Glorifying obsesity

[Poppybob]

I find it bizarre that media and social platforms are glorifying obesity. Am not talking about people putting pictures of themselves on social media and living their lives in general, and am NOT saying overweight/obese people should be hiding.... but actual social media stars who are promoting obesity and how good/gorgeous they are etc etc. It's unhealthy!!! Takes 10-20years off your life! The Co - morbidities from being dangerously overweight alone can shorten your life. It's on par with smoking it's so bad for your health. And I worry about my kids looking at this and thinking that it will be OK for them to be very overweight.

It's because most people are overweight now myself included. Advertisers are just advertising to their audience. I don't slim people will ever be in the majority ever again .

It reminds me of this

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p1DviQ9mva0

@EmeraldFox

I had a egc for medication and my heart was good and GP said the machine was wrong because I'm fat. Sent me for an ultrasound and that said I only have 1% chance of a stroke or heart attack in the next ten years. So it was the NHS that wasted the money not myself. You can watch a documentary about how predicues are holding back treatment for fat people and they get worse and then it cost them more and the NHS. I was 30kg lighter 4 years about and told my problem was to lose weight. Now gone private found problems I had my hold life that came at me and because I couldn't walk put on weight. And if you don't look at it from both sides you are fatphobic. Just had day surgery and climbed up on the bed myself. NHS doesn't help myself. I don't cost them anymore than when I was thinner.

I actually like some of these ads. Particularly the ones showing larger women doing something active. Being on the larger side myself I find, there are a lot of mental barriers to engaging in exercise, from worrying about judgement to believing I’m just far too large to move myself in particular ways. These preconceived barriers have been harder for me to navigate than anything else, so I find it quite helpful if I see an ad of a larger dancer of example.

@AllOfThemWitches

I'm obese. I don't eat very much. Years ago a nutritionist told me I was obese because don't eat enough, so my body holds onto fat as it senses a famine.

i tried to eat 3x a day, the food they advised, against my better judgement. I got fatter.

now I low carb, I rarely eat during the day, mostly just OMAD. As a vegetarian it's difficult to find low carb protein, but I do my best.

i eat far fewer calories than anyone I know & absolutely no one I know thinks I need to eat less .

kind of blowing your fat people are fat because they can't stop eating bullshit right out of the window!!

I do agree though, that I do not think anyone sees obese people (models/actors/in the street) & thinks OMG I really MUST put on weight!

@JessieLongleg

Ithink you have tagged the wrong person, I haven't anything posted about the NHS wasting money.

I'm obese. I don't eat very much. Years ago a nutritionist told me I was obese because don't eat enough, so my body holds onto fat as it senses a famine.

I thought this was a myth. I'd go back to the Dr then because if you're eating very few calories and moving enough, you shouldn't be obese.

Just responding to your first sentence - when I was their age (or what I think their ages are), I was very fit, I walked miles every day, swam, etc etc. I was also morbidly obese. However I was not 'healthy', I might not have had the markers at that time for pre diabetes and cholesterol etc etc, but it was all being stored up. What I didnt know then was that just processing fat and having fat around your organs is storing up trouble and is dangerous even if you are 'fit' and you're active.

So the health implications are just as bad, its denial to suggest they are not

Now I weigh less than I did then when I was doing all that activity and am not as fit. But long term damage has been done I suspect from holding all that weight for so long

Its been debunked 100 times over.

Plus, even if eating too little did slow your metabolism down, it'll be extremely minimal and will certainly never be the cause of obesity.

I can't think of any examples of obesity being glorified and some of things I've seen on here like deodorant and car adverts don't really support the argument.

Lizzo is celebrated because she's talented, not because she's fat. She just happens to be fat and doesn't hate herself, heaven forbid. She wears what every other pop star wears but it drives a lot of people wild, presumably because they don't think she should be allowed to feel good in her own skin.

