Fat Shaming - New Research

euronorris

It is just typical of the blame culture of todays society.

Some people assume you are fat because you are lazy and greedy.

Like some people assume I must be anorexic just because I normally weigh 100 lbs. at 5'4....Some people go as far as to harass me into force feeding like I'm someone about to die, yet I'm still living and kicking, never felt better.
The humiliating and belittling goes BOTH ways and is equally shameful and disgraceful!!!

To be fair that IS quite low.

BMI = 17.16 kg/m2


107.5 lbs is the lowest healthy BMI for 5'4" (that's my height). So that is definitely considered an unhealthy weight.

BMI is not a good indicator of a person's ideal weight. It doesn't take into account sooo many other factors, like muscle density (I know a personal trainer guy, barely an ounce of fat on him, who is categorised as obese by the BMI method when he is clearly anything but), or genetics. For example, certain ethnicities have smaller bone structures than others (one of the ladies I work with wears a UK size 10, but is actually overweight, whereas when I have worn a UK size 10 in the past, I have been at a healthy weight - rather than overweight as I currently am).

I never trust BMI alone.

Kalikel

I think it's really insecurity and eating disorders making it worse, not the jerks who shame others. The shaming can only make it worse if the person has problems to begin with.

It isn't nice, though! It's not excusable on the grounds that it cannot, per se, cause weight gain. There is no excuse for the "Lay off the donuts!" and "Eat a cheeseburger!" fat and skinny shaming.

Making fun of people's bodies is mean. Saying, "it's easy to lose! Just stop eating!" or "It's easy to gain! Just eat more!" is, at best, ignorant and obnoxious. But usually, it's just cruel.

As is usually the case when insults like that are hurled, t says a LOT more about the person saying it than it does about the one hearing it.

lemurcat12

I think shame is an incredibly unhelpful emotion and that encouraging someone to feel shame about their physical appearance is likely to make it more difficult for them to be able to do what is necessary to lose weight. Public policy based on shaming people for being overweight is obviously a bad idea and excuses for meanness or making fun of someone based on the idea that you are encouraging healthy behavior, etc., is laughable and disingenuous.

All that said, I'm not sure what "fat shaming" is supposed to be in the articles or the general discussion. Especially the first one seems to refer even to the use of BMI by doctors, and from reading Dave Campos on this I know some, at least, will argue that efforts to educate kids about what a healthy weight is or that it's better to be a healthy weight or "eat less, move more" are inherently "shaming," and I think that's silly and really a kind of damaging trend in our society to say that everything should be affirmed, that it's improper to have standards, because someone might feel bad (getting a C might bum someone out, so we can't have grades that mean anything).

As someone who has been fat, I found shame to be a problem, but it didn't come from knowledge of medical facts--if anything those were empowering, as was finally getting on the scale and admitting to myself how heavy I was. The shame was more wrapped up in generalized shame or not being okay with being myself that I struggled with throughout the earlier period of my life. And getting over that definitely helped me be able to lose weight, but the fact that I know fat is frowned upon or considered non ideal or unattractive didn't preclude me getting over that, so I think it's more complicated then some of the overuses of "fat shaming" would have it. In fact, I don't even think I was ever "fat shamed" in a way I'd recognize as such by anyone but me.

(Same comments apply to skinny shaming.)

lemurcat12

It is just typical of the blame culture of todays society.

Some people assume you are fat because you are lazy and greedy.

Like some people assume I must be anorexic just because I normally weigh 100 lbs. at 5'4....Some people go as far as to harass me into force feeding like I'm someone about to die, yet I'm still living and kicking, never felt better.
The humiliating and belittling goes BOTH ways and is equally shameful and disgraceful!!!

I'm confused, and maybe you explained this somewhere, but it appears that you are currently trying to lose about 22 lbs. What do you weigh now?

