Fat/Size Acceptance

[GothAnneGeddes]

I'm not sure if we have a thread on this yet, so apologies if we have and I've missed it.

I think of all the toxic, time-wasting shite women have to put up with, Diet Culture aka Be Thin and Win, is one of the most widespread. It is the unholy triumvirate of body policing, self hatred and bad science.

I thought this was a really interesting take on Jamie Oliver's new obesity campaign: shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2011/09/on-fat-hatred-and-eliminationism.html#disqus_thread

Would love to know what you all think

LRD - Here is a lovely Venn diagram:

fuckyeahfeminists.com/post/1126346134/a-venn-diagram-of-two-circles-one-marked-my

I love that Venn Diagram so much.

As a fat person myself the viewpoints on there are actuallty quite warped

the whole 'i will never not be fat' who says? sounds a bit defeatist and noone is born obese.

and the 'you get rid of fat you get of me' (not exact quote) your more than a lump of fat or a number on a weighing scale being fat isnt part of an intrinsic self

Being fat is not the same as being alcoholic. For most people, being fat doesn't impair their daily lives, damage their relationships, stop them from keeping a job.

Being 'fat' might not "impair their daily lives, damage their relationships, stop them from keeping a job" but being obese might very well do so. Ever heard of functioning alcoholics? There's a sliding scale from overweight to obese as to the impact on daily life/relationships etc, same as there's a sliding scale from functioning alcoholic to homeless wino. You asked if I can find a male equivalent to Oprah; I gave you one.

There's a higher rate of obesity in women than men, mostly for historic reasons to do with women's place in the home etc etc; there's a higher rate of alcoholism in men than in women for similar reasons.

I don't give a shiny shite about healthcare costs, but I think there's a danger that the message that obesity nearly always has a hugely negative impact on a person's health and life because people are not willing to accept responsibility in this regard, as evidenced by the mega-dramatic refusal to accept that obesity is mostly preventable in the blog linked to.

Goth - yes, that is funny!

Heiffer - The thing is, I'm pretty sure she doesn't mind being fat. As far as she's concerned she is fat and happy being fat. For her and others in the fat/size acceptance movement, being fat is not doom, it just is. People who confuse openly stating 'I am fat' with being defeatest or victimhood need to read a bit more.

Theala - I do not not accept your analogy. End of story.

And again, a few blogs in the face of overwhelming fat hatred and body policing throughout all media and backed up by the diet industry really isn't much of a danger is it?

Poor health due to social inequality is a real danger, but that's about far much more then fat.

It seems more conformity as well. To be accepted you must be slim and petite as magazines would make you believe

define fat in the context of this argument

are we talking a size 14

or re we talking higher or lower

you can't define fat as a dress size - it doesn't work.

BMI is flawed but is probably a better indicator than dress size... and the evidence seems to show that a 'overweight' BMI is not a significant risk factor in ill health but an 'obese' BMI is.

i would say that society judges anybody in real life with an 'overweight' BMI as 'fat' (certainly any woman) whereas in the world the media inhabit even a 'normal' BMI can be considered 'curvey'.

Heiffer - The thing is, I'm pretty sure she doesn't mind being fat. As far as she's concerned she is fat and happy being fat. For her and others in the fat/size acceptance movement, being fat is not doom, it just is. People who confuse openly stating 'I am fat' with being defeatest or victimhood need to read a bit more.

I think shes being defeatisit saying she wont have a life without obesity thats its shocking more people arent sadddened by that, I sure if she was anorexic the blog would be viewed as pro- anna. beinbg overweight/underweight is UNHEALTHY.

And as dittany has said Jamie focuses on food/nutrition not 'get into a size 8 yer fat cow!'

I think the fat = unhealthy link needs to be broken.

true to an extent but being very large in mass will create sluggishness etc I think there perhaps needs to be more of a balance?

Society has turned into an obesity witch hunt lately.

"Theala - I do not not accept your analogy. End of story. "

Oh right. Well, I think you're talking complete bollocks. End of story.

Gee, isn't this an interesting and respectful debate?

The Jamie Oliver petition is to encourage healthier foods in schools to stop children from becoming obese. Whatever you do as an adult is ultimately your responsibility. You can eat till you explode for all I fucking care. But inflicting obesity on children is morally wrong. End of story.

But who's doing the inflicting Theala? I posted a link upthread about food deserts, that's a really good place to start.

"So what can we take away from the most recent studies? If other scientists replicate the findings of the Swedish and Women?s Health Study-based reports, the message is clear if disconcerting: being overweight, even if you have sterling blood-cholesterol levels or a firm commitment to exercise, does increase your risk of heart disease, and you should probably try to lose the extra pounds."

well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/06/phys-ed-can-you-be-overweight-and-still-be-healthy

I think taking Turkey Twizzler's off the menu is an excellent idea. Most school dinners were chips, chips and chips with perhaps a sausage roll on the side. My children now have a nice cooked meal every day using local ingreedients, more choice of dessert (fruit, yogurt or a cooked dessert such as apple crumble) and their food choices have expanded massively. Chips is a once a week food on Friday (fish and chips). I don't think their new menu screams 'diet' or 'be thin or else', it's just stopped being simply appalling non-food.

jamie oliver gets on my nerves on a personal level - i feel he is preachy, and the people who are listening to his sermons are the converted.

i liked what he did in schools, of course if you are giving your childs nutrition to the school - the school should have a duty of care not to stuff your child with uttr processed, salted shit.

however this then became coupled with what parents provide, schools providing nurtritional information

lunchbox monitors not allowing a penguin ffs.

there is a clear cultural revolution that needs to take place. imo this requires investment in parents - on many levels, one of those being food

what i don't like is our school systems being abused in orwellian fashion for teachers time and precious resources to be compulsorily ploughed into a teaching healthy eating, when teachers should teach academia - and parents should teach healthy eating. parents can't do this if they don't know. if the infrastructure and learning and encouragement, if the carrott and the stick is not there.

non of this will ever be enforced of course.

I completely agree with the comparisson between obesity and alcoholism.

I say this as a person who used to play netball for the county, run regularly, had a washboard stomach and a real passion for fitness and exercise. Fast forward 10 years and I am immobile, weigh in excess of 20stone and can only dream of fitting in the size 20 dress.

My weight crept up over the years as my grip on food spiraled out of control in much the same way an alcoholic loses control. It is a slow and painful way to kill yourself and one that effects not just you but your family and friends and everything you do. I am unable to look after myself and have to be cared for as does an alcoholic.

The journey you go on as a morbidly obese person is exactly the same as that of a severe alcoholic. Every over weight person or person who enjoys their food runs the risk of getting to my size and every person who likes a drink runs the risk of becoming an alcoholic.

On the up side I have just lost 3 stone recently and am more mobile than I have been for years I won't bow to societal pressures to become a size xy or z but am aiming for a healthy lifestyle. That is what should be promoted not body image.

Dittany - I would just like the focus to be completely removed from the word obesity (which is mentioned several times on that JO webpage) and completely on nutrition.

Generally, I think the fact it is termed an 'obesity epidemic' and the way it has developed into a fully fledged moral panic is something we should question. More about this here: www.spiked-online.com/articles/0000000CADA2.htm

Oh boy, medical advice from a lawyer with a book to sell.

Now look up "rate of diabetes" and see what you find.