pick up the slack for them. End of story.