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Fat Acceptance Movement

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  • clicketykeys
    clicketykeys Posts: 6,594 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Hmm, some important things to add to this discussion:

    Feminism means a lot of different things. Feminists don't all agree on everything.

    It is true that some feminists consider fat a feminist issue, and others (probably even me) will consider body acceptance or being aware of how body image/comments about body are used in a demeaning way to be a feminist issue (including about men -- I've seen lots of nastiness about fat people (or individuals who are overweight) in political discussions, from people who should know better, and usually it's the more feminist types who object to that, even when it's about someone (or a group of people) they find politically repugnant. (Not saying only feminists care about this.) It's also true, these days, that snotty comments about fat are OFTEN associated with snotty comments about poorer people or the less educated (including when made by those left of center), because fat is a class issue to some extent in the US, anyway.

    Considering fat a feminist issue is quite the opposite of pushing the idea that "real women have curves" or that "real women" should have any body type (which is actually what the "fat is feminists" links posted). Therefore, the mockery of "feminists" as being anti thin women or saying super fit women aren't attractive (as with the parody man thing) is misplaced, IMO. Of course, if one runs into a self-proclaimed feminist who promotes that kind of stuff (real women have curves, only dogs like bones), one should, if one wishes, call him or her on the hypocrisy. I would, but then I enjoy doing that kind of thing sometimes. I haven't actually seen it, though--again, well-curated FB page.

    This. Pitting women against each other is kind of ANTI-feminist.
  • peckchris3267
    peckchris3267 Posts: 368 Member
    Feminism, in its truest incarnation, is literally about equality. For everyone. Fat women. Fat men. Thin women. Thin men. Women generally have their exterior linked to their worth as a human. So it's about equalising that (eliminating) and bringing it to an equal playing field. Everyone treated the same way all else being equal. Feminism has brought about a lot of positive political and social change.

    Are there those who bastardise it? For sure. But most feminists don't identify with them. Pretty much every woman and most men I know identify as feminist. None of them are third wavers, even down to the 20 year olds I know.
    Most on today's college campuses are third wave feminists.

    https://www.thecollegefix.com/post/29070/

    http://college.usatoday.com/2017/03/16/young-feminism/
  • MJ2victory
    MJ2victory Posts: 97 Member
    moya_bleh wrote: »
    MJ2victory wrote: »
    moya_bleh wrote: »
    DasItMan91 wrote: »
    It's like the fat women want guys to love them for who they are and they should love their "curves" but when a guy who's not a chubby chaser says they're not his type, they start bitchin.

    Don't forget that the guy has to be tall and ripped, too. Fat guys are too gross to honour her curves! An acceptance movement that doesn't even extend to both sexes is no acceptance movement.

    what are you even talking about??

    What am I even talking about? Come now, you said in one of your previous posts that you are aware of Jes Baker - so such feigning of ignorance is disingenuous at best (like most of your posts in this thread)

    I'll post some examples, From Ms. Baker herself.

    Exhibit A - http://www.themilitantbaker.com/2013/03/things-no-one-will-tell-fat-girls-so-i.html

    Please note the paragraph regarding "Fat chicks bang hot guys all the time" Fat women are hot while being fat, but men still have to be......hot.

    Exhibit B - http://www.themilitantbaker.com/2013/05/to-mike-jeffries-co-abercrombie-fitch.html

    If fat is so attractive, why did Ms. Baker pay to be photographed with a much slimmer guy, like he's some sort of object or status symbol to brag about? Why didn't she pose with an equally overweight man, given that A&F sell clothes to both sexes? I think we all know the entitled, hypocritical answer to that one.





    That shot was a comment on beauty standards. Plus, Jess Baker's partner is fat and a hottie. It stands to reason that fat women who find themselves hot also find fat men hot. If not then, yeah, they're hypocritical af.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    I like a slim gently defined physique on men. If we're solely talking physical attraction. I'm attracted to others once I know them a bit regardless of appearance largely but I'm human. Am I a terrible hypocritical human being because I haven't been slim the whole time I've been attracted to that kind of man? Please.
  • moya_bleh
    moya_bleh Posts: 1,375 Member
    newmeadow wrote: »
    I like a slim gently defined physique on men. If we're solely talking physical attraction. I'm attracted to others once I know them a bit regardless of appearance largely but I'm human. Am I a terrible hypocritical human being because I haven't been slim the whole time I've been attracted to that kind of man? Please.

