To think 'celebrating your curves' is becoming a worrying trend?

[Freesunglasses]

So many of my overweight 'friends' on facebook are joining in the whole "I'm embracing my curves and loving this body, every inch"
The thing is they are Obese, not use a little overyweight but really fat. The more people see and read things like this the more it will become normalised.

Worrying times ahead I think. We're going to be a very fat country in the not too distant future.
I know it's hard to lose weight. I know lockdown has made lots put weight, I'm a little overweight myself but I will never say I'm happy with it because I'm not! I like being thin, I want to be thin.

For the love of God stop normalising and celebrating obesity.

I gained 20 kg if not more since TTC. I was slim. Now I’m overweight. I feel very comfortable in my body. More comfortable now than I used to be. It’s weird.

I lost so much weight in pregnancy I was so worried for my baby so my flaws make me feel like my breastfeeding baby is Wel nourished.

So for now I’m celebrating my curves

I was treated for anorexia for 3 years so cost to the nhs was phenomenal! I became anorexic because exh used to jibe at me about my size 12 body. I'm in recovery now and got rid of him but fat shaming still makes me upsets me greatly

A lot of people who are in the obese category are not simply greedy or lazy, often they have long term, difficult relationships with food. These relationships often involve comfort eating and binge eating. This is how a lot of obese people got that way, for others it may be a lack of education surrounding food or the impact of illness/medication.

As odd as it sounds accepting the fact that you are obese and still loving yourself (and accepting compliments from others) can give a real confidence boost and make someone feel good. When they feel good they are less likely to comfort eat and binge. If someone tells them they should hide themselves away while they are fat or give then grief for it, they will just turn back to food again.

I speak as someone who has had issues with binge eating since I was 12.

Do you think someone who is fat is not deserving of love? does not deserve to feel confident?

If that is the case, sounds like you have your own issues to address.

Constant obsession over judging whether or not women are allowed to like their bodies is a worrying trend.

@VictoriaLudorum should fat people not be allowed to feel good about themselves then?

"Exactly what it is. But people want an excuse to continue to hate fat people and make it about 'health' and 'the NHS'."

I am fat and do not hate fat people. I am a good person worthy of respect and dignity, and I don't want anyone to feel ashamed of their body. But I agree with op that celebrating obesity is wrong, ridiculous snd ultimately really quite dangerous.

"Follow any British meme account and it is filled with photos and videos of drunken behaviour and comments about 'legends' and 'not all heroes where capes'. It's considered a part of British culture and viewed in a comedic light."

Being a bit drunk is viewed in a comedic light, and as acceptable as referring to eating too much cake, eating ice cream when you're sad, having a Friday night takeaway.

Celebrating obesity is more like a meme joking about being arrested for collapsing in public, vomiting on yourself or developing liver cancer imo.

"As odd as it sounds accepting the fact that you are obese and still loving yourself (and accepting compliments from others) can give a real confidence boost and make someone feel good. When they feel good they are less likely to comfort eat and binge. If someone tells them they should hide themselves away while they are fat or give then grief for it, they will just turn back to food again."

I like the sound of making someone feel good about themselves. But making someone feel good about being ill and heading for early death seems mad to me. Are we saying we need to make someone feel good about their fat so that they start wanting to be slimmer? Does that work? We have never been so accepting of obesity but has it led to lots of fat people changing their ways?

Just fat people trying to make themselves feel better.

Wow. What a charming sentiment. But of course it's "just" fat people, so they won't be upset by that comment at all.

This thread is an absolute eye-opener into which posters have empathy and which posters don’t. Some of you should be ashamed of the way you talk about other human beings, and perhaps want to think about what you value in people generally. Overweight posters have explained repeatedly that boosting self confidence helps with healthy eating much more than being made to feel ashamed so the nastiness is absolutely not because you’re concerned about other people’s health.

"Overweight posters have explained repeatedly that boosting self confidence helps with healthy eating much more than being made to feel ashamed so the nastiness is absolutely not because you’re concerned about other people’s health."

I certainly don't want anyone to feel ashamed, but - as an overweight person myself - would really just rather that nobody commented on my weight, size or health at all. Why can't a woman's weight just be something that nobody feels the need to comment on at all?

But I can't get on board with the celebrating. There is nothing to celebrate in being fat. Just as there is nothing to celebrate in being an alcoholic or smoking, all self-inflicted sickness and early death.

Is there any real evidence that celebrating fatness makes fat people want to lose weight?

Is there any real evidence that celebrating fatness makes fat people want to lose weight?
I'm sure there will be evidence, happiness trumps desperation every time.
There is plenty of evidence that fat shaming and unwanted opinion don't help with weight loss.
You've only one body enjoy it celebrate it and feel fabulous in your skin👍

Is there any real evidence that celebrating fatness makes fat people want to lose weight?

Apart from the people on this very thread who’ve said exactly how much easier accepting themselves and not being ashamed of their bodies anymore made losing weight you mean?

"I'm sure there will be evidence, happiness trumps desperation every time.
There is plenty of evidence that fat shaming and unwanted opinion don't help with weight loss."

