Fat Acceptance and HAES

In for gifs.

Meh. Live and let live. That's my opinion about most everything when it comes what we do with our bodies. Sexual orientation, piercings, tattoos, body size - has nothing to do with me. Let them have their community.

I wholeheartedly agree. As someone who used to be quite overweight (5'5" and 195lbs) I still think the HAES and fat acceptance movements are unacceptable. We should be promoting healthiness. Another thing that drives me nuts is how these overweight individuals think that all stores should cater to their size. You want designer jeans? Bust your behind off and watch what you eat until you fit them. End of rant. Haha!

Lib_B wrote: »

Meh. Live and let live. That's my opinion about most everything when it comes what we do with our bodies. Sexual orientation, piercings, tattoos, body size - has nothing to do with me. Let them have their community.

But the community of people who are obese or morbidly obese isn't usually one they join willingly (like tattoos) or one they're born into (like sexual orientation). It's something you (one, I) slide into. Society greases the wheels. They become de facto members of the community.

part of me wants to mind my own business, leave them alone, and let them live their lives how they want.

part of me doesn't want to watch my mom kill herself 'intuitively eating' the 5 servings of ice cream her body is 'asking for' in one sitting.

tess munster is an opportunistic hypocrite and every company jumping on the haes bandwagon is just making a quick buck off of people in denial seeking validation. but it's really none of my business or my concern, nor will my opinion change anything. all i have control over is me, so...

keithcw_the_first wrote: »

But here's the thing: The bell curve is shifting to the right whether people like it or not. If retailers don't cater to the new distribution of body types then they're going to lose out on sales.

So yeah we have to promote healthiness but you also can't expect the obesity rate to decline by ignoring it.

Or by saying "Hey jerk, why don't you just move more and eat less!"

Set a standard; show people that it can be done.

I agree, ignoring it is not the solution, but moving all clothing designers into higher sizes hinders, it doesn't help. I honestly think that if they had the clothing I want in my size at my highest weight, I would have been less inclined to do something about it.

It would be nice if we had some type of class in high schools or something that teaches proper nutrition. That would be a good move in the right direction.

I'm against fat acceptance but I don't want anyone bullied other teased for their weight

ErinJay18 wrote: »

Recently, there has been a growing trend of women (and some men) adopting the Fat Acceptance movement and the HAES (Health at Every Size) movement. This movement has also become synonymous with 3rd wave Feminism. And with role models like plus-size model Tess Munster (founder of the #effyourbeautystandards hashtag) and more companies promoting plus size in a positive way, more women are becoming comfortable in their bodies. However, with over 70 percent of the US being overweight or obese, I feel like the FA and HAES movements are poison. While I am all for body positivity, I simply cannot condone accepting fat as something that is positive. Obesity is an epidemic in our country that is costing us millions per year, but yet people are too afraid to talk about it for fear of the backlash and hurt feelings. Instead of these overweight/obese women seeking out help with their weight problems they simply give up, citing all of the FA and HAES quotes ("real men like curves, size isn't an indicator of health, genetics, etc."). And this Tess Munster character. She says "effyourbeautystandards" but yet conforms to every other beauty standard but weight. I feel like she is just promoting obesity. I don't feel like you have to be stick-thin to be healthy, but I don't think you can be a woman that's 5'2 and 200+ pounds and claim to be healthy. So, I personally am against these movements, what are your thoughts?

I don't think fat is a problem until it interferes with your quality of life. For me that is about 200-230 lbs. Over that is just too much. That is about 40-70 lbs over the so called 'healthy' BMI weight for my height. I know I cannot be healthy over that amount. It starts affecting me mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally. All I really want is to be able to have a good life with my family and do the activities I want. I cannot do that at my current weight. It's not like it would be horrible to be thinner than 200 lbs, but if I cannot get thinner, I will try to maintain that weight because it is fine for me.

Oh, and I think people should be able to love themselves and be accepted by others even if they are fat.

Spyer116 wrote: »

Kimo159 wrote: »

I wholeheartedly agree. As someone who used to be quite overweight (5'5" and 195lbs) I still think the HAES and fat acceptance movements are unacceptable. We should be promoting healthiness. Another thing that drives me nuts is how these overweight individuals think that all stores should cater to their size. You want designer jeans? Bust your behind off and watch what you eat until you fit them. End of rant. Haha!

I mostly agree. Besides the designer jeans part, but thats just cause I have no interest in fashion/clothes haha.

But yeah. While i'm not someone that cares even slightly to oppose them. I do disagree with those movements and stuff. Be ok with your own body and all that crap fine, even now i'm only just finally starting to not despise mine anymore, and start liking it, after losing weight, still more to go.
By all means, people can be chubby and perfectly healthy - physically and mentally - and live a nice long high quality life. No one needs to be fit looking or really skinny to be healthy.
But Being at like 30% body fat or higher, or 30+ bmi or just grossly fat/obese for your height. Nothing makes it acceptable really.

My grandma was about 150 lbs at 5'2'' and my grandpa has a belly and my grandpa is still alive over 80 years old and my grandma died at 82. You can live a long life being a little pudgy if you are active and happy.