As far as I'm aware there isn't a minimum BMI for models in the UK either, and I can't see anything online to support this? Plus sized models make up a very small percentage of models, far too small to be representative.

They're not 'glorifying' exercise!!!

The ads are selling a product which they are saying is just as effective on people who are being very physical. So sanitary protection which doesnt move about when someone is doing something like ice skating, deoderant which is working despite an exercise class

They just happen to have chosen (this time) to use very large actors for the part, they dont always. Dont be so naive to think its some sort of 'exercise is good at any size' message, its to sell a product and point out how hard the product works.

I dont know about the car selling one, she was just jumping out the car and doing a silly dance, same as the blokes in the insurance one in stupid high heels and things. Probablly just to grab peoples attention

Call it what you like, it's great to see larger women exercising as much as smaller women. I see it as a positive thing, it's inspiring women to not write off exercise for themselves just because they don't fit 'norms'. The ice-skating woman is amazing.

But you go ahead and see it as a cynical stunt if you like and I'll take back my agreeing with you as we clearly don't.

It is a myth. A nutritionist is not a doctor or a qualified healthcare professional. No one is obese because they eat too little

Some people maybe obese because their medication or medical condition makes them gain weight, and therefore a normal diet makes them larger than most. But it's still not that they are eating too little

come on @AllOfThemWitches, how much is your mass, how many kcal / day do you eat to maintain that / not gain weight.

I am not sure I've actually seen an advert glorifying obesity.

I've never once watched an advert, or seen an obese model and wanted their body. I've never tried to eat more to become fat. How many times have you done this?

I genuinely don't know a single person who has tried to become fat. I don't know a single overweight person trying to gain weight.

Overweight/obese people shouldn't have to hide away. You can be body positive and know you are unhealthy, and be trying to lose weight. Shame and embarrassment don't generally help people lose weight, especially not when they are addicted to food

I eat between 1500 - 2000 calories a day and have a BMI of 22. I also cycle daily and go to the gym regularly. Is that OK?

cool. Am glad you didn't say you exercise 6 hours a day and eating anything more than 800 kcal/day tips you into being horrifically overweight.

I have seen posts like that on MN.

I think the vast majority of people who are overweight/obese do not have a psychological issue (food addiction, disordered eating) which causes this

Its extremely easy to eat too much, a little bit here, a little bit there, going out for dinner, the odd takeaway, calorie dense food, upfs which essentially mainline calories into us. Humans are designed to seek out calorific and fatty foods, its a survival mechanism and being so clever humans have designed a society where that is easy to do.

Its suits the narrative to claim there are special reasons, and there will be these issues for some but not for the vast majority

Is there something particular about the UK and US psyche that means we have more psychological issues than other countries where they dont have as big an issue with obesity (although those countries are also increasing with the problem). No, its as someone said above like a social contagion/environmental issue which makes being overweight ok. Im a victim (so to speak) of this as much as anyone else.

Im also amazed at the number of people who have come onto this thread and immediately started getting angry and defensive claiming that fat people are being called or viewed as 'disgusting'. I havent seen one post to that effect. Its impossible to discuss this with that sort of attitude.

Just another observation. My current measurements are around a size 20. Ive been out buying things this weekend in a number of shops, size 16. In fact in a couple of the items I could have just about got into a 14.

Pure vanity sizing.

Finding that with Zara atm. 'Medium' is enormous now.

Most people find the opposite with zara and its been widely criticised for inconsistent sizing. A zara medium has always been advertised as a 10-12. Your BMI is 22 so I'd expect that to be too big for you?

I agree too

Maybe. Usually an 8-10 which I assumed was a medium. I love Zara but the sizing is odd sometimes, trousers are always far too long as well.

Are you worried that slim or midsize people will see these ads "glorifying obesity" and start to feel really awful and self-loathing and wish they could be obese too?

@ThewaytoAmarula no it's that it is normalising obesity and means that people will have less incentive to lose weight