Ugh, The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance

When would being overweight and unhealthy be deemed the "right choice" for someone??

This. We as a society are not accepting of smokers, addicts, or basically any group that puts their health in danger for the pursuit of some unhealthy fixation. How is overeating/obesity different? No one's saying people should be judged or shamed for it, but it certainly shouldn't be promoted, encouraged, or accepted as the norm.

i don't agree with this. as far as society goes, we're quick to look up to any woman who looks great in a sequined dress, regardless of their drug habit. men get a little more slack in hollywood - they can be overweight so long as they are funny. (i know that's a whole different can of worms, but i think it does pertain a bit to this discussion)

also, most people addicted to illegal substances got their by their own devices. but a lot of overweight children got there by being bottle fed soda by their parents as infants.

I really don't get he outrage.

They are using the fact that some people have illnesses which make them gain weight as one of the main points behind their argument, but this is a small proportion when compared to the amount who simply eat unhealthily and have poor portion control.

People are asking why Disney think it's their place to educate children. Why do you have an issue with education coming from outside of parents and schools. Disney are providing somewhere that PARENTS can take their children where they can play and learn at the same time. Much like watching Sesame Street or going to children's museums. There is some assumption that parents are using this as the sole nutrition education that their children will get. It isn't something Disney are doing as they feel it's their place - they put these things in because that's what parents want.

Regarding the fact that the characters are fat and the heroes are thin (though I presume they aren't actually 'thin', but in fact somewhat athletic or 'healthy'), that's because eating lots of bad food makes one fat, and eating healthily and properly and exercising appropriately makes one healthy. They are not trying to vilify fat people - rather showing the effects of poor nutrition.

Also - someone was saying about the main hero being called Will Power, asking how many people succeed on will power alone? I would like to put my hand up among the number that have. I don't use any special tricks. I try to eat right and I exercise. What motivates me to do this is looking in the mirror and seeing someone I am happy to be, and also just plain feeling healthier and more energetic.

Someone made an argument about people living below the poverty line not being able to afford to go on 'organised activities. If you are below the poverty line, but are feeding your children junk food and enough of it to make them overweight, then you are spending too much on junk food. There are cheaper options that are healthier. My parents had very little money when I was growing up. Instead of holidays I would get taken to the park or to other free places. All my food was cooked from the ingredients, not bought in a cardboard box and microwaved, mostly because that was how my parents did things, but also because it is cheaper that way!

There is far too much pressure on people to cater for those who might feel insulted in society today, and we end up catering for no one. Our sense of entitlement is at an all time high, whilst at the same time our sense of responsibility for ourselves is at an all time low. Johnny isn't eating right and is fat - it's McDonalds fault for making their food so tasty and advertising it on tv. Sophie isn't doing well at school - it's her teacher's fault for not raising my child for me. Tommy becomes a criminal - it's society's fault, he had no choice.

No one wants to take responsibility for themselves and for those who are in their care, and this makes me sad for our future.

When would being overweight and unhealthy be deemed the "right choice" for someone??

This. We as a society are not accepting of smokers, addicts, or basically any group that puts their health in danger for the pursuit of some unhealthy fixation. How is overeating/obesity different? No one's saying people should be judged or shamed for it, but it certainly shouldn't be promoted, encouraged, or accepted as the norm.

i don't agree with this. as far as society goes, we're quick to look up to any woman who looks great in a sequined dress, regardless of their drug habit. men get a little more slack in hollywood - they can be overweight so long as they are funny. (i know that's a whole different can of worms, but i think it does pertain a bit to this discussion)

also, most people addicted to illegal substances got their by their own devices. but a lot of overweight children got there by being bottle fed soda by their parents as infants.

I definitely agree with you, I don't think obese kids are to blame, it's absolutely the parents' responsibility.. but I still don't think kids should be taught "fat acceptance." It's the parents' job to teach kids healthy habits, but many, many parents don't own up to this responsibility. If we have a combination of parents not teaching healthy habits along with society saying it's okay to be fat, we're going to see the obesity rate go from 66% to 95% within the next generation.