Edit: oh, I see--you are trying to lose down to 100 from about 122, and you live in Asia. Who are these people who are skinny shaming you, if 100 is considered normal in your society (which it might well be--I know the BMI skews lower in parts of Asia)? I mean, people have already told me I don't need to lose more weight (which is ridiculous) and yet that's not shaming; it's an effort to be nice.

violasmith85

Here's my issue. I had a friend about 10 years ago who was very very obese. She was made fun of for it all the time. She felt bad about herself, she turned to food, got even bigger. Well one day she'd had enough, she bought a bike and started riding it everyday. She rode it over to my house one day and some guys across the street from my house started laughing and pointing at her. Telling her she was going break the bike. She never rode it again. It's all counter productive. Support is the key.

daydreams_of_pretty

All that said, I'm not sure what "fat shaming" is supposed to be in the articles or the general discussion. Especially the first one seems to refer even to the use of BMI by doctors, and from reading Dave Campos on this I know some, at least, will argue that efforts to educate kids about what a healthy weight is or that it's better to be a healthy weight or "eat less, move more" are inherently "shaming," and I think that's silly and really a kind of damaging trend in our society to say that everything should be affirmed, that it's improper to have standards, because someone might feel bad (getting a C might bum someone out, so we can't have grades that mean anything).

I definitely think that we shouldn't consider general messages about healthy behaviors, health goals, etc. to be fat shaming. We need to know what we should be doing to be healthy. I think the "shaming" happens when messages are directed toward a specific individual, unless the message is coming from a doctor. It's different for a doctor to review someone's file and issue a warning about the damage the person's diet/lack of exercise may be doing than it is for someone to walk up to a coworker and inform them that they're too fat.

lemurcat12

P.S. Is that gorgeous cat in your profile picture yours? I have a Black cat with yellow eyes, male..1.5 years old...I treasure him with all my heart. He's crazy about my kids! :blushing:

Thanks! Yes--he's adorable, and super playful. I like to say that he's my workout inspiration.

violasmith85

What do you do if someone asks your opinion? "Do I look fat? Do I need to lose weight?" If you say yes, most people will consider that fat shaming.

I don't agree. If someone asks the question directly, then a direct answer isn't shaming. When someone didn't ask and your entire point is to point out a physical flaw in an attempt to make them feel like they are worth less. That is shaming. If you try to making someone feel bad about themselves, that directly is trying to make them feel ashamed of their bodies. Thus shaming. Every single obese person knows they need to lose weight. So I don't see how any one of them would ever ask that question, and if they do that's on them if they don't like the answer.

lemurcat12

It's different for a doctor to review someone's file and issue a warning about the damage the person's diet/lack of exercise may be doing than it is for someone to walk up to a coworker and inform them that they're too fat.

I totally agree that the latter is unacceptable and rude and any efforts to justify it are really just efforts to justify bad behavior that I don't understand the impulse for. It's also (IME) relatively rare among adults, at least not terrible ones, which is why I think a lot of us recall "shaming" type behaviors mostly from being younger. I wasn't overweight as a young person, but I was told I was bad and inadequate in all kinds of other ways, but that's just middle school for many, ugh.

What always worries me about the "shaming" discussions is that the stuff like this is already recognized as bad behavior, and rude, so I kind of suspect something else is at issue. It's like the conversations are always too vague.

But I totally agree that shaming does not lead to people being able to take positive steps. Better to help empower them. And laughing at or mocking someone trying to exercise makes you deserve a special level of hell in my mind. Disgusting.

geebusuk

Should people be aloud to criticise (aka 'shame') negative aspects of any person at all?
If so, how would one determine which aspects are ok and which are not?

Me, I've always been happy to either take criticism on the chin if it's justified, or offer a thought out defence/explanation if I don't think it - I might even learn something in the latter case.

RHachicho

Should people be aloud to criticise (aka 'shame') negative aspects of any person at all?
If so, how would one determine which aspects are ok and which are not?

Me, I've always been happy to either take criticism on the chin if it's justified, or offer a thought out defence/explanation if I don't think it - I might even learn something in the latter case.

There is a big BIG difference between criticism and shaming.

To someone you know well in private "Hey mate, I don't know whether you've noticed lately but your putting on a bit of weight. I think maybe you should cut back a bit maybe come to the gym with me tomorrow?" That is honest frank criticism.

In public "You been eating all the pies again you fat *kitten*! Get your *kitten* down the gym for once in your life" With a look of total disgust on the face. THAT is shaming.

And yes both have been said to me.

The latter or variants of it made me prejudiced against skinny people associating it with vanity and arrogance. The former voiced by a concerned friend are what actually lead me to lose weight.

It's all about the attitude.

Summerfit321

I think any negative behavior towards someone can potentially make their problems worse. Fat shaming is no different in my eyes.