"Critical Mass" Interesting Article on The walrus.ca

lowlevelrebel

http://thewalrus.ca/critical-mass/

I really enjoyed reading this article this morning on dieting, the "fear of fat", and body perceptions, and I thought I'd share it with those who might be interested.

Choice lines (for me, at least) included:

"The medicalization of weight has some obvious origins, including a beleaguered health care system, and higher expectations that individuals assume responsibility for their own health. But it may also function as a more politically correct smokescreen behind which doctors and lay people can express their disgust about fat. It’s more civilized to say of a friend, “I’m concerned about her health,” than to ask, “Doesn’t she look dreadful since she gained weight? ”

"Even if being overweight is unhealthy, it does not justify the stigma and bad feelings we foist on fat people. And, since losing weight remains an unsolved mystery, telling people to do it—what Poulton calls the “lose fifty pounds and call me in the morning” syndrome—is not only pointless but cruel."