Fat Acceptance Movement

Taylor Mopress, Introduction to Sociology 2016

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Introduction

Historically, curvy, voluptuous women were considered idealistic. However, in today’s society, Americans who are overweight and obese undergo negative stigma and discrimination every day. From institutions such as health care and educational facilities to the workplace, there are common beliefs and norms surrounding what constitutes as a healthy ‘normal’ weight, and within all of these environments there is often this idea that people who are overweight are lazy, unmotivated, and lack self discipline. In an effort to combat this, members within the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, also known as the NAAFA, are aiming to re-create these norms and subdue the limitations that overweight people face on a daily basis. By advocating that people can be healthy at any size, and challenging society’s current idea of beauty, groups such as the NAAFA have become the main leaders within the fat acceptance movement. However, as many know when trying to change one’s social environment and the cultural ideals that already comfortably exist for so many, society always responds.

Below are specific questions in regards to the fat acceptance movement that many have sought out to answer:

‘Will accepting that being overweight or obese is fine…lead to behaviors that are not unhealthy?’

‘Can you be fat and fit?’

‘Is body image as important as heath?’

‘Does Health at Every Size Actually Exist?’

By going through quantitative and qualitative data regarding the fat acceptance movement, and answering questions raised by the media, doctors, and citizens alike, I will be able to obtain a deeper understanding and position as to whether or not such a movement is benefitting society in the best way possible and if there is more action that needs to happen to ensure such a movement is not actually detrimental for individuals who are overweight and obese.

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Position Statement

After assessing and analyzing multiple resources containing videos, articles, and personal experiences in regards to the fat acceptance movement, I have come to my own personal conclusion that while it has been proven that obesity is detrimental towards one’s health, I strongly believe that our current social environment and culture need to be more accepting of people who are considered overweight. The fact that this particular community faces discrimination, bias, and harassment on a daily basis is unacceptable. Especially when someone feels that they are constantly living in an environment that is endangering them. The worst part of it all, is the reminder that the concept of a “normal weight” is simply a socially constructed idea that was created to classify people as having higher and lower status. While these factors are frustrating, it is still important to keep in mind that there are serious health risks associated with being overweight and that while healthy at every size may not be entirely correct, beauty at every size always will be.  

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Is The Weight Acceptance Movement Bad for Our Health?

In Is the weight acceptance movement bad for our health? an article posted on CNN, Tammy Worth explores how organizations and business today are redefining what beauty means in our current society, “…but, [she challenges], is that message undermining [people’s] health and allowing overweight people… to become complacent?”. Through a woman’s personal experiences as well as expert opinion, Worth does a successful job in answering this question. She begins with a story from Deb Lemire, who also happens to be the president of the Association for Size Diversity and Health, “a group that advocates that people can be healthy at any size”. Since she was ten years old, she was told she was overweight, so what she wants for the children of this country is to encourage healthy behaviors, and let them know that any size is okay. However, some are concerned that if we accept “…that being overweight or obese is fine – [are we undermining] the progress [that is] being made towards things like heart health?” When exploring the question of ‘can you be fat and fit?’ experts have all agreed that being overweight is not good for one’s health, especially your heart, states Worth. However, research conducted at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of Southern California, suggests that some people can actually be overweight and healthy, as stated by Michelle May, M.D., “We use obesity as a marker of whether someone is not practicing a healthy lifestyle, but that does not determine if they are making healthy eating choices, are physically active, etc.”. On the other hand, Stephen Nicholls, M.D., is concerned that the fat acceptance movement may communicate the wrong overall idea that being overweight or obese is not a health issue, when it is. “Obesity is the single greatest public health problem we face in the US today,” Nicholls states. So is the weight acceptance movement actually bad for our health? It may seem like there are two very different positions being presented, however, all of the doctors have agreed that being overweight is an indicator of an unhealthy lifestyle. While there is factual evidence in the doctor’s favor, there is no specific proof that advocating health at any size is increasing obesity within America today, and therefore bad for our health.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/01/06/fat.acceptance/index.html#

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In the video Women Debate Fat Acceptance published by the cable news network, CNN, through video-sharing website, YouTube, it is made clear that there is a particular stance the news source is taking – while they may title the videotape as a “debate” it is extremely apparent as to who feels more empowered, correct, and confident in their statements and responses. In the first few seconds of the video, Julianne Wotasik, a member of the NAAFA, “agrees that there is stigma that [she] has to deal with every day because [of her weight]”, and goes on to explain that she believes in health at every size. While Meme Ross, a member of National Action Against Obesity, has an overall different outlook on the movement, she does agree with Wotaski in the sense that people should not feel demeaned by their size and expresses the importance of daily exercise – as you cannot be healthy without it, she states. However, where they come into disagreement, is in regards to feeling good about one’s self when participating in actions that are self destructive for one’s body and health. The other member of the NAAFA, who was not named, rebuttals Ross’s opinion by stating that the health at every size approach does indeed work, but Ross continues to strongly express her views for the remainder of the video, aggressively questioning the NAAFA members, talking over them in an exclamatory tone, and claiming that health at every size is a lie.

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A Socially Acceptable Injustice

In Weight Discrimination: A Socially Acceptable Injustice, Doctor Rebecca Puhl breaks down how social interactions and environments differ for people that are obese, the difference between stigma and discrimination, the commonality of weight discrimination and how it is on the rise, as well as what legal action can be taken for victims of weight discrimination. As the Director of Research and Weight Stigma Initiatives at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, Dr. Puhl is a highly credible and reliable source to be interacting with and gathering information from as she is responsible for research and policy efforts aimed at reducing weight bias in the United States. What her input provides is an aspect that not all people who are over-weight are comfortable, willing, and knowledgeable to share. Dr. Puhl’s research has shown that “weight bias remains very socially acceptable in North American culture; it is rarely challenged, and often ignored… Many obese individuals report being treated with less respect or courtesy than thinner persons and being called names or insults because of their weight. Thus, weight stigma can emerge in subtle forms, or it can be expressed directly.” In Dr. Puhl’s case, there is still a lot to be combated when it comes to bias, stigma, and discrimination in social environments, as well as in legal forms - two of the key propositions the fat acceptance movement and NAAFA stand by. While her research and studies do not approve or disapprove that health at any size is a statement to be confirmed true, another key proposition the NAAFA holds, she can confirm that the weight discrimination does exist, it is only rising, and that it highly affects up to 75% of very obese men and women. Over the span of 10 years, the prevalence of obesity discrimination increased by 66%. Dr. Puhl has accepted that in order to decrease every day bias that people who are overweight face, there will need to be “major shifts in societal attitudes… to ensure that obese persons receive equitable treatment.”

Link: http://www.obesityaction.org/educational-resources/resource-articles-2/weight-bias/weight-discrimination-a-socially-acceptable-injustice