Fat-positive Feminism and Weight Loss

choosing to be fat as a way to "fight the power" so to speak, to challenge societal standards of beauty and femininity.

I think maybe a better term that would give you less internal turmoil would be Body Positive. Having a positive self-image no matter what body you're in and striving to make it the best you are comfortable with

I agree - go for the positive self-image. But 'choosing to be fat as a way to fight the power'? No, the only person you are hurting (or fighting) is yourself - the so called 'power' doesn't care. I spent most of my life being very obese and it hurts - it's not fighting the power or challenging societal standards when your body is screaming at you to fix it. I've experienced life on both sides - I was still the same person when I lost 153 pounds, just smaller. Choose healthy and a positive self-image no matter what size you are.

I am proud to call myself a feminist and have no qualms about losing weight. I am losing it for me, so that I am healthier and feel more comfortable in my own body,

I tried reading all the responses before I posted, but I couldn't take any more a few pages in. All I'm hearing is "fat is bad and you should feel bad blah blah blah"

I'm fat-positive.

I grew up in the neo-pagan community; the daughter of a 300lb witch of a woman. Big women are very common amongst American pagans. We call it "goddess sized" and we're cool with it. More than cool with it. "Goddess Size" is sexy. We're a sensual people. We like to eat, to drink, to dance, and to hug. I've seen more dancing, naked, fat people in my lifetime than you can possibly imagine.

The pagan community is gender positive, but very feminist. We overemphasize the feminine divine. Our leaders are women.

I was looking at fat people during my developmental life stages. In my early teens, I looked at all those soft rolls dancing by firelight and realized that I wanted to touch that. All that jiggly business. I've been a chubby chaser my whole life.

Fat people can have their health problems. They'll have painful joints if they stay sedentary. But sedentary and out of physical shape and fat don't go hand and hand. You can run/dance/climb all you want, but if you eat too many good meals, you'll be fat as *kitten*. I can't get down with hating fat people, shaming them, calling them all sorts of names (lazy, gross, in denial, selfish, stupid)----just because they overeat?

Maybe if they're fat because they under-exercise. That's easy to do. It's harder to burn calories than it is to eat them. Sedentary is lazy. A sedentary person can be in denial. But a sedentary person can be skinny, also, and that's just as unhealthy as being sedentary and fat.

You can run miles and miles and be fat. I know plenty of people in very good shape, hauling around a whole lot of hearty-meal-induced pounds.

and me? I am interested in the interesting people who enjoy fine wine, good meals. Happy people eat dessert. I'll hang out with someone who can appreciate cake long before I'll hang out with someone who whines about calories and always turns down doughnuts.

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and all that fat-positive belief does nothing to dissuade me from preferring myself thin

I don't like being heavy. Cars, clothes, carnival rides, bicycles, restaurant booths: they aren't comfortable to me when I gain weight. So I stay slim. I stay slim because I like me slim.

Maybe it's hypocritical?

but my skinny daughter-of-crazy-feminists self dates heavy because heavy can be sexy.

Would you marry me? I think I love you!

I would say that in considering if your fitness goals are based on societal influences, you are allowing yourself the self-doubt that makes it so you don't have to work so hard for it. A bit of an excuse really.... no offense... ha ha I have these all the time! Just that yours, is a different way to look at it.

I consider myself feminist and body positive. I don't believe that anyone should have their value as a person judged based on their weight, appearance, or ability. I have people I love in my life of all different sizes, and I accept and love them where they're at. However, I don't think it is incompatible to love/accept/don't judge someone where they are at, and also endorse a healthier lifestyle.

I think it's important to love yourself and your body - but loving it invokes taking care of it. I don't want to body-shame anyone, including myself, but no one does themselves any favors by remaining unhealthy, making choices that will, in the long run, affect mobility and even life span. It's hard for men to "get" how much emotional and societal baggage women have about weight and their bodies,and I appreciate a lot of the affirming parts of the "fat positive" movement - but I also think it enables women to not have to heal the relationships they have with food or their bodies. If you're "perfectly fine" the way you are then you never have to change anything or understand why you overeat or overcome your fears of working out, and you never get to be amazed by watching yourself rise to a physical challenge and meet it. It seems like a bandaid to cover/redefine the situation, not a solution. And I think it may do as much harm as it does good.