    As long as you weren't annoyed at men for not being generally attracted to you when you were a chub, it's okay. Tit for tat.

    This!
  • WendyLeigh1119
    WendyLeigh1119 Posts: 495 Member
    edited July 2017
    WakkoW wrote: »
    newmeadow wrote: »
    So, along those lines, other developments which are not accomplishments to be lauded:

    Stifling a lifelong habit of the gratuitous use of crass profanity

    Abstaining from the illicit, recreational or addictively used street or pharmaceutical drugs

    Becoming sober after years of habitual drunkenness

    Refraining from slapping your sex partners around, after being repeatedly jailed for it

    Committing to daily bathing, after years of limiting showering activity to once every two weeks

    Exactly! Not doing these things should be expected out of each and every person, not praised. Not only that, but it is acceptable to shame drunks, smokers, drug addicts, abusers, etc.

    Omg. Is this real? Three of those things are diseases. Why not shame cancer patients for not wearing enough sunblock at some point in their lives? Wow... I mean... wow. To think you have that right.
  • nevadavis1
    nevadavis1 Posts: 331 Member
    I too have been called fat, whale, fattie, and had pig noises snorted at me from cars throughout my life. I was the fattest person in my class from middle school to present day and I suffered for it. Guess what? The people doing that would find something else to ridicule about me if I were thin. Those people are just bad people. The people wanting you to move out of their way would have wanted you to move even if you were thin. Then they would have said "Move your *kitten*, twiggy." Or "b****" or what ever else they needed to say to shock you into moving. Our fat is the most obvious target but people like that, rude people, not "ultra obesity prejudiced people", will find any target and take aim. There's nothing about being fat that brings out some additional capacity for evil in those who see a fat person that they otherwise would not exhibit when seeing someone else they want to victimize.

    I'm not 100% sure here. FWIW I was horribly bullied throughout school and even a number of overweight kids took to bullying me, I guess they thought I was the only one they could get away with picking on, because I was different and nobody would stand up for me. I was called ugly all my life, and told I should do the world a favor and kill myself. I now understand this had a lot to do with being both mixed race and culturally different from my American classmates, but I was also a nerd and some of my "weirdness" was being from a different culture and some was just me being myself.... But I had friends who managed to be more "anonymous" who escaped the worst of the bullying, as long as they didn't stand out too much. Maybe if you had been thin you might have flown under the radar a bit.

    BUT that said, while I still get some side-eye or a little bit of attitude from people now and then, but most adults grew out of that kind of stuff when it comes to those types of differences. Now more than anything people are interested in learning about people with different backgrounds. But when it comes to very heavy people there still is cruelty. I've seen people whisper loud enough to be overheard "I hope she paid for two seats on the plane because I don't want to be seated next to her" or the things shouted from cars, etc. Nobody now shouts to me from cars that my nose is too wide and flat or that my lips are disgustingly huge like I was told in school as a child.

    Strangely enough, after all that I went through during school, it's easy for me now to slip into "overweight anonymous lady" mode--I don't really get noticed except that for some reason men are always trying to pick me up in the grocery store.... I've gotten "you look like a lot of fun!" Ugh, I'm chubby so that makes me fun? I've heard people here complain about how being overweight makes them feel invisible but after what I experienced growing up, it's a huge relief. But really obese people do get some *kitten*, they cannot be invisible and people can be very cruel. I know what it's like to be picked on, so I hate it when I see it.
  • clicketykeys
    clicketykeys Posts: 6,594 Member
    @BabyBear76 Were the people who were being so obnoxious part of a fat acceptance group? Otherwise I'm not seeing the hypocrisy. Facebook has a lot of jerks, unfortunately.
  • VeronicaA76
    VeronicaA76 Posts: 1,116 Member
    @BabyBear76 Were the people who were being so obnoxious part of a fat acceptance group? Otherwise I'm not seeing the hypocrisy. Facebook has a lot of jerks, unfortunately.
    @BabyBear76 Were the people who were being so obnoxious part of a fat acceptance group? Otherwise I'm not seeing the hypocrisy. Facebook has a lot of jerks, unfortunately.

