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Fascinating that the predominant response to “hey, stigmatizing fat people isn’t leading to fewer fat people, and only leads to negative physical & mental health outcomes” seems to be “that’s just because we haven’t stigmatized them ENOUGH!”
Just very, very revealing.
Just very, very revealing.
Among other things, it reveals that the person advocating going harder on anti-fat bias likely doesn’t have many (any?) fat friends & loved ones. And if they do, those fat friends & loved ones aren’t opening up about their experiences with anti-fat bias.
The data is extremely clear:
The vast majority of fat people have experienced staggering levels of anti-fat bias.
Anti-fat bias harms our physical health, our mental health, and our relationships.
And anti-fat bias doesn’t make fat people thin. (It usually makes us fatter.)
The vast majority of fat people have experienced staggering levels of anti-fat bias.
Anti-fat bias harms our physical health, our mental health, and our relationships.
And anti-fat bias doesn’t make fat people thin. (It usually makes us fatter.)
If that data & the experiences of countless fat people aren’t enough for you to believe that anti-fat bias isn’t helping, take some time to reflect on why you’re so invested in publicly shaming & rejecting fat people.
It’s not helping us. So what’s the payoff for you?
It’s not helping us. So what’s the payoff for you?
With genuine curiosity: what do you get out of insisting that fat people be publicly rejected at every turn?
Does it make you feel like your body is an earned virtue to insist that ours are failures?
Does it make you feel like your diet is somehow more worthwhile?
Does it make you feel like your body is an earned virtue to insist that ours are failures?
Does it make you feel like your diet is somehow more worthwhile?
Does scapegoating fat people make you feel like you’ve got control over your social capital, or your own health/mortality?
Are you reenacting anti-fat behaviors you were taught early on?
If anti-fat bias didn’t benefit you, you likely wouldn’t be this invested. So what is it?
Are you reenacting anti-fat behaviors you were taught early on?
If anti-fat bias didn’t benefit you, you likely wouldn’t be this invested. So what is it?
I’m asking all of these questions not to heap scorn on people who hold biases against fat people, but to help get to the root of it. Of course you’re biased. We all are.
But if you can’t uproot your own anti-fat bias—and take a long look at yourself—you’re gonna keep harming us.
But if you can’t uproot your own anti-fat bias—and take a long look at yourself—you’re gonna keep harming us.
Also, to be clear, these are questions for individual reflection. Not looking for big hypotheses or Twitter fights here—neither usually lead us to growth. Genuinely asking folks to do some solo reflection on yourselves, not others.
Accordingly, I’m muting this thread.
Accordingly, I’m muting this thread.