So, for me, I am body positive. I don't talk *kitten* about my body or anyone else's, I try not to judge myself, I challenge body shaming, and I take myself and others where they're at. But I also owe it to myself and my kids to make the most out of this one life I have, and this one body I have. And that means confronting my own issues with food, getting myself to a healthy weight, and getting myself active and strong.

Wow! Said so well! I needed to read this-thanks!

I'm fat positive and want to lose weight. It's not an oxymoron you can desire health and still hate discrimination

I don't consider myself a feminist in the modern meaning of the word by any means.

From Merriam-Webster:

Feminism: : the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes

Just curious...which part of this don't you believe in?

It no longer represents those things, in my opinion. MODERN feminism as a whole, has turned into women playing victims, and wanting to be BETTER than men, not equal to them. We should all be as good as each other, and we have the rights we fought for. Being better than 'the other gender' is not beneficial at all, it's childish.

i don't think so...because heavy ppl who hang together and just go ...oh we're fat...tend to stay fat together because they comfort eachother...not trying to change themselves. being excepting of yourself is great so that you like yourself to make healthy changes not try to live up to societies standards

There is also the idea that if one calls themselves a feminist they are fighting ONLY for women's rights. No, we're not. No one questions my inclusivity if I am fighting for gay rights. No one insists that I do not care for the plight of others if I say I'm fighting for gay's rights.

The same MUST be noted for feminists. Just because I am a feminist does NOT mean I am blind to the plight of others who are struggling for equality. It means that feminist issues, like others, are important enough for me to give a name to.

There's nothing positive about being severely overweight. Being fat is hell- accepting obesity is the same thing as accepting heart disease, diabetes, and a life of unnecessary difficulty.

*Women on average STILL earn less than men for performing the same jobs.

*Women on average STILL comprise less of the power positions in society. (CEO's, Lawmakers, etc etc)

*Women on average STILL fight for equal healthcare.

*Women on average STILL fought to be properly heard in cases of sexual assault.

1. "The day that the Equal Pay Act was signed into law, women earned 59 cents for every dollar a man earned on average. Today, it's about 77 cents," the president said. "Over the course of her career, a working woman with a college degree will earn on average hundreds of thousands of dollars less than a man who does the same work. "

Nonsense. The 77 percent figure is bogus because it averages all full-time women, no matter what education and profession, with all full-time men. Even with such averaging, the latest Labor Department figures show that women working full-time make 81 percent of full-time men's wages. For men and women who work 40 hours weekly, the ratio is 88 percent.

Unmarried childless women's salaries, however, often exceed men's. In a comparison of unmarried and childless men and women between the ages of 35 and 43, women earn more: 108 cents on a man's dollar.

Mr. President, if you're so concerned about the wage gap, why not fix it in your White House? In 2012, female White House staffers made 87 cents on a man's dollar, according to an analysis of published salaries by the Daily Caller.

Women make less than men because they choose more humanities and fewer science and math majors at college. Then, when they graduate, more enter the non-profit or government sector. Finally, many choose to work fewer hours to better combine work and family. In May, 2013, according to Labor Department data, 23 percent of women worked part-time, compared to 11 percent of men."

2. That is not discrimination, it is wholly choice. Women often choose children over being a CEO. A lot of companies these days have female quotas which they need to fill, which in my opinion is actually counteractive to feminism, because it is saying women can't make it on their own merit. This means a lot more staff are women, IF THEY CHOOSE SO. You have the choice to be a CEO tomorrow, the question is do you a) want it? and b) want to put the work in and c) pick it over a family?
'Feminists should admit that working part-time, or not working outside the home, is as valid a choice for women as being Marissa Mayer, the CEO of Yahoo, or Marissa Meyer, the novelist. A choice of more leisure over more paid work is not a social problem, just as a man who decides to retire early does not face social criticism.'

3. I'm not even entertaining this one, because that is simply not true. If you're referring to 'right to birth control', then I will say I disagree with it completely, because it is not the governments place to take care of it, it's your/ your partners responsibility, no one elses. Please explain what you mean if not that, because there most definitely is equal healthcare in other aspects.

