The 'Fat Acceptance' Movement
Vegan_85
Posts: 40 Member
How do you feel about the Fat Acceptance movement? After looking at a few blogs, I don't understand why it's celebrated whereas Pro-Anorexia websites are vilified. Both are unhealthy extremes.
http://ineedfatacceptance.tumblr.com/post/58380727000/i-need-fat-acceptance-because-everyone-should-wear#notes
It's like a brilliant satire, with people complaining that their doctors' are "body shaming" them by discussing their risk of heart disease.
http://ineedfatacceptance.tumblr.com/post/58380727000/i-need-fat-acceptance-because-everyone-should-wear#notes
It's like a brilliant satire, with people complaining that their doctors' are "body shaming" them by discussing their risk of heart disease.
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Fat women have the right to feel good about themselves, just like everyone. However they need to stop "normalizing" being overweight, glorifying it even. First of all they are shaming every other body type while whining about being body shamed which is beyond annoying. And second of all they are huge "health at any size" advocates. I'm sorry, but if you're over 30 pounds overweight you're not healthy.0
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To a certain point, being overweight is not a problem. In that sense, mocking the marginally "fat" is awful. Women or men who are a little bit chubby and fully happy with how they look at their lifestyle, as well as their health - both proven and perceived - deserve to be celebrated just as much as "athletic" and "fit" people.
I don't feel that obese people should be mocked either, I'll make that clear, but I really don't think it should be deemed acceptable in any sense if it significantly affects or potentially will affect your health.0 -
I think everyone should be accepted for who they are not based on appearance - that being said I don't think it's good to promote being unhealthy - to each their own - if someone is happy being overweight good for them they are adults and know the risks. I can't respond either way - really good for them but also this doesn't send a good message to our younger generation about the benefits of living a healthy and fit lifestyle.
As far as doctors "body shaming them" I know myself that even at a healthier weight and I thought I was okay (160 lbs and a size 8/10) my doc was telling me to lose weight. Doctors do what they are supposed to do - tell us to lose weight when we are over weight.0 -
Interesting, I watched a show called "my 600lb life" where it documented a lady who was once an advocate for being severely obese. Her intentions were to spread the word of loving yourself no matter what size. As the show is titled, she climbed to be over 600lbs, of which her tune changed when she could hardly walk and started to notice the horrible consequences to being morbidly obese.
Anyone can love themselves at any size, I would just prefer to be healthy.0 -
As far as doctors "body shaming them" I know myself that even at a healthier weight and I thought I was okay (160 lbs and a size 8/10) my doc was telling me to lose weight. Doctors do what they are supposed to do - tell us to lose weight when we are over weight.
The thing is, my doctor recently told me to put on weight - which I did. I upped my calories to between 2,000 - 3,000 a day. The Fat Acceptance movement's proponents have this idea of being persecuted. It really does work both ways. Being underweight is as bad as being obese, and most doctors are really frank about it.
There's a subcategory on tumblr called 'Fatshion.' While I obviously agree that women should be able to find clothes in their size, it's a bit weird that it's acceptable, whereas photos of skinny women come under the term 'thinspo' and are banned.0 -
I'm sorry, but if you're over 30 pounds overweight you're not healthy.
Wrong! I am considered overweight by 40 lbs. my blood pressure, labs (cholesterol, blood sugar), heart function are absolutely perfect according to my doctor. He has told me that if I choose not to lose another pound I will be perfectly fine. That is because I exercise daily and try to eat healthy most of the time. Now I cannot generalize and say this would be the same for every active 50 year old carrying an extra 40. BUT you also cannot generalize and say anyone 30lbs overweight is unhealthy. Individuality....
As for fat acceptance, it's like anything else. If fat people, gay people, black people, mentally retarded people etc. etc. etc. don't stand up for themselves and say it's ok to be who I am, no one else is going to do it for them. And blah blah blah we all have to pay into the health system that deals with some of their health problems. Just add it to the list.... The drinkers, the teen parents, the families that have 6 kids but neither parent works, there is a ton of people biting into the support pie. It's part of being in a developed country. Rather have that than live in a third world country where no one gives a crap for each other and it's a daily battle to survive.0 -
I'm sorry, but if you're over 30 pounds overweight you're not healthy.
