Is fatphobia a real thing?

[AnxiousApocalypse]

Having watched the Panorama documentary on the Met Police and the police officer making rude comments about a fat woman and how "she was so fat she had two pussies", I'm wondering how much hate and disgust most people truly have against fat people? I'm not excusing it and saying it's not dangerous for your health to be overweight or obese, but surely being rude and ignorant isn't the answer?

What do you mean you aren't excusing it? There are lots of reasons people are overweight and none of them your business.

But anyway, of course no one should be rude about anyone's appearance and of course prejudice against fat people exists.

I think there’s quite a lot. Even if not spoken out loud. Hopefully most people keep negative thoughts about others to themselves.

Your title and post don’t match up, I'm not sure what you’re asking, or, tbh, what his insult meant. Yes, lots of people are cruel about other people who are overweight.

I’ve noticed that now I’m obese, people treat me very differently. They look down on me and clearly make assumptions.

Yes it is.

No OP of course it's not.

No-one ever slags off fat people, ever 🙄🙄🙄

Nobody should be rude to overweight people, but the narrative that a lot of fat activist pedal is also dangerous. Obesity kills. And it considerably lowers your quality of life. I have a cousin who went full on fat acceptance. She is now well over 400 pounds in her late twenties and can't work, rarely leaves the house and will most likely be dead in ten years.

I don't think anyone has "hate" for obese people. It's just that people feel superior because, quite honestly, slim looks so much more attractive.

Yes, the average-sized look down on the obese. I was obese most of my life and don’t I know it! Currently merely overweight and people treat me better. I think those who haven’t had a weight problem don’t realise it’s not something people have chosen. It can be for multiple reasons and it is extremely hard to shed that weight. Almost impossible. The times I wished I was skinny after some rude comment or other - but I couldn’t just wish myself thin!

Well people judge all manner of things. Particularly ones that most people, not all, before you start, can do something about. Some people judge smokers, fat people, people who have botox or turkey teeth.

As long as you don't make the judgement visible or let it affect your interactions with said people that's OK with me.

Slim people die too. Most people are not so fat they can’t work. It’s not about being lazy or stupid - it can actually be due to working damned hard but being deskbound and unable to make time to eat properly. It is of course better to be the right weight. Which is why I’ve found the negativity about people using medication to achieve that quite baffling. But it definitely exists. I assume that is because the “attractive” people don’t want to lose their competitive advantage?

I think GLP-1 are great. And highly recommend them if that's what you want to do. I'm aware slim people die. I'm a healthy weight but have a chronic health condition that will affect my quality of life later on. I maintain a healthy weight so I can extend my quality of life. One side of my family has always struggled with weight, and very few of them have made it past 70, and their quality of life was terrible. Diabetes and very limited mobility, it's a terrible way to live.

Not in the same way all the other phobias or ism's are OP - because similar to ageism - you and people you love will almost all face it at some point, even if just temporarily.

Most people look down on fat people.

That's just the reality.

Oh Mumsnet is full of a fat phobics.

Have you ever had a look at the “what do you eat in a day” or “is this a lot for one day” type of threads?

It exists OP. Skinny phobia also exists, not to the same degree though. But larger women deny it exists from my experience.

There's an awful lot of prejudice against overweight people. I wasn't aware of it myself until fairly recently but I've been seeing an increase in it. While obesity does increase the risk of a number of health problems, being underweight is actually more dangerous to your health than being overweight is, but people don't realise that. People have a very distorted idea of the relationship between weight and health. I have lost a lot of weight and am now well underweight due to a gastrointestinal condition and people keep telling me I look really healthy, when I can't eat without awful pain. And I have friends who are overweight who have struggled to get serious medical conditions diagnosed which are nothing to do with weight, as doctors have blinkers on and think every symptom they have must be caused by their weight.

I’m curious to know what gives you doubts and uncertainty about being real @AnxiousApocalypse?
Is it that you haven’t witnessed people being treated poorly or discriminated against because of being fat?

or you have witnessed it, but feel it’s justified?

It is out business if obesity is rising, bc that impacts NHS, jobs etc etc.

That never excuses cruelty like that horrible policeman.

There is a lot of healthy food one can buy cheaply, cooking it doesn't have to be a huge challenge.

There is no time to cook anything if you are working long hours at your desk! Yes, of course cheap healthy food is the correct approach but the reasons for obesity are complex.

Luckily my weight problem has protected me for many years from ignorant idiots like the policeman on Panorama. I can lose weight but he will always be stupid!

I saw a thread where someone had written the below and I think it hits the nail on the head:

There is a lot of “love your body no matter your size” movement at the moment which is great, but I do think there is a point where promoting a morbidly obese or unhealthy underweight body is damaging.
I myself have come across the “love the skin you’re in” influencers who are very, very overweight and show themselves eating everything and anything in sight. They’re extremely overweight and I do feel this is promoting an it’s ok to be extremely unhealthy attitude.

Nobody should be sitting here promoting an unhealthy lifestyle, you start to tread in dangerous waters. We need to be realistic and honest with people, yes there are going to be a proportion of people who are eating well and exercising and still struggle to lose or keep weight off. But there is also a large proportion of people who eat far too much and don’t do any physical exercise and if we all did the same, we would all be in the same position too.
There’s no issue with loving the body you are in, but there gets a point where you have to wake up and be honest with yourself.

Being obese or unhealthily overweight, same as being anorexic or underweight shouldn’t be something we normalise. Nobody is saying you have to be size 6, size 8. It’s about being healthy in yourself

I think the long hours working at a desk is a poor excuse if I’m honest, as that would mean all office workers based on your statement should be obese/overweight.

Your diet should be determined by your level of activity. There are plenty of low calorie/healthy quick snacks that can be chosen rather than eating a diet that your activity level cannot match.

What do you think then?

There you go. People who’ve never struggled don’t get it. I’ve lived on a very low calorie diet for years and I burn at least 650 calories a day from exercise. I am still overweight although not obese. I need to watch weight like a hawk or it goes up again. My staple diet is salad. I’ve been obese/overweight since childhood. But still yourpatronise me.

What I have learned is I cannot eat the portions which are served to others as “regular meals”. I believe there is much more to be understood about metabolism.

I’m not particularly keen on the “body positivity” brigade. I don’t like being obese. And so I am myself a bit fatphobic and full of self-hatred. But it’s not as simple as “just eat less/move more” - it’s easier for some than others.