4. Men have literally no voice when it comes to sexual assault cases, and most of the time men being raped is more of a joke than a serious issue. It happens, yet it is not as heard of and it definitely isn't taken seriously. Women are taken seriously at the tiniest complaint, and a lot of claims are proven to be fake, mostly by women (not hating on women, this is fact) and thus, it makes real cases a lot less viewed because a stupid few want to make a joke out of something so bad. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_accusation_of_rape#Rumney_.282006.29

We ARE equal, we can vote, we can work or have children, we can make choices. Third worlds countries is a different story, and frankly, I think feminists in developed countries complaining about their 'lack of equal rights' is rich compared to what some women on this earth are forced to do.

Feminism of today is synonymous with spoiled brat syndrome as far as I am concerned. If women care so much about equality, they shouldn't support women having more rights than men. That isn't true equality.

I'm for equal rights for everyone, men and women, and that was achieved many, many years ago.


I am not a Feminist, I detest Feminism as it is TODAY, and do not feel bad about saying it. Weight has nothing to do with feminism, and in the times we are in now, overweight women are a lot more accepted, to say anything else is to have your head buried in the sand. What I'm saying may not be popular but it is the truth.

*Women on average STILL earn less than men for performing the same jobs.

*Women on average STILL comprise less of the power positions in society. (CEO's, Lawmakers, etc etc)

*Women on average STILL fight for equal healthcare.

*Women on average STILL fought to be properly heard in cases of sexual assault.

1. "The day that the Equal Pay Act was signed into law, women earned 59 cents for every dollar a man earned on average. Today, it's about 77 cents," the president said. "Over the course of her career, a working woman with a college degree will earn on average hundreds of thousands of dollars less than a man who does the same work. "

Nonsense. The 77 percent figure is bogus because it averages all full-time women, no matter what education and profession, with all full-time men. Even with such averaging, the latest Labor Department figures show that women working full-time make 81 percent of full-time men's wages. For men and women who work 40 hours weekly, the ratio is 88 percent.

Unmarried childless women's salaries, however, often exceed men's. In a comparison of unmarried and childless men and women between the ages of 35 and 43, women earn more: 108 cents on a man's dollar.

Mr. President, if you're so concerned about the wage gap, why not fix it in your White House? In 2012, female White House staffers made 87 cents on a man's dollar, according to an analysis of published salaries by the Daily Caller.

Women make less than men because they choose more humanities and fewer science and math majors at college. Then, when they graduate, more enter the non-profit or government sector. Finally, many choose to work fewer hours to better combine work and family. In May, 2013, according to Labor Department data, 23 percent of women worked part-time, compared to 11 percent of men."

2. That is not discrimination, it is wholly choice. Women often choose children over being a CEO. A lot of companies these days have female quotas which they need to fill, which in my opinion is actually counteractive to feminism, because it is saying women can't make it on their own merit. This means a lot more staff are women, IF THEY CHOOSE SO. You have the choice to be a CEO tomorrow, the question is do you a) want it? and b) want to put the work in and c) pick it over a family?
'Feminists should admit that working part-time, or not working outside the home, is as valid a choice for women as being Marissa Mayer, the CEO of Yahoo, or Marissa Meyer, the novelist. A choice of more leisure over more paid work is not a social problem, just as a man who decides to retire early does not face social criticism.'

3. I'm not even entertaining this one, because that is simply not true. If you're referring to 'right to birth control', then I will say I disagree with it completely, because it is not the governments place to take care of it, it's your/ your partners responsibility, no one elses. Please explain what you mean if not that, because there most definitely is equal healthcare in other aspects.

4. Men have literally no voice when it comes to sexual assault cases, and most of the time men being raped is more of a joke than a serious issue. It happens, yet it is not as heard of and it definitely isn't taken seriously. Women are taken seriously at the tiniest complaint, and a lot of claims are proven to be fake, mostly by women (not hating on women, this is fact) and thus, it makes real cases a lot less viewed because a stupid few want to make a joke out of something so bad. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_accusation_of_rape#Rumney_.282006.29

We ARE equal, we can vote, we can work or have children, we can make choices. Third worlds countries is a different story, and frankly, I think feminists in developed countries complaining about their 'lack of equal rights' is rich compared to what some women on this earth are forced to do.

