Fat Hate? Interesting article.

RandomMiranda

A friend of mine in a PhD program linked this blog post by an "fat acceptance activist." She uses the term fat intending to reclaim the word at a statement of fact or solidarity (sort of like black people using the N word I think), not as an insult. The post is called "21 Things to Stop Saying Unless you Hate Fat People." It's a little long, but it is an interesting read. Some things I identify with and others I strongly disagree with. I'm interested in this community's take on her thoughts.
http://lovelivegrow.com/2012/10/21-things-to-stop-saying-unless-you-hate-fat-people/

ascotton80

I agree with maybe 5% of what she wrote. And completely disagree with the rest.

julesan902

"We’ve all heard that fat people are at increased risk for certain diseases (diabetes is the popular one to joke about), and then our moral panic has taken that association and run with it. People with pale skin are at increased risk for skin cancer, but skin cancer isn’t casually tossed into conversations about them"

seriously? another "it's my genetics" fatty saying that they were born fat like someone was born with pale skin.

peuglow

I got to 11. And I couldn't go further.

ilovedeadlifts

I don't really agree with them. It sounds like they're just trying to justify being fat/ take up for fat people.

I don't hate fat people, but I'll be damned if I'm going to give them a pat on the back.

k8blujay2

Ok... that blog just frustrated the hell out of me. While I don't like people poking into the business of what I eat, I am tired of people accepting their unhealthy way of living.... especially to be stubborn... people like this author piss me off just as much as the "know it alls" that she is railing against... It should never be acceptible to live an unhealthy life... Am I "fat"? Yes, I am clinically obese (I say clinically because the numbers say I am, but I do not look like what is stereotypically called obese)... but that does not mean that I have to "accept" being fat.


What this person is refusing to get is that being an unhealthy weight IS a burden to society BECAUSE it causes so many health issues.... an obese or "fat" society doesn't just affect the person choosing to live that way... and yes, they are choosing to live that way, regardless of genetics... I am genetically predisposed to be "fat" but that doesn't mean I am destined to be.


I really need to stop typing now... the more I go back to address her points the more she pisses me off.

impyimpyaj

Number 10 made me literally roll my eyes. Sometimes losing weight IS the best solution to whatever is ailing you. And doctors should be able to say that to their patients. Durdurdur.

animatorswearbras

Fair enough on mean comments like you shouldn't say that person has stocks in cheetos or whatever but

"10. Recommending weight loss as a treatment or solution to anything, even if you are a doctor."

I think to be fair if someone goes to see there doctor and has diabities or knee problems or trouble sleeping without an oxygen mask then it is a the duty of the doctor to recommend weight loss. It is NOT the same as saying stop being white so you don't get skin cancer or stop being black so you don't get sickle cell. You can't compare being overweight to being a certain race or gender ie reclaiming the "f" word.

I think fair enough to the stop hurtful bullying rhetoric, but not to the medical advice offered by proffessionals or even concerned family and friends and I would certainly want the person I went clothes shopping with telling me if stuff didn't suit me because it was too tight etc.

Sorry but I disagree with most of the article but thanks for sharing, it is an interesting topic x

RandomMiranda

Those are many of the same reactions I had. After reading more of her blog I think I sort of understand some of her overall point, but especially the idea that health and fat/weight are completely separate things or that there isn't a true correlation is problematic. My mom, for example, is pretty healthy if all that means is having cholesterol and blood pressure within normal parameters and not having other diseases (cancer, heart disease, etc), but she isn't able to function optimally because of her weight. She has knee problems, gets winded easily, can't fit a seat belt around her, which is definitely a safety issue. The author claims in another post that thin people are just as prone to be unhealthy as fat people, but the examples she gives are not comparable to the health problems that obese people have increased risk for.
There is something to be said for learning to love our bodies as they are, even as we strive to change, and not being obsessive about weight or having our mental image skewed by unrealistic media depictions, but there is also a lot to be said for the physical, mental, and emotional growth that comes with the weight loss and health journey.

3bambi3

"Since permanent, significant weight loss is not possible for most people, and since intentional weight loss itself may have negative health effects, recommending weight loss is cruel and unethical. Also, prescribing weight loss displaces real, working treatments. Everyone deserves to have their conditions taken seriously and treated with effective care, regardless of their size."

Ridiculous.

astrampe

Justifying being fat and making excuses....If you want to be fat, fine...Denying that fat and health are two things really closely related, just dumb.....

miracole

I also have to disagree with most of this. It seems to be willfully ignorant. I completely agree that we shouldn't judge, we shouldn't comment negatively on and we definitely shouldn't bully those that are different from us in any way, but the writer is basically demonizing efforts to control weight and derogating anyone else who thinks that doing so will have benefits to them. What is that but a judgment and bullying in reverse?

impyimpyaj

I think it's frustrating how wide she paints her brush of "hate."

If someone is drastically overweight, and cannot walk because their legs hurt trying to support their weight, and their doctor suggests weight loss as a way to help them regain their mobility, that is not hate. That is sound medical advice. And yes, the doctor should absolutely try to figure out if there's some other factor causing the weight gain, and try to solve that problem.