Wrong! I am considered overweight by 40 lbs. my blood pressure, labs (cholesterol, blood sugar), heart function are absolutely perfect according to my doctor. He has told me that if I choose not to lose another pound I will be perfectly fine. That is because I exercise daily and try to eat healthy most of the time. Now I cannot generalize and say this would be the same for every active 50 year old carrying an extra 40. BUT you also cannot generalize and say anyone 30lbs overweight is unhealthy. Individuality....
As for fat acceptance, it's like anything else. If fat people, gay people, black people, mentally retarded people etc. etc. etc. don't stand up for themselves and say it's ok to be who I am, no one else is going to do it for them. And blah blah blah we all have to pay into the health system that deals with some of their health problems. Just add it to the list.... The drinkers, the teen parents, the families that have 6 kids but neither parent works, there is a ton of people biting into the support pie. It's part of being in a developed country. Rather have that than live in a third world country where no one gives a crap for each other and it's a daily battle to survive.
You blood panel doesn't tell you how much pressure is being put on your joints, or what visceral fat is doing to your organs.0 -
size is not a reliable indicator of health, at any point on the spectrum.0
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I'm sorry, but if you're over 30 pounds overweight you're not healthy.
Wrong! I am considered overweight by 40 lbs. my blood pressure, labs (cholesterol, blood sugar), heart function are absolutely perfect according to my doctor. He has told me that if I choose not to lose another pound I will be perfectly fine. That is because I exercise daily and try to eat healthy most of the time. Now I cannot generalize and say this would be the same for every active 50 year old carrying an extra 40. BUT you also cannot generalize and say anyone 30lbs overweight is unhealthy. Individuality....
As for fat acceptance, it's like anything else. If fat people, gay people, black people, mentally retarded people etc. etc. etc. don't stand up for themselves and say it's ok to be who I am, no one else is going to do it for them. And blah blah blah we all have to pay into the health system that deals with some of their health problems. Just add it to the list.... The drinkers, the teen parents, the families that have 6 kids but neither parent works, there is a ton of people biting into the support pie. It's part of being in a developed country. Rather have that than live in a third world country where no one gives a crap for each other and it's a daily battle to survive.
You blood panel doesn't tell you how much pressure is being put on your joints, or what visceral fat is doing to your organs.
nor does the blood panel of a thin person relay any information regarding bone density. what's your point?0 -
tagging to read later during work break. I don't see this ending well, for what it's worth.0
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What I truly don't understand is why everyone is so focused on labels. I mean seriously, whether you are gay, straight, fat, skinny, male, female, black, white, orange or purple, we are all people. Labels are what is wrong not the people being labeled.
It is one thing to not be supportive of an unhealthy lifestyle but another thing to not be supportive of that person who might be leading it. It is wrong to define people by how they look regardless of what is the defining factor. I have been "defined" my whole life and I never actually fit into any category I was put into by those people and I strive to not do the same to others.
It is each individuals responsibility and business to figure out if they are healthy. Carrying extra weight does not automatically mean unhealthy, just as being thin does not automatically mean you are healthy. Each person is different and each person has different things to work on. Some are just more visible than others. So both sides are wrong in my opinion. No one should be shamed for anything by someone else because you have no idea what got them to this place to begin with. But on the flip side, a doctor telling you that you need to lose weight for your health is not "fat shaming". That is a doctor doing his job to protect your health.0 -
I'm sorry, but if you're over 30 pounds overweight you're not healthy.
Wrong! I am considered overweight by 40 lbs. my blood pressure, labs (cholesterol, blood sugar), heart function are absolutely perfect according to my doctor. He has told me that if I choose not to lose another pound I will be perfectly fine. That is because I exercise daily and try to eat healthy most of the time. Now I cannot generalize and say this would be the same for every active 50 year old carrying an extra 40. BUT you also cannot generalize and say anyone 30lbs overweight is unhealthy. Individuality....
As for fat acceptance, it's like anything else. If fat people, gay people, black people, mentally retarded people etc. etc. etc. don't stand up for themselves and say it's ok to be who I am, no one else is going to do it for them. And blah blah blah we all have to pay into the health system that deals with some of their health problems. Just add it to the list.... The drinkers, the teen parents, the families that have 6 kids but neither parent works, there is a ton of people biting into the support pie. It's part of being in a developed country. Rather have that than live in a third world country where no one gives a crap for each other and it's a daily battle to survive.