Feminism of today is synonymous with spoiled brat syndrome as far as I am concerned. If women care so much about equality, they shouldn't support women having more rights than men. That isn't true equality.

I'm for equal rights for everyone, men and women, and that was achieved many, many years ago.


I am not a Feminist, I detest Feminism as it is TODAY, and do not feel bad about saying it. Weight has nothing to do with feminism, and in the times we are in now, overweight women are a lot more accepted, to say anything else is to have your head buried in the sand. What I'm saying may not be popular but it is the truth.

YOU ROCK!

*Women on average STILL earn less than men for performing the same jobs.

*Women on average STILL comprise less of the power positions in society. (CEO's, Lawmakers, etc etc)

*Women on average STILL fight for equal healthcare.

*Women on average STILL fought to be properly heard in cases of sexual assault.

1. "The day that the Equal Pay Act was signed into law, women earned 59 cents for every dollar a man earned on average. Today, it's about 77 cents," the president said. "Over the course of her career, a working woman with a college degree will earn on average hundreds of thousands of dollars less than a man who does the same work. "

Nonsense. The 77 percent figure is bogus because it averages all full-time women, no matter what education and profession, with all full-time men. Even with such averaging, the latest Labor Department figures show that women working full-time make 81 percent of full-time men's wages. For men and women who work 40 hours weekly, the ratio is 88 percent.

Unmarried childless women's salaries, however, often exceed men's. In a comparison of unmarried and childless men and women between the ages of 35 and 43, women earn more: 108 cents on a man's dollar.

Mr. President, if you're so concerned about the wage gap, why not fix it in your White House? In 2012, female White House staffers made 87 cents on a man's dollar, according to an analysis of published salaries by the Daily Caller.

Women make less than men because they choose more humanities and fewer science and math majors at college. Then, when they graduate, more enter the non-profit or government sector. Finally, many choose to work fewer hours to better combine work and family. In May, 2013, according to Labor Department data, 23 percent of women worked part-time, compared to 11 percent of men."

2. That is not discrimination, it is wholly choice. Women often choose children over being a CEO. A lot of companies these days have female quotas which they need to fill, which in my opinion is actually counteractive to feminism, because it is saying women can't make it on their own merit. This means a lot more staff are women, IF THEY CHOOSE SO. You have the choice to be a CEO tomorrow, the question is do you a) want it? and b) want to put the work in and c) pick it over a family?
'Feminists should admit that working part-time, or not working outside the home, is as valid a choice for women as being Marissa Mayer, the CEO of Yahoo, or Marissa Meyer, the novelist. A choice of more leisure over more paid work is not a social problem, just as a man who decides to retire early does not face social criticism.'

3. I'm not even entertaining this one, because that is simply not true. If you're referring to 'right to birth control', then I will say I disagree with it completely, because it is not the governments place to take care of it, it's your/ your partners responsibility, no one elses. Please explain what you mean if not that, because there most definitely is equal healthcare in other aspects.

4. Men have literally no voice when it comes to sexual assault cases, and most of the time men being raped is more of a joke than a serious issue. It happens, yet it is not as heard of and it definitely isn't taken seriously. Women are taken seriously at the tiniest complaint, and a lot of claims are proven to be fake, mostly by women (not hating on women, this is fact) and thus, it makes real cases a lot less viewed because a stupid few want to make a joke out of something so bad. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_accusation_of_rape#Rumney_.282006.29

We ARE equal, we can vote, we can work or have children, we can make choices. Third worlds countries is a different story, and frankly, I think feminists in developed countries complaining about their 'lack of equal rights' is rich compared to what some women on this earth are forced to do.

Feminism of today is synonymous with spoiled brat syndrome as far as I am concerned. If women care so much about equality, they shouldn't support women having more rights than men. That isn't true equality.

I'm for equal rights for everyone, men and women, and that was achieved many, many years ago.


I am not a Feminist, I detest Feminism as it is TODAY, and do not feel bad about saying it. Weight has nothing to do with feminism, and in the times we are in now, overweight women are a lot more accepted, to say anything else is to have your head buried in the sand. What I'm saying may not be popular but it is the truth.