It's also a pretty hypocritical movement. Health at every size except smaller ones. BMI doesn't measure health unless you're underweight. People are naturally fat but everyone skinny must be constantly obsessing over calories. PICK ONE.

I think people should be able to live in and rock whatever body they want to. This incessant need that thin or self identified "healthy" people feel to shame the world of fat people into seeing their "sin" is so lost on me. Who the crap cares? Do you feel the need to approach any smoker and remind them smoking is dangerous? What about people who don't wear seatbelts? What about the last acceptable addiction...alcohol? There is no amount of alcohol that is "healthy" per se...yet, most of us consume it...and many consume WAY too much of it and we laugh it off as our crazy girlfriend who just loves her vino.
If you don't like obesity, don't be obese. If you don't like fast food, don't eat it. But, this bizarre need to make the rest of the world like ourselves isn't ok. I have lost 70 ish pounds ( 40 ish on MFP). I am "thick" as can be...and have super huge thighs, hips and butt...big boobs and a small waist. No one looks at me and thinks "thin." They likely never will. But you know what? I can out run, out lift and out train almost all of my "thin" friends. I on average eat 1000+ calories per day less than they do, WAY less sugar, WAY less alcohol and I generally live a life that in comparison to theirs would be seen as "healthy." Yet, out of my friends...I'm the "fat" one. I'm the one who the crowd of bro science dorks would say is fat...while my friend who pounds McDonalds twice per day, DAILY...drinks her weight in Starbucks mocha's and consumes 5 bottles of wine per week, minimum weighs 125 lbs and wears a size 2. Oh and also...she couldn't run 1/4 of a mile to save her life. So, to assume that someone is or isn't healthy based on their size is foolish, IMO. Of course there are extremes to anything...but, the average person that many in America would say is "fat" might be fitter and better trained than you...and their standard health markers-blood sugar, blood pressure, resting heart rate, etc...might be just healthy as can be.

I personally have next to no desire to be "thin" and I love the way my hips and thighs and breasts fill out my clothes. If that isn't your thing...cool. Don't be curvy or thick or fat or whatever you want to call people who look like me. You do you, let others do them...and we can all try and be the best people we can be. You know?

People should definitely be able to do whatever they want! If it makes them happy, than i'm all for it! They can find a million reasons to justify their weight.... But facts are facts, and living at a healthier weight will make you live longer.

melimomTARDIS wrote: »

I tnink the movement has some really positive sides. I don't think fat people should put their lives on hold until they reach a normal bmi. The movement encourages women and men to start enjoying life now. Sounds good to me.

And I don't think we should discriminate against fat people looking for work, or a place to rent.

But there are health risks to obesity, and the community tends to deny or gloss over that. So while fatness isnt a moral failing, it is a health risk. If you are willing to take those risks, that's up to you.

I agree. I put my life on hold and it only made my obesity worse over time. The sad thing is I have always wanted to be thin and hated that I had to struggle with my weight. It is so hard to have a serious weight problem and painful. It seems like it is only on a public level and with guys that weight is really serious, in normal life you are okay if you are normal weight to overweight but not obese and have very few health complications. My problem with the view of weight today is that it is so narrow. Just a few years ago the BMI range went up to 27.5 now it is 25 max, when thin people die of heart attacks and cancer too. My husbands grandma died in her 80s and she was thin. My grandma died at the same age and she was a little cubby. I believe television, the media and the general public tell us we need to look a certain way. I mean most celebrities have to be at the low range to underweight on the BMI scale. If they get anywhere near the top of the healthy weight range they are considered fat. Models generally are around 100-130 lbs. I strongly suspect the healthy weight range is wider reaching than that. I think I felt my best when I was 170 lbs and exercising every day. That is about 10 lbs over my healthy BMI range and a size 14. That is totally acceptable to me. People accepted me most when I was 150 lbs and a size 10 in 7th grade. I think you need to please yourself and your spouse or significant other and not the general public's weight standard or vision of how you should look.

These movements are for people that absolutely need a community to stand up for them, instead of standing up for themselves, like cliques in middle and high school.

I like when these groups try to shame men for not liking "thick" women. What if Freud's theory of the Oedipus complex is true, and a guy's mom was thin? FEMINISTS HATE MOTHERS!

As someone who has always struggled with being overweight and even loving my body the way it is, I am all for body acceptance and people loving themselves the way that they are. You have to have confidence in yourself to be able to do certain things in life and if you don't have that, then it can really make things difficult.

I never had a lot of confidence because of my weight and it was so hard for me to put myself out there. It has taken me so many years to accept my body the way it is.

But that being said, I have my own reasons for wanting to lose weight. Everyone has their own reasons. Will I be annoyed with myself if I don't lose weight. No - not really. I will be disappointed at the moment. But in the long run, if I don't lose the weight that is the way that it is. As long as I know in myself that I have tried, then that is all I can do.

Why should it be for anyone else to tell someone that they shouldn't accept their body for the way it is? And why should we be made to feel like we are a disgrace? I was told that even though I was overweight, I was healthy. So why should I be made to feel like I am nothing but a big lazy slob - which is what some people see me as!!