That's why I favour not commenting on or mentioning weight at all, nobody wants or deserves shame and unwanted opinions about their body.

"Apart from the people on this very thread who’ve said exactly how much easier accepting themselves and not being ashamed of their bodies anymore made losing weight you mean?"

Yes don't count anonymous, unverified anecdotes.

If they had liver failure (the result of drinking too much), I guarantee people would judge. So again, it's fine to eat cake if you're a healthy bmi and post about it if you must, not so much if you're 20 stone.

It isn't 'discrimination' or 'fat shaming' it is a fact that when your over eating and excess drinking causes you to display the physical effects it is not fun or beautiful.

So posting about eating cake and drinking too much Prosecco is fine if you’re one of those slim people who can eat and drink what they want, But not if it shows on your body?

Nobody is saying fat people should hide away, nobody is saying they hate fat people - both ridiculous statements.

You can acknowledge a crisis without feeling one way or another about it. It’s not faux concern to mention the NHS and the impact obesity has on waiting lists and finances. I see it everyday, nearly every patient on our waiting list is overweight and diabetic. Some of them are very young for the type of treatment they now need as a result of being overweight. Consultants say they never saw people in that age group needing the treatment they now need 20-30 years ago.

So yes it does grate when people seem to be promoting looking and being overweight.

@JustLyra

Is there any real evidence that celebrating fatness makes fat people want to lose weight?

Apart from the people on this very thread who’ve said exactly how much easier accepting themselves and not being ashamed of their bodies anymore made losing weight you mean?

And what about the people on this thread that have said that "body positivity" toxic bullshit made them feel helpless for years and that was only by refusing to 'accept' their body anymore and honestly accepting that they were unhealthy due to their choices that they were able to take control and change? That as a result their lives changed utterly and they are so, so, so much happier fit and healthy? Actually genuinely happy instead of pretending that we're fine with how we looked and felt.

There’s a difference between “I am beautiful woman at any size” and “I am healthy at any size”. If you’re in despair with no self esteem, that’s a much harder position to get out of than accepting where you are and what needs to change to change to become healthier.

Is there any real evidence that celebrating fatness makes fat people want to lose weight?

It may not make them want to lose weight more than they have already wished to do. I am fairly sure that most people who 'celebrate fatness' have tried unsuccessfully to lose weight for many years; and have given up the attempt and moved on to self-acceptance. People who just don't care are unlikely to be preoccupied with their weight either in a 'shame' or 'celebration' sense.

However, what it may do is make fat people more willing to take exercise. Many overweight people are reluctant to exercise in front of others because they are afraid of the other people looking at or judging their bodies. If they have come to accept and even 'celebrate' themselves, they are less likely to be thus deterred from exercising.

I certainly don't want anyone to feel ashamed, but - as an overweight person myself - would really just rather that nobody commented on my weight, size or health at all. Why can't a woman's weight just be something that nobody feels the need to comment on at all?

I do agree with that!

I don't think that believing the celebration of obesity is a bad thing (and agreeing that celebrating curves is not good) is remotely the same as hating fat people.

I don't think that there is any celebration of obesity as such in our society. There may be celebrations of good food and of alcohol; a lack of celebration of exercise. But not obesity. That is seen negatively, and often makes people a target for bullying, scorn, harsh criticism, exclusion, and at the best, being ignored. Especially if they're female.

Some women end up reacting to this by celebrating their own curves and obesity. It's the opposite side of the fatshaming coin. It would be good if the coin didn't exist at all, and if people were not valued or scorned for their body size. It would be better if people were less preoccupied with their own and others' appearance in either direction. But sometimes it can make a woman less miserable to move from hating their body to 'celebrating' it. And being miserable long-term is not good for health, any more than being overweight is.

'I don't think that believing the celebration of obesity is a bad thing (and agreeing that celebrating curves is not good) is remotely the same as hating fat people.'

Exactly.

I was thin/ slim for all my childhood, teens and twenties. Then a range of physical and mental health problems hit in my 30s along with natural middle age spread and side effects from various meds. I have ballooned and am now obese and a size 16 (biggest was a size 18 - I'm only 5'2). I am working hard to lose weight, but it is slow progress despite being very active and not eating much. It's taken 6 months of really trying to lose one stone and there's 2.5 as a minimum to go.

I don't celebrate being obese, but I do celebrate milestones. I also think I scrub up well and can look nice despite being obese. I also don't think being fat defines me. But unfortunately, how I look is often considered more important than intellectual, family, or work achievements. I wonder if many people saying they're embracing their curves are just really trying to push back and say they still achieve in life and can look good despite being obese? It's not an easy balance to strike on terms of messaging, tbh it is probably a problem more rooted in the fact that women seem to be valued more for our appearances than what we can do.

Ffs please STOP obsessing about the size of women!
Tend your own garden people & try seeing people's value as more than a fucking dress size 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

'Ffs please STOP obsessing about the size of women!'

And men.

Not 'obsessing' just not celebrating obesity. I'm all for supporting and encouraging people to be healthy and confident.