in my opinion: we need to talk about fat shaming
Back in May, Jordan Baker dared to write an article for the Women’s Weekly discussing the fact that obesity, a burgeoning health issue in the developed world, may not always be caused by something as simple as a healthy propensity for processed foods and aversion to physical activity. Speaking to a medical specialist, Baker made note of the fact that up to 70% of body size variation can be dictated by your genetic makeup. She also spoke to a woman who, having struggled with her weight for three decades, has not only tried every “cure” for obesity (pills, exercise, diets), but has also suffered from depression and bulimia.
I only read this article last week; a week previously I came across another article on weight – however this article had a slightly different message. It preferred to suggest that most of us females are actually fatties in denial. A study referenced by the article stated that one in four obese women is swanning around with a misjudged sense of body image – they think they’re healthy, but they’re not. Seeing yourself differently to how you really are physically is of course a real condition called Body Dysmorphic Disorder, however it is more commonly seen and discussed in cases where the patient is underweight, as with anorexia sufferers.
While this is the case, why is it that anorexia and bulimia are seen as severe psychiatric disorders, which much like depression, are a little more complicated to recover from than asking yourself a few New Age-sounding self help questions, such as, ‘Do I honour and respect my body the way I should’? Whereas those who are suffering what is seen to be the same disorder, albeit at the other end of the spectrum, are given a scolding? Rather than acceptance that they may be psychologically unwell (or not unwell at all – the BMI scale has widely been disputed as an inaccurate indication of body fat), they are condescended to and judged – essentially, they are being fat shamed.
Both the above articles had differing messages but the comments on the two articles (around 200 combined) had an overwhelmingly similar message – stop “enabling” obese people; stop allowing them to think that being fat is okay. An acquaintance posted the initial article on Facebook; one comment stated ‘I call bullshit on “I can’t lose weight cos [sic] my metabolism is slow or hormone issues or thyroid problems”’ whilst another derided ‘fat pride’.
Obesity is something that people are not afraid to be blunt about – it’s almost as if being fat negates having any sort of emotion or awareness of the culture surrounding obesity. A few of the commentators above attempted to soften their message by saying they too had once been fat! And with hard work and dedication they now aren’t! Surely if they can do it, anyone can! Well, no – that’s not how it works. If losing weight was easy, obesity wouldn’t be the problem that it is – we’d all look like Megan Gale and never wear pants ever again. The point is that losing weight is fucking hard for a large majority of people, which is why it is an achievement you should be proud of. But that achievement shouldn’t blind side you – surely being fat in the past would create some empathy towards to the kind of treatment overweight and obese people are subjected to everyday?
It is worth noting how both the articles I referenced above were aimed generally at women, especially the one about ice cream quaffing deniers and it goes without saying that the weight-loss culture surrounding women tends to be more consuming and insidious than that surrounding men – there is a much larger focus on body image. However, fat shaming is experienced by both men and women, and even people who consider themselves quite open minded in other areas, such as attitudes towards same sex marriage, for example, are guilty of holding prejudices towards people they do not know in any capacity – just because of how they look.
The link between an unhealthy lifestyle and obesity is undeniable, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other reasons that people become overweight. This means that unless you know the person well and are witnessing firsthand how poor dietary choices and a sedentary lifestyle are leading to obesity, it’s best to keep your judgey mouth shut. And if it is a close friend or relative, and you do wish to say something, it better be coming from a place of love and concern – fat people are fat, not dumb – they’ll sense your judgment and/or disgust a mile away and that sure as hell isn’t going to make them feel like putting down the deep fried brie.
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I’m the subject of that Woman’s Weekly article that supposedly inspired this, and I’m incredibly disappointed that the author of this piece has COMPLETELY missed the point of my story and my activism. This post only adds to the shaming and stigma of fat people.
Firstly, the line about “The link between an unhealthy lifestyle and obesity is undeniable” is absolutely untrue. Five minutes research into the subject will bring up several recent academic articles debunking that myth.
You cannot tell a single thing about someone by their weight, other than the measure of your own prejudice.
Secondly, even if they ARE indulging in “poor dietary choices and a sedentary lifestyle” it’s none of anyone’s business but their own. Health is personal and private, and indeed an arbitrary measure of someone’s wellbeing. Health has no moral value and does not measure how worthy another human being is.
But finally, the implication that fat people are just sitting around eating “deep fried brie” is so offensive that I actually don’t have words. I’ve never eaten “deep fried brie” in my life (though I wouldn’t mind giving it a try) and if I did, what I eat, and what I do with my body is MY business and nobody else’s.
This article only serves to push fat people into deeper stigmatisation than we already are.
With respect, I think you should reread the article. The writer doesn’t seem to be taking the kind of moral stance that you’ve interpreted the article as having.
There is an undeniable link between an unhealthy lifestyle (i.e. a lack of whole foods or a high consumption of high-calorie foods and a sedentary lifestyle) and obesity for many – dare I say it, most – obese individuals. This is not to say that there is any moral stance to be taken by acknowledging this – it is simply true. There are also some people who are genetically predisposed to being obese or who are obese for medical reasons which have nothing to do with their lifestyle – a fact which the author of the article makes clear. But suggesting that it is a “myth” that weight gain can be linked to poor diet and lack of exercise is frankly untrue and could be dangerous.