This. Especially in the 3rd to last paragraph. "spoiled brat syndrome" I'm old enough to remember when women could NOT work outside the home, when we had no choice but to have kids or there was something wrong with us, not being able to buy something on credit w/o my husband and having jokes made by the male bank worker when my husband put me on HIS bank account. When I turned 21 someone shook my hand and said, "Happy Birthday! Your free white and 21. It's just to damn bad your a woman" and the men there laughed. Most of you complaining have absolutely no idea what your talking about. I reference this woman's very well informed post.

Yes - and there was a time when women couldn't vote.

Were we spoiled when we asked for more????

No, but we are now.

That time has passed!

It's time to be grateful for what we HAVE achieved, which is quite a lot, not beg for an easy ride in every other aspect. We aren't victims, and we CAN do things for ourselves, so why should everyone else pick up the pieces? If all you 'feminists' truly did believe in feminism, you wouldn't need to campaign for all these things, you would just sort it for yourself, not expect everyone else to do it for you.

But the mere fact that women CHOOSE to have children should not prevent them from having equal opportunity to rise in status.

Herein lies the problem. You say you're not satisfied with less pay, yet you want to have your cake and eat it, too!! You have to choose: Earn a little money and have a loving family, or earn a lot of money and not have time to have a family because you work your *kitten* off. You can't have everything!!! I reiterate ; spoiled brat syndrome. Men have to work extremely hard for the 'pay increase' that they supposedly get (really, they just work more hours) and they have to sacrifice family time FOR that. Women should expect the same treatment, not better treatment.

How about mammograms? Wellness check ups? Cervical check ups? Procedures that weren't - until recently - offered under the same costs in an insurance plan? Or that many of the nations providers for such services are currently under fire? (Planned Parenthood, for example.)

Since I am not American I cannot answer the specifics on this, and hopefully someone can. As for Planned Parenthood - As a 'feminist' you should be in control of your body, meaning the government has no say in it - fair enough. That also means taking care not to get pregnant if you don't want to, and don't expect the government to foot the bill for YOUR birth control or YOUR irresponsibility. I am talking purely financially here, because this is not turning into an abortion debate on my account.

That being said, a woman who goes to report sexual assault is often branded a liar. Or called into question because she's previously had sex. (I'm 32 years old. I've had lots of sex. LOOOTTSSS of sex. That doesn't mean I want to be assaulted.) One in every 3 women will be sexually assaulted, often more than once.

For that - as proved - you can blame other women that DO take the seriousness away and lie about these things. That isn't mens fault, or the governments fault, it is the fault of women that lie. Women need to take responsibility to be in charge of what they do, and when they LIE about something so bad, the consequence will fall on genuine women.

But I am called one. No woman should be. No man should be.

No one here called you a slut, and nothing referenced has said anything about anyone being a slut. The only people that get branded as sluts are people that openly look for attention regarding to their sexual lives. If you slept with a million men, your decision, but why feel the need to tell anyone else? It's meant to be personal. You can't expect the world to go easy on you just because you think it is ok, that's a very naive view. If feminism now means the power to sleep with a fifty, ten, or a hundred men, then our ancestors wasted a lot of time.


Anyway, I think I have made my point for today, and that is, most sane women don't want the government, men or anyone else to take care of and make excuses for the hard parts of their lives for them, we will do it ourselves. True feminism is not wanting everyone to pander to you and your ideals, and let you do whatever you want, and feminism also isn't an excuse to do ANYTHING you want, and lose all decorum. It often is used as one, and it is things like this that make me detest what 'feminism' now is. True feminists that fought for EQUAL rights that we HAVE today would be turning in their graves to think of what victims women want to be now.

You made the thing about quotas up. This does not exist in the US. I'm assuming you are talking about the US with your little Mr. President shtick.

If you like to re-read, you will see quotation marks, which means that 'shtick' was not mine.

Secondly ; I am not talking exclusively to America, I am talking about the world. Not everything is central to America, and there ARE places outside of America also. I simply quoted that piece in reply to the last poster. That being said, it is a proposed action for America, and mark my word, it WILL happen.

This doesn't take away from anything I have said.