It would really be a shame. THAT is my problem with the fat acceptance movement.

I definitely agree with you, I don't think obese kids are to blame, it's absolutely the parents' responsibility.. but I still don't think kids should be taught "fat acceptance."

I think kids should be taught "acceptance", period.
Acceptance of everyone as a human being with worth regardless of weight, race, disability. Everyone SHOULD be accepted. Now, as a parent, if I see my child developing a weight problem, should I accept THAT. No, that's on me to encourage the changes neccessary to combat obesity. But I'm certainly going to teach my kids to accept fat people as people of worth. That's not what I see happening as a result of this exhibit.

[I completely agree with you, every single person on this planet has worth and value as a human being. I'm not talking about shunning people who are overweight, making fun of them, or otherwise ostracizing them. I look at it this way.. if you have lung cancer and continue to smoke cigarettes, out of concern for your health the people in your life would likely try to get you to quit. If you're obese and have habitually poor eating habits, it's going to cause your health to further deteriorate. If it were my loved one, I'd reach out. Accepting that, to me, is saying "go ahead and kill yourself, as long as it makes you happy."

Obesity is mostly correlated to diet, not exercise. Exercise is important, but not being able to play outside is not an excuse for kids to be obese. Poverty is no excuse for eating garbage or overeating. I can buy a bag of rice and a can of beans for very little money, feed a family of four, and have a much more balanced meal than anything you can get off the dollar menu.

Have you ever lived in poverty? With a single parent who has to work two jobs to make ends meet and rarely has time to grocery shop, let alone cook healthy meals? In a dangerous neighborhood where playing outside means taking a huge risk with your safety? Do you understand that adults living in poverty situations are frequently depressed? Can you understand on some level that cooking rice and beans every night for your family is maybe not even a possibility or that it feels like even more deprivation? Has it occured to you that not everyone leads a privileged life where making choices like buying beans and rice every week is an easy one? What if the only happiness in your life is a pint of ice cream?

Just stop already with the condescension and the superiority complex. Yes, healthy choices are important, but have a little compassion for those for whom making healthy choices is not easy.

Yes, I grew up in poverty. Yes, I grew up with parents who struggled with depression and were often pressed for time. You can cook a simple, healthy meal with cheap ingredients just as easily as you can pop a frozen lasagna in the oven and wait for it to cook, and just as easily as you can drive or walk to McDonald's. Not buying into lame excuses is not the same as being condescending. I know plenty of people living in poverty who make healthy food choices for their families, and I know plenty of wealthy people who eat garbage all the time. Poverty does not automatically equal crap food and obesity.

Why does this organization exist??

I just visited that website and I'm disgusted that they have an advocacy group out there trying to say people should just accept obesity. They have a claim that people should accept that obesity can occur from environmental circumstances and poor willpower. http://www.naafaonline.com/dev2/the_issues/index.html

I'm sorry, but we're all on here because we made a choice to change our health and our bodies instead of playing the victim and getting everyone else to accept our poor lifestyle choices or scapegoats of fast food and genetics. Yes, the women in my family become overweight after children, yes my family has generations that used comfort food as comfort, and yes I do sit at a desk in an office all day for my career, but that doesn't mean I have to make society accept my weight.

It sounds like a bunch of self-conscious overweight people in denial run this site who would be happier pointing their fingers at everyone else while they order the super-sized combo with a diet coke (after working 4 years in fast food during high school I saw my fair share of the people who ordered those). We don't need an organization crying "foul" and trying to get America to accept fat, we need overweight people to quit playing a victim and crying injustice and do something to change their own life.

I had to just get that off my chest because I am overweight and rather than blame burgers and fries, portion sizes in restaurants, or even my gene pool, I'm taking accountability and eating better, jornaling everything I eat, and making an effort to get off my butt more. If I can do and everyone on here does it, why can't these people too?!?