Furthermore, I would argue that it is other people’s business if people are indulging in unhealthy lifestyles. Governments are frequently told they should “do something” about the obesity crisis and there is huge pressure from the media and lobby groups for them to take this on. Of course it’s important that this is done in a sensitive way which doesn’t make people feel shamed (I agree with you that the example in the final line of this article was poorly-chosen) but the pressure that overweight and obesity put on the health system, not to mention the proven links between chronic disease (and therefore early death) and obesity-related illnesses mean that this is an issue which concerns all of society, not just the individuals who are overweight/obese. That is not a moral stance and that does not mean that fat people should be shamed or stigmatised or feel judged, but rather they should be enabled to make healthier choices and to understand the science of how their body works (in terms of energy consumption vs calories burned). This means a more educative method, rather than a shaming campaign. If after that education they continue to choose an unhealthy lifestyle, that is their choice and they shouldn’t be judged for it (just as I think it’s unfair to judge smokers) but I think a large part of the problem is that a lot of overweight people don’t know what is and isn’t healthy, or they have other barriers to having a healthy lifestyle (like an inability to cook, a time-poor lifestyle, or other environmental factors).
Wow. This whole article is just terrible. Not only do I wholeheartedly support everything Kath has said above, but I also ardently wish people would stop trying to write these kinds of pieces to begin with. It seems to be popular at the moment, the ‘some people are fat, here are some things other people have said about that, I don’t really know anything about it but my opinions on it are important anyway’ type articles. Your last paragraph is completely contradictory: you say you want people to stop judging others and yet that message is bookended by incredibly judgemental (and not to mention incorrect and offensive) statements.
Agreed with Kath. This article is ridiculous, especially the jab about deep-fried brie (wtf?). It’s basically saying “Shaming fat people is bad! So I’m going to shame fat people.” Seriously, I would suggest reading and thinking more about fat acceptance before the next time you try to talk about it.
Hi,
I’d like to apologise for the offence caused by what I wrote – it wasn’t my intention. Since the response to the article, I have done some reading, reading I perhaps should have done prior to publishing. It’s made it easier for me to see that in attempting a non-judgemental and light-hearted tone, I’ve come across as quite the opposite.
I don’t presume to be an expert (obviously) but this is a place for me to write on things I find topical – I’ve witnessed a lot of fat shaming lately and wanted to speak out against it, I abhor the thought I would be construed otherwise and again, I apologise for words that appear thoughtless and uninformed.
I found this piece particularly helpful:
http://lovelivegrow.com/2012/10/21-things-to-stop-saying-unless-you-hate-fat-people/
Thanks for the feedback and providing me with some food for thought (possibly deep fried brie).
Even if you know the person, and are speaking from “concern” – stow it. Health is not a moral imperative, and it’s none of your business. If you were really “concerned” you’d also be considering the person’s mental health and not adding to their distress by telling them something they already know. You talk of body dismorphia and say that fat women think they are healthy. Those are two completely different things. But I can nearly guarantee that most fat women know they are fat.
Jen – the Body Dysmorphia comment was referencing an article published by The Age 5.10.12 about women being in denial about their size. I was pointing out that it was misguided. The link is included in the piece.
Ruth – thank you for your apology. I wish more people would understand that a simple “I got it wrong and I’m sorry, I will try to do better next time.” does so much better than trying to justify something that is wrong.
The article you link to is an AWESOME one, and I hope LOTS of people read it.
Agreed. Thank you for the apology, and for doing some reading. Issa’s post is great!
I’ve been told to lose weight since before I was actually fat, but I wore a larger size of clothes than most girls my age because I had much larger breasts than most girls my age, that was enough to put my weight up.
I’ve had back problems since I was a teenager, not bad to start with but the slowly got worse, again I was told to lose weight, I dieted repeatedly, suffer mild depression where I forget to eat most days and still got bigger, I took the pill to control my heavy, painful periods which nobody told me could make it harder to lose weight. Fast forward to now and I have sever pain issues in my back, I am obese and I’m still being told to just lose weight as if it were as simple as deciding to do it and becoming a size 12 over night, I’m too broad shouldered and large chested to be any smaller and that might be too small for my body frame.
By focusing solely on my weight and ignoring how active I was as a teenager and not telling me how to develop my back muscles to compensate for the size of my chest I have spent all my adult life feeling like I’ve failed. Turns out that no matter how thin I get I’ll have back problems because I have a huge chest and I can’t do several types of exercise because of pain and lack of properly fitting clothes to support me.
If I’d been treated like a worth while individual then I would be in a much better place today and some of my physical problems would not be problems.
Now imagine I were disabled too and would never be able to get better, when you write people off because of the way they look you give them substandard care and then tell them it’s their fault.
We need to stop caring about what people look like and treat everyone with basic human dignity and respect, otherwise you are saying that because they look one way they aren’t as good as you.
You can treat everyone with respect and dignity and be part of the solution or you can imply some people deserve to have crap heaped on them and be part of the problem. It’s really that simple.
Hi Ruth,
I liked your article. Don’t let the hateful comments get you down – these people are so angry that they can no longer tell their friends from their foes.
Keep up the good work!