You blood panel doesn't tell you how much pressure is being put on your joints, or what visceral fat is doing to your organs.
nor does the blood panel of a thin person relay any information regarding bone density. what's your point?
The point is that it's still not healthy?0 -
I'm sorry, but if you're over 30 pounds overweight you're not healthy.
Wrong! I am considered overweight by 40 lbs. my blood pressure, labs (cholesterol, blood sugar), heart function are absolutely perfect according to my doctor. He has told me that if I choose not to lose another pound I will be perfectly fine. That is because I exercise daily and try to eat healthy most of the time. Now I cannot generalize and say this would be the same for every active 50 year old carrying an extra 40. BUT you also cannot generalize and say anyone 30lbs overweight is unhealthy. Individuality....
As for fat acceptance, it's like anything else. If fat people, gay people, black people, mentally retarded people etc. etc. etc. don't stand up for themselves and say it's ok to be who I am, no one else is going to do it for them. And blah blah blah we all have to pay into the health system that deals with some of their health problems. Just add it to the list.... The drinkers, the teen parents, the families that have 6 kids but neither parent works, there is a ton of people biting into the support pie. It's part of being in a developed country. Rather have that than live in a third world country where no one gives a crap for each other and it's a daily battle to survive.
You blood panel doesn't tell you how much pressure is being put on your joints, or what visceral fat is doing to your organs.
nor does the blood panel of a thin person relay any information regarding bone density. what's your point?
The point is that it's still not healthy?
Being too thin and being too overweight are both bad. If you're overweight and working on improving your health, I applaud you. I have all the respect in the world for you. I'm just saying that a sedentary person at 300 pounds preaching health is delusional. If you're underweight or recovering from an eating disorder and working to gain weight, I applaud you as well.0 -
This is such a controversial topic and I have mixed feelings about it.
Fat acceptance as in not judging people based solely on their weight, or treating them differently because of it? Sure.
Fat acceptance as in not recognizing that it is in fact a health issue that people should do something about? Again, not because of looks but because of health? I disagree. Obesity is a problem, and a doctor telling a patient they need to lose some weight is not body shaming.
I also disagree with "fat acceptance" being comparable to embracing one's race, sexuality, etc. Not the same thing in the slightest.0 -
This is such a controversial topic and I have mixed feelings about it.
Fat acceptance as in not judging people based solely on their weight, or treating them differently because of it? Sure.
Fat acceptance as in not recognizing that it is in fact a health issue that people should do something about? Again, not because of looks but because of health? I disagree. Obesity is a problem, and a doctor telling a patient they need to lose some weight is not body shaming.
I also disagree with "fat acceptance" being comparable to embracing one's race, sexuality, etc. Not the same thing in the slightest.
^^0 -
I'm sorry, but if you're over 30 pounds overweight you're not healthy.
Wrong! I am considered overweight by 40 lbs. my blood pressure, labs (cholesterol, blood sugar), heart function are absolutely perfect according to my doctor. He has told me that if I choose not to lose another pound I will be perfectly fine. That is because I exercise daily and try to eat healthy most of the time. Now I cannot generalize and say this would be the same for every active 50 year old carrying an extra 40. BUT you also cannot generalize and say anyone 30lbs overweight is unhealthy. Individuality....
As for fat acceptance, it's like anything else. If fat people, gay people, black people, mentally retarded people etc. etc. etc. don't stand up for themselves and say it's ok to be who I am, no one else is going to do it for them. And blah blah blah we all have to pay into the health system that deals with some of their health problems. Just add it to the list.... The drinkers, the teen parents, the families that have 6 kids but neither parent works, there is a ton of people biting into the support pie. It's part of being in a developed country. Rather have that than live in a third world country where no one gives a crap for each other and it's a daily battle to survive.
You blood panel doesn't tell you how much pressure is being put on your joints, or what visceral fat is doing to your organs.
nor does the blood panel of a thin person relay any information regarding bone density. what's your point?
The point is that it's still not healthy?
she was attempting to draw a correlation between a fat appearance and poor health. i was using parallel sentence structure to illustrate the fallacy of doing so. making the assumption of health conditions solely based on someone's appearance (and, frankly, i'm not sure why a random observer would bother...) is faulty reasoning.