    Yep, they were. This wasn't just random people, but a fat acceptance/body positive group. I find it upsetting that the same people who want other to quit body shaming them, will body shame others.
  • jseams1234
    jseams1234 Posts: 1,219 Member
    edited July 2017
    newmeadow wrote: »
    Psychgrrl wrote: »
    I came across this story today.

    This Bodybuilder Decided To Shame A Fellow Gym Member—And People Are Furious - Women's Health
    https://apple.news/AFzjSeYG4QiOSEVJBt6rjcg

    And it reminded me of so many threads where people talked about being scared or nervous about working out because of the way others might treat them. And it made me think of this thread as well.

    I don't think anyone should be ridiculed, mocked or disrespected for the way they look (in this case, how much they weigh). This really made me angry. Here is a woman on the treadmill trying to get healthier and she is mocked in a very public way. And sad. The woman doing the mocking is very fit. She worked hard to get that way and I feel sorry for her that she developed a sense of superiority along with those muscles. And seemed to have lost her empathy and humanity along with her body fat.

    I also think "fat acceptance" has gone too far and almost seems to be promoting obesity. I think everyone should love themselves and not think they are "less than" because they weigh more. I also think that love should come with a sense of duty and responsibility to take care of one's self by improving health and losing weight.

    Couldn't open this link. Can you cut and paste the text of the article?

    It's an old story.

    "Remember Dani Mathers, the Playboy model who posted a picture of a woman changing in a gym locker room and body-shamed her? Apparently Instagram fitness star and bodybuilder Diana Andrews doesn’t, because she went ahead and did the same thing.

    According to the Huffington Post UK, Diana shared a video on her Instagram Stories earlier this week of an unidentified woman talking on her phone on a treadmill with the caption “love handles.” She then followed it up with a separate slide on her Story that said “I bet she’s ordering [burger emojis] for delivery.”
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    newmeadow wrote: »
    Psychgrrl wrote: »
    I came across this story today.

    This Bodybuilder Decided To Shame A Fellow Gym Member—And People Are Furious - Women's Health
    https://apple.news/AFzjSeYG4QiOSEVJBt6rjcg

    And it reminded me of so many threads where people talked about being scared or nervous about working out because of the way others might treat them. And it made me think of this thread as well.

    I don't think anyone should be ridiculed, mocked or disrespected for the way they look (in this case, how much they weigh). This really made me angry. Here is a woman on the treadmill trying to get healthier and she is mocked in a very public way. And sad. The woman doing the mocking is very fit. She worked hard to get that way and I feel sorry for her that she developed a sense of superiority along with those muscles. And seemed to have lost her empathy and humanity along with her body fat.

    I also think "fat acceptance" has gone too far and almost seems to be promoting obesity. I think everyone should love themselves and not think they are "less than" because they weigh more. I also think that love should come with a sense of duty and responsibility to take care of one's self by improving health and losing weight.

    Couldn't open this link. Can you cut and paste the text of the article?

    It's from March of 2017, so a few months old. Came across it today for some reason. The direct link should work. The picture of the Insta really captures the mean-spiritedness of the mockery.
    womenshealthmag.com/life/diana-andrews-body-shaming

  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    Exactly! She knew what she was doing was wrong and did it anyway. #smh
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    msf74 wrote: »
    Psychgrrl wrote: »
    This Bodybuilder Decided To Shame A Fellow Gym Member—And People Are Furious - Women's Health
    https://apple.news/AFzjSeYG4QiOSEVJBt6rjcg

    You know what caught my eye about that headline? The "people are furious" bit (which is admittedly a bit click baity but still.)

    This goes back to what a number of posters have said on this thread - most people don't like this crap, don't like actions which are hurtful or lack decency and will call it out when they see it.

    If that is the case why is there a need for a movement, especially if that movement seems to be driving people apart based on something arbitrary like they way they look given its militancy? One has to wonder who the leaders of these movements are actually for - the individuals who they claim to be protecting or their own personal power and gain.

