Body positivity is out of control…

You made a sarcastic post including salads, which is very MN. I am glad that when called out about it, you back tracked and acknowledged that there's absolutely nothing funny about it.

I'm a size 12 and a perfectly healthy weight, tyvm and I'm not even tall.

And it's come on, not common.

Yes, I do. I was being sarcastic and also not trying to fat shame people

Ah but my belly hit the ground first and was already decelerating me by the time my knees collided with it. 🤣

No but do you understand that a heavier object will fall faster and have a greater impact than a lighter one?

If you’re teeny tiny do you gently float to the ground?

Tbh it’s become a societal issue rather than an individual one. The amount we spend on healthcare for obesity is scary, so many people are overweight it’s no longer quite unusual even for small children.

But you would’ve fallen faster from being heavier. So a greater impact.

This comment chain is full of nasty little bullies.

Reminds me of being at school.

The reason for the body positivity movement, is that women spend so much of their lives being insulted, belittled and humiliated over their weight. We all know women who have had some form of eating disorder their entire lives.

And yet here on mumsnet we have posters dictating that women are ‘fat’ if they hit a size 12? Have you met any tall women? Women with breasts?

God it’s exhausting being told you need to hate yourself because you don’t fit a very specific body shape.

Argh.

I agree. A healthy weight is when the clavicle and hip bones are clearly visible. I’m 5’9, 10st4, and have a BMI of 22. Most people call me ‘very skinny’ but I’m actually just past the middle of the healthy weight range.

Equally people seem to think children should hang on to their baby and toddler fat far longer than they should. At 4 you should be able to see a child’s ribs. Overweight children don’t look like fat adults - they don’t have rolls, they have big arms/legs and are often called ‘solid’ because they just look strong.

Being obese is never a good thing

I fell over in epic style yesterday, was running on a slippery surface in socks and just went flying. I've got bruised knees and an elbow today but I'm sure the fact I managed not to break anything is entirely down to the cushioning from being a fat bastard.

So, in that one very limited circumstance, I'll refute your statement @CoffeeCantata and say being obese can be a good thing.

Eating a salad is not funny, where did I say it was? I eat salad a few times a week, cook from scratch and keep UPF to a minimum. Oh sorry did you want me to say I think salads are disgusting so you could tell me how virtuous you are? I think you’ll find obese people sometimes eat salad too, I know it’s unbelievable.

I have a lot of sympathy with people who struggle with their weight and diet. We are confronted with so much utter sugary rubbish every time we go to the supermarket that anyone who's feeling a bit insecure/miserable/vulnerable is very much put under pressure.

BUT! I don't like the body positivity movement. Being obese is never a good thing and while people should get understanding and support, I don't agree that it's a valid life-choice to be obese. If some of the silly influencers who preach body positivity put half as much effort into losing some weight they'd find life much more enjoyable.

Fully in favour 🙋‍♀️

All the teeny tinies move to France and leave us fat disgusting people here?

So, 4 pages in and has anyone come up with the solution yet or is it just 4 pages of the usual tedious bollocks?

I found the opposite of a lot of people's opinions to be true. I grew up poor, surrounded by other kids in the same boat.. we were all like stick insects ate crap mainly... literally sugar sandwich crap.
Throughout twenties and early thirties, size 8.. no money. A diet of basic cheap food.. beans on toast type dinners. I looked fantastic, with a washboard stomach!
33 met my husband and my budget for food had never been so high, I eat way more than I used to.. proper meals I guess. Plus the privilege of a car.. I used to walk everywhere! All very nice but I'm now a size 14.

You're talking about two different things. Being overweight, fat, obese and dealing with the impact of this is different to body positivity.
Body positivity is about feeling worthy, confident and beautiful regardless of your physical body. It doesn't mean you can't be working on improving your physical self, just that you don't have to hate what you see in the mirror until you get to your goal.
Being fat isn't great, and no fat person is unaware of this, but it doesn't mean that you have to be filled with self loathing.
If being fat/obese is the worst thing about someone, I don't think they're doing that bad. I can think of loads of traits that are more disgusting than a bit (or a lot) of extra padding.

I wouldn't say a size 12 is fat. I'm a size 10 standing at 5'3" and I've never been overweight. I do wear a size 12 in a dressing gown, coat or a jacket to allow for being already dressed and so it doesn't feel tight or restrictive. I have noticed a few high-ish profile overweight influencers have passed away recently:

Taylor LeJeune
Dr Cat Pausé
Brittany Sauer
Jamie Lopez

Heart failure, difficulty breathing and joint problems are all factors of being overweight. Being overweight is nothing to celebrate or encourage.

Likewise being underweight is dangerous; at my lowest, I weighed around 6.5st. I wasn't deliberately avoiding food, I had no access to it. I tried to get help, but because I was a teenager, most adults just assumed I was an anorexic, self-obsessed, overly-emotional, vain bag of crazy. My then boyfriend now husband was a massive help to get me out of that situation. His mother now my MIL thought I was a parasite. But like I said, teenagers are often misunderstood.

Over the last 15 or so years, I've noticed a swing from 'thinspo' (thin inspiration, like Eugenia Cooney) to 'body positivity' (being obese). The pendulum will always swing back.

Saying a size 12 is fat doesn’t exactly buy you much support. I know people with size 12 bodies who have amazing figures.

I think body positivity is a good thing. The more you shame people the more they’re hidden away eating, it isn’t healthy. They’re unlikely to exercise in public knowing people like you are judging. I follow Rebel Fit who is brilliant, very anti diet because anyone who knows someone who has done Slimming World etc knows it’s a con, people lose tons of weight only to put it back on.

The only thing that will work is not eating UPFs and reeducation when it comes to cooking and nutrition, but even so some people are built bigger than others. You’re fighting genetics trying to make someone naturally bigger into someone tiny.

Shaming people is just destructive, so I totally disagree with you, it achieves nothing.