ETA "solely"0 -
dooooooooooh! Of course we shouldnt bully fat people... I think this is clear to everybody.
BUT we shouldn´t accept it because everyone of us pays for their diseases thru his or her health
insurence (at least in Germany where everybody has to have one). That way fat people harm society.
If she will pay for all her diseases on private reciepe... Fine... Go on and ruin yourself"
The woman on the page you gave us is sick! You can see that... She needs no acceptance...
What she needs is HELP!0 -
I'm sorry, but if you're over 30 pounds overweight you're not healthy.
Wrong! I am considered overweight by 40 lbs. my blood pressure, labs (cholesterol, blood sugar), heart function are absolutely perfect according to my doctor. He has told me that if I choose not to lose another pound I will be perfectly fine. That is because I exercise daily and try to eat healthy most of the time. Now I cannot generalize and say this would be the same for every active 50 year old carrying an extra 40. BUT you also cannot generalize and say anyone 30lbs overweight is unhealthy. Individuality....
As for fat acceptance, it's like anything else. If fat people, gay people, black people, mentally retarded people etc. etc. etc. don't stand up for themselves and say it's ok to be who I am, no one else is going to do it for them. And blah blah blah we all have to pay into the health system that deals with some of their health problems. Just add it to the list.... The drinkers, the teen parents, the families that have 6 kids but neither parent works, there is a ton of people biting into the support pie. It's part of being in a developed country. Rather have that than live in a third world country where no one gives a crap for each other and it's a daily battle to survive.
You blood panel doesn't tell you how much pressure is being put on your joints, or what visceral fat is doing to your organs.
nor does the blood panel of a thin person relay any information regarding bone density. what's your point?
How is her point not obvious, and where did she say anything about thin women being healthy? Don't be mad that she is right even if it pertains to you.0 -
This is such a controversial topic and I have mixed feelings about it.
Fat acceptance as in not judging people based solely on their weight, or treating them differently because of it? Sure.
Fat acceptance as in not recognizing that it is in fact a health issue that people should do something about? Again, not because of looks but because of health? I disagree. Obesity is a problem, and a doctor telling a patient they need to lose some weight is not body shaming.
I also disagree with "fat acceptance" being comparable to embracing one's race, sexuality, etc. Not the same thing in the slightest.
^^
+10 -
People shouldn't be made fun of or ridiculed based on appearance. That being said, I don't think being fat should be promoted either.0
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I agree with the spirit of the movement having been obese most of my life. You really do get crapped on a lot for it. I don't just mean from doctors but sometimes from total strangers. It's not fun. No one should be demonized for their size. I think the message should emphasize compasion over flat out acceptance though. Generally speaking, being overweight isn't good for you in the long run. Can you be relatively healthy? Sure. But year over year it will catch up. I saw a question on one of the boards once that stuck with me. How many active overweight/obese seniors do you see?0
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I don't think it's about celebrating an unhealthy lifestyle, it's about saying I deserve to be treated like a human being and not persecuted for my size. I read quite a bit around the fat acceptance movement. I hated my body and had very low self esteem when I was bigger. It wasn't until I accepted myself and be happy in own skin that I could make life style changes, which incidentally resulted in weight loss.
As people have said size is not a reliable indicator of health. The fat person could eat well and regularly exercise and the thin person smoke 30 a day and drink a bottle of vodka. Yet people look at you and make a judgement. I read a study that actually said people of overweight BMI were slightly more likely to be living longer than those of normal weight. It's an interesting read, there are limitations to the study as detailed in the link, but it did use a large number of studies. (http://www.nhs.uk/news/2013/01January/Pages/Overweight-people-live-longer-study-claims.aspx).
"obesity grades 2 and 3 are associated with higher death rates from any cause compared to normal weight individuals (around 30% increased risk). However, it also shows that lower grades of obesity (grade 1) do not increase the risk of death relative to normal-weight individuals and, in fact, overweight people had a small but significant reduction in their risk of death in the region of 6%."0 -
i don't think there should be a Fat Acceptance movement.
But I do think there should be some serious gains made in helping women of ALL sizes to love themselves.
These acceptance movements come out of a need for women (and Men) to love themselves and not vilify their own bodies.
Personally, I think if you can truly, well and truly, learn to love yourself, you will learn and love to have you at your best you...
which means healthy and FIT.
screw the acceptance....we need to learn to love ourselves.0 -
I'm sorry, but if you're over 30 pounds overweight you're not healthy.