    Bingo.
  • wmd1979
    wmd1979 Posts: 469 Member
    msf74 wrote: »
    Psychgrrl wrote: »
    This Bodybuilder Decided To Shame A Fellow Gym Member—And People Are Furious - Women's Health
    https://apple.news/AFzjSeYG4QiOSEVJBt6rjcg

    You know what caught my eye about that headline? The "people are furious" bit (which is admittedly a bit click baity but still.)

    This goes back to what a number of posters have said on this thread - most people don't like this crap, don't like actions which are hurtful or lack decency and will call it out when they see it.

    If that is the case why is there a need for a movement, especially if that movement seems to be driving people apart based on something arbitrary like they way they look given its militancy? One has to wonder who the leaders of these movements are actually for - the individuals who they claim to be protecting or their own personal power and gain.

    Exactly. Nobody is disagreeing that body shaming is wrong and should never happen. The problem I see is that the FA movement tends to attempt to body shame those who are fit to defend their obesity. Nobody should just accept being unhealthy, and being obese in itself is unhealthy.
  • moya_bleh
    moya_bleh Posts: 1,375 Member
    Psychgrrl wrote: »
    I came across this story today.

    This Bodybuilder Decided To Shame A Fellow Gym Member—And People Are Furious - Women's Health
    https://apple.news/AFzjSeYG4QiOSEVJBt6rjcg

    And it reminded me of so many threads where people talked about being scared or nervous about working out because of the way others might treat them. And it made me think of this thread as well.

    What a horrible bully! People who are overweight should be APPLAUDED for taking the first step to enter what will be an initially intimidating environment. Welcome them and support them at every turn. The person who posted that pic has abused her position and is the reason why there needs to be a body positivity movement in the first place!

  • karahm78
    karahm78 Posts: 505 Member
    I follow Iskra Lawrence on Insta/FB, and on nearly every post where she is at the gym or talking about exercise, there are tons of posts about how she looked better before she lost weight, why is she working out, etc etc. Drives me batty....

    I think that SHE has a good message (loving yourself but pursuing health) but the FA army are all over her posts (as well as Ashley Graham, although I don't think that AG emphasizes being "healthy" as much as Iskra so maybe it doesn't annoy me as much)
  • Motorsheen
    Motorsheen Posts: 20,508 Member
    newmeadow wrote: »
    Psychgrrl wrote: »
    Exactly! She knew what she was doing was wrong and did it anyway. #smh

    Well, ah, this is what the shaming bodybuilder's face looks like. I'll just leave this here.

    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTPptZgO7kfyNmSJDEVARH2s_K8mW2XKfSacTLiJHO5Js3527onGQ

    oh, oh my.....
  • erienneb66
    erienneb66 Posts: 88 Member
    I will say I struggle with knowing where the line is, with this. I'm big. So very big. But I have no health issues at all to speak of (bloodwork is great blood pressure great etc.) yet. I know it's a yet so I'm working on it.

    But I also struggle to appreciate my body as it is. I have issues looking at myself and actually seeing that it's me. Is that weight related? Maybe. I'm supposed to love myself and find myself beautiful but I'm also supposed to want to not be overweight so I struggle to love myself AND want to change myself, if that makes any sense at all?

    Also annoyed when I refer to myself as fat and someone tries to correct me by saying "You're not fat you're beautiful" like...not really a compliment? I am definitely fat it's not like you're going to burst my little bubble here. I can also be attractive or comfortable with how I look, right? I dunno. It sucks.
  • clicketykeys
    clicketykeys Posts: 6,594 Member
    ...most people don't like this crap, don't like actions which are hurtful or lack decency and will call it out when they see it.

    If that is the case why is there a need for a movement, especially if that movement seems to be driving people apart based on something arbitrary like they way they look given its militancy? One has to wonder who the leaders of these movements are actually for - the individuals who they claim to be protecting or their own personal power and gain.

    Because the FA Movement isn't just about the overt rudeness shown in that example, just as feminism isn't just about suffrage. The underlying assumptions that lead to these situations are harder to change.
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