Fat Shaming: Drawing the line.

Isn't dove owned by unilever that also owns axe that uses victoria's secret model type bodies to sell their product.

You think fat is bad? Just wait till you are old. Fat is better than old, worse is being fat AND old. My everyday plan is this: Get out of bed, look your best, be your best and try to improve the world.

I don't think its about how you look as much as its about your BMI, blood pressure, body fat % etc. You can be healthy and not look like a Victoria Secret model and that is perfectly fine. Its NOT ok to be "fat"/unhealthy/high risk for diabetes etc.

To each their own. Nothing wrong with being curvy, nothing wrong with wanting to lose your curves, nothing wrong with anything as long as it isn't extreme (and by extreme I mean it doesn't come with direct serious health conditions). Anyone engaging in fat and/or skinny shaming (it happens, when you're naturally extremely thin you get horrible comments too) clearly has body image issues of their own.

That said, everyone has their own goals in mind. There are big-boned people out there who are going to be curvy no matter how much they try, their bodies can become healthy but not model-thin. There are a lot of people who don't even believe model-thin is the way to be, and a full-bodied (though not obese) shape is the way to go.

Sorry but NOBODY is big boned at all. Bones are not why people are fat or bigger at all. I kinda wish people would stop using that as an excuse.

I think this has turned out to be an interesting conversation with lots of good things said on either sides of people's thoughts about these issues.

I guess for myself I figure it doesn't really matter what people say. I wonder why some people feel the need to take things into the direction that they do. And sometimes I do find it irritating.

The only thing that truly bothers me is when people spread misinformation such as saying that a certain weight is not healthy or is anorexic or something along those lines just because it's wrong and just simply not true (that's just an example, but there are many ways people do this).

I wonder, what's so wrong with 'fat-shaming'? I became obese due to shameful behaviors such as gluttony and sloth. I don't know how other people got fat, but that is how I got fat. Stuffing my face and laying about.

I love myself and I love my body. But I DO NOT love all that excess fat I had, and still have. It is disgusting and it needs to go. I wish I could make my fat feel ashamed of itself so it would shrivel up and die all on its own, but alas, my fat is indifferent to my dismay and is fighting for it's existence LOL. So I have to kill it off little by little, because I am also fighting for my existence! I deserve a healthy, high-quality life! If that's fat-shaming then eff it! I should be ashamed for settling for less than I deserved before.

Good point as well, too many people decide to idolize obesity or emaciation for reasons like gluttony or mental illnesses, but that isn't healthy either way, it's kind of sick congratulating people for being physically ill, we shouldn't shame people who are ill but there's nothing to celebrate there either, that won't encourage them to seek help.

Body acceptance and physical health go hand in hand, since body acceptance, love and respect are all parts of mental health. Those key aspects of mental health (while separate from physical health) are often fuel for an individual attempting to become more healthy, with their lifestyle. Body acceptance is a movement, that merely believes we should respect and love all body types. It doesn't at all mention anybody's health habits, because body acceptance recognizes the fact that weight is not at all indicative of health. Body acceptance also recognizes the fact that confidence/respect in/for one's body is an internal experience, and is not dependent upon external appearances.

So, why should we not encourage individuals who binge eat, or eat unhealthily to love and accept their bodies? I mean, if individuals are over weight, do you really think that putting them down is going to encourage them to love and respect their body......or will it encourage them to wage a war on their bodies? I just don't see the need to put somebody down (leaving them with a negative emotional/mental health), when attempting to encourage them to be more proactive with their physical health. Mental and physical health go hand in hand, when it comes to individuals attempting to make positive changes in their life; essentially good mental health fuels good physical health. In order to make positive and healthy changes in one's life, surely one must first view their body as worthy of such things!

You also need to remember that while some people may of become over weight due to binge eating, not everybody has and you need to realize that. Some people are naturally overweight, even when their health is in it's prime. Hell, when I was in track for three years, vegetarian and eating clean (before I developed an eating disorder), i was technically overweight. However, i was consistently on top with my track team races, I was a rather good dancer, I slept well, when I got my bloodwork scans at the doctors they were literally shocked by how perfect my blood was, I very rarely got ill.....surely, if being overweight was such as 'bad thing', the tests of my strength and health would of not come out so pristine.

Do you understand what I'm getting at? Weight is a poor indicator of health, so there is just no reason to body shame. There is of course a reason to encourage an individual to change their exercise and dietary habits in ways that work best for them (since those things are a much more accurate indicator of health). Encouraging somebody to hate their bodies, due to society's illogical assumption (which is not true, due to the fact that correlation does not mean causation) that weight is indicative of health is essentially counter productive. We only have one body, so why not love and respect it, since it is all ours to cherish?!

There really is just no logical need for fat-shaming/body-shaming of any kind.....unless you consider putting others down to raise your self up to be logical that is. :x

Shame is an individual response, but it happens in response to cultural stuff. Takes a lot to withstand pressure, and for those who are fit, happy, overweight, and can take it, kudos. And making people feel bad about themselves is worse than useless. It masks the real conversation that needs to happen around health.

I don't think there's any doubt (among epidemiologists, anyway) that overweight/obesity just is, objectively, linked with all kinds of adverse health conditions, however people feel about it. And it's epidemic. Probably there are a few people at the top end of the bmi chart who are in great shape, not at risk for diabetes and other metabolic conditions, cardiovascular problems, arthritis, etc, but how many, realistically?

The problem is media images are SO out of whack with reality. It'd be a lot easier on everyone's mind and body if cities were planned better (transit, pedestrian paths, bike lanes, vs car-focus), food manufacturing/promotion/merchandising were more consistently regulated, kids were taught about nutrition in schools, etc, etc. All this energy blaming/shaming individuals would be more usefully placed in a conversation around structuring more equal opportunities for health, for all.

@looses- you've obviously never been a smoker. Smoking shaming happens constantly. People will come up to you unprompted, in designated smoking areas, and tell you they hope you dont have kids and you should be ashamed of yourself. They will lecture you as if you might have never heard smoking can be bad for you. I've even seen whole threads dedicated to how stupid people must be to smoke in their cars when they leave the gym, and how they shouldn't be allowed to smoke outside a gym because healthy people have to smell it as they walk by, and those 2 seconds might give that person cancer. To be clear, I am in no way arguing smoking is a good thing, but to say those people dont get shamed is absurd.