I do not hate fat people. I don't hate much of anybody. If a person is happy in their skin, you know, that's awesome, and I don't care if they're underweight or obese or anywhere in between. But acknowledging that some health problems can be lessened or cured by losing weight is not the same thing as saying "I hate fat people." Yes, thin people can be unhealthy. Just like some smokers can be healthy. But smoking is still not a healthful behavior. If you want to smoke, awesome! I don't hate you for smoking. And I don't hate people who are overweight, regardless of the reasons. I don't care if it's hereditary or behavioral or caused by an illness or medication -- it doesn't matter to me. What DOES matter is this insistence that we can't talk about obesity, because if we talk about the negative health aspects of being obese that somehow translates into hatred. It doesn't.

Yes, there are a lot of messages in society that lend toward fat hate. And those are the messages that we need to get rid of. But we can't just say, "Nobody, even doctors, should ever recommend that someone lose weight." Seriously?

impyimpyaj

It's kind of like if I share the statistics on breastfeeding and breast cancer. If I say that women who do not breastfeed are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer, and their daughters also have a higher risk of breast cancer, that does not mean that I hate women who don't breastfeed their children. It also doesn't mean that I think every woman who doesn't breastfeed will get cancer, or that you absolutely won't get cancer if you breastfeed. It simply means that if you want to lower your risk, breastfeeding is one way to do that. Period. It's a statistical fact, not a value judgment.

Koldnomore

I don't really agree with them. It sounds like they're just trying to justify being fat/ take up for fat people.
I don't hate fat people, but I'll be damned if I'm going to give them a pat on the back.

^^This.

Being Fat is not a 'disability'. You chose to eat too much, eat a bunch of crap, binge, turn to food for emotional support, not move more, take some pills that make you fat, not have some operation that can fix some issue making you fat, not see a doctor to treat some mental issue making you fat..whatever. If you choose to remain this way then you are a burden to others who have to pay for your care, same with smokers, drug addicts and anyone else who chooses to participate in an unhealthy behavior. I'm all about being comfortable in your own skin but I will not support 'special treatment' for fat people..sorry. I won't go out of my way to be rude (to anyone) but when someone else's choices are affecting ME that's a whole other story.

cncrafton

Eh. I know I am in the minority on MFP as someone who believes whole-heartedly in body positivity and believes that you CAN be healthy at a larger size. I don't think there's anything wrong with the list.

impyimpyaj

Eh. I know I am in the minority on MFP as someone who believes whole-heartedly in body positivity and believes that you CAN be healthy at a larger size. I don't think there's anything wrong with the list.

I believe in body positivity too. But just as a doctor would tell a person with lung cancer to stop smoking, it should be ok for a doctor to recommend weight loss if a person is suffering from obesity-related problems. I read in the comments about the woman whose doctor said not to come back for anything until she lost 50 lbs., so she didn't go back because she couldn't lose weight, and died from an undiagnosed illness. That kind of thing shouldn't happen, and doctors especially need to be careful about making value judgments about their patients. But suggesting weight loss as a way of getting healthier is not a bad thing.

bradphil87

Fair enough on mean comments like you shouldn't say that person has stocks in cheetos or whatever but

"10. Recommending weight loss as a treatment or solution to anything, even if you are a doctor."

I think to be fair if someone goes to see there doctor and has diabities or knee problems or trouble sleeping without an oxygen mask then it is a the duty of the doctor to recommend weight loss. It is NOT the same as saying stop being white so you don't get skin cancer or stop being black so you don't get sickle cell. You can't compare being overweight to being a certain race or gender ie reclaiming the "f" word.

I think fair enough to the stop hurtful bullying rhetoric, but not to the medical advice offered by proffessionals or even concerned family and friends and I would certainly want the person I went clothes shopping with telling me if stuff didn't suit me because it was too tight etc.

Sorry but I disagree with most of the article but thanks for sharing, it is an interesting topic x

My doctor said "your blood pressure is really high and if you don't get it down we may need to put you on medication." I said, "what can I do?" He said "lose weight, eat better, quit drinking and smoking." I did all of those and now have normal blood pressure and will not have to take a pill everyday. ::sarcasm:: how dare he suggest ways to improve my overall health and wellness.

VelociMama

"Since permanent, significant weight loss is not possible for most people, and since intentional weight loss itself may have negative health effects, recommending weight loss is cruel and unethical. Also, prescribing weight loss displaces real, working treatments. Everyone deserves to have their conditions taken seriously and treated with effective care, regardless of their size."

Ridiculous.

I had the same reaction to this quote as you (person I'm quoting here).

It's kinda like saying, "I just can't be bothered to help myself." That attitude is one of the reasons why we have a society full of obese people that are dying younger and living with poorer quality of life than the previous generation.

Mama_Jag

I got to 11. And I couldn't go further.

You got further than me!

emmalouc93

I don't hate people, but I am fed up of hearing people that are overweight and want to change saying 'well, this is just how I'm built so why bother' and still guzzle down takeaways....Then, when their effort fails, play what I liked to call a 'fat card'. They use the excuse the everyone is just discriminating against them for being fat - no, some people just genuinely care that you're killing yourself with food.