Wrong! I am considered overweight by 40 lbs. my blood pressure, labs (cholesterol, blood sugar), heart function are absolutely perfect according to my doctor. He has told me that if I choose not to lose another pound I will be perfectly fine. That is because I exercise daily and try to eat healthy most of the time. Now I cannot generalize and say this would be the same for every active 50 year old carrying an extra 40. BUT you also cannot generalize and say anyone 30lbs overweight is unhealthy. Individuality....
As for fat acceptance, it's like anything else. If fat people, gay people, black people, mentally retarded people etc. etc. etc. don't stand up for themselves and say it's ok to be who I am, no one else is going to do it for them. And blah blah blah we all have to pay into the health system that deals with some of their health problems. Just add it to the list.... The drinkers, the teen parents, the families that have 6 kids but neither parent works, there is a ton of people biting into the support pie. It's part of being in a developed country. Rather have that than live in a third world country where no one gives a crap for each other and it's a daily battle to survive.
You blood panel doesn't tell you how much pressure is being put on your joints, or what visceral fat is doing to your organs.
nor does the blood panel of a thin person relay any information regarding bone density. what's your point?
How is her point not obvious, and where did she say anything about thin women being healthy? Don't be mad that she is right even if it pertains to you.
Wow..0 -
Fat women have the right to feel good about themselves, just like everyone. However they need to stop "normalizing" being overweight, glorifying it even. First of all they are shaming every other body type while whining about being body shamed which is beyond annoying. And second of all they are huge "health at any size" advocates. I'm sorry, but if you're over 30 pounds overweight you're not healthy.
I agree and I was almost 80 lbs overweight. No, I should not feel bad about my body and no I don't think it's right to make fun of people overweight, however, being overweight is not healthy! It's not good for you! I agree, it should not be normalized.0 -
I think that it's fine to be OK with who you are and how you look. But ignoring the health risks of obesity is a bad, bad thing. Honestly, though, if someone's overweight in appearance but completely healthy, what's the big deal?
And embracing your size is 100% not the same as embracing being black or gay. You choose to eat unhealthy food and not exercise, which ultimately means that you choose to be overweight. Race and sexual orientation aren't choices, period the end.0 -
Being too thin and being too overweight are both bad. If you're overweight and working on improving your health, I applaud you. I have all the respect in the world for you. I'm just saying that a sedentary person at 300 pounds preaching health is delusional. If you're underweight or recovering from an eating disorder and working to gain weight, I applaud you as well.
Well put!0 -
It turns out that there's actually a "DeathFatties" (their term) page for the morbidly obese:
http://deathfatties.tumblr.com/
It "serves as a mantle for those who are categorised by the (rather daft and flawed) BMI chart as morbidly obese. This tumblr is dedicated to showcasing the vitality and visibility of those who self-identify as "deathfat".
If you want to contribute your fabulosity to the tumblr, use the submit form."
That does not sound healthy...0 -
This thread is probably not going to end well.
But before it is nuked or goes completely down the toilet...
Fat acceptance is many things to many people -- and it's hard to pin down because some people take it to extremes, while people remain moderate.
To me, fat acceptance is about embracing the body you have and learning to love it despite its "flaws". Does that mean you don't try to lose weight? No.It just means that you accept that, if you are fat/thin/in between that you are still worthy of love and should treat yourself well and not let others treat you crap because of how you look.
For many, many people shame and self loathing aren't effective motivators. If you love your body and truly want to honor it - the idea is you start making choices that will hopefully bring/keep you in good health -- which likely means weight loss if you are overweight/obese.0 -
I think a lot of people responding to these threads have never actually visited a fat acceptance blog. These people are not simply saying "Stop being mean to me just because I'm fat." They blog about being fat like it's something to aspire to, the same as these anorexic teenagers post pictures demonstrating that they can see their ribs through their backs, like it's some great accomplishment.
I don't believe in mocking anyone for their appearance, but I will absolutely call you an idiot for telling everyone that being obese is a good thing. Yes, love yourself, no matter what size you are, but if you are unhealthy, love yourself enough to change that, and stop acting like a medical professional saying "You eat too much, and it's going to kill you eventually" equates to he/she being mean to you.0
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