New York Times’ article on fat people’s struggle to gain social acceptance has reminded me my childhood when I had constantly tried to fit in among the kids. I was not fat or “full-figured”, but I was often the last one picked for backyard football or basketball games. I was disappointed and felt discriminated because I thought I was a better athlete than other kids. But I played hard and gained acceptance with occasional heroic touchdown catches or three-point baskets. My childhood struggle to gain acceptance has made me feel sympathetic with people who are considered obese or overweight. However, the “full-bodied-figure” advocates quoted in New York Times makes me wonder if they are in the state of denial that their health is in jeopardy. I never judge overweights as long as the individual makes the effort to be healthy. I agree that people should cherish and love the way they look. But when an individual has gained weight from bad eating habit or lack of exercising, they have no one to blame but themselves if they are targeted as lazy and unmotivated. Had I not tried my hardest in the backyard pickup games, I would had had only myself to blame when I was neglected at the playground. Please, don’t get me wrong; I work in the fitness industry and my job is to promote healthy living but not deprivation. My job is to help people become an efficient human being - slow aging process, staying flexible and not getting hurt, and being energetic day in and day out. Let’s be honest to ourselves, are we eating healthy and having the minimal amount of exercises (30 minutes of moderate intensity) everyday? If you can look at yourself in the mirror and answer yes to those two questions, then you can blog all you want about fatosphere. Otherwise, don’t hate when you are the last one to be picked for the pickup game.
5 responses so far ↓
Minji // Jan 23, 2008 at 7:21 pm
I think that as long as the individual is aware of the consequences, it’s fine for them to be complacent about the lifestyle they choose.
I also think it’s unfair to only target “fat” people. There are plenty of people who are bigger even though they eat well and exercise regularly, and on the other end of the spectrum, there are plenty of people who are thin but have horrible eating habits and never exercise.
In the end, I feel that while your health is really important, you shouldn’t deprive yourself from indulging in that Big Mac with large fries from time to time, if that’s what you’re craving.
charles // Jan 23, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Hey Reggie. One alarming aspect of that article I have noticed is the way these “fatosphere” bloggers tend to use absolute terms to describe themselves and others, stating that it’s ok to use the word ‘fat’ to describe them (no self-respecting person should accept that). And then a quote taken from a fatosphere blogger: “No fat acceptance advocate is saying you should sit around and wildly overeat. What we’re saying is that exercise and a balanced diet do not make everyone thin.” The problem I see here is the use of absolute terms like fat and thin when judging oneself. Afterall, what’s fat and what’s thin is all relative to who’s asking. What is universally true is that exercising and a balanced diet can get someone thinNER, while overeating and not exercising will get you fatTER. I think people ought to focus more on reasonable, achievable goals to getting thinNER, as opposed to taking one glance at the finish line and throwing their hands up in defeat and pretending that they’re fine how they are, as it appears many of these bloggers are doing.
Dawn // Jan 23, 2008 at 7:40 pm
As someone in the healthcare profession, I know that sometimes people are overweight because there is something much deeper that is plaguing them; such as depression because of something that has happened to them during their life. They are not depressed because they are “fat” but “fat” because they are depressed and eating is the mechanism that they use to cope. Some people are more resilient than others and have better coping mechanisms.
In some cultures, being overweight is a good thing. For instance, in the Polynesian culture, men think that overweight women are beautiful, and that is the way that they prefer them to be.
I believe that many things effect a person’s weight or how they view themselves…personal issues, culture, society, etc.
Yes, being overweight puts one more at risk for things such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, etc. etc.
The media does not help this issue, they are constantly feeding us images of “stars” that are so thin, they look like they could break…which isn’t good either.
The public as a whole, needs to be educated about a healthy lifestyle. They need to be shown that there are many healthy options and that they can better themselves. I feel that a lot of things are mind over matter…if one believes that they can better themselves, then they will.
It’s not fair to judge people based on their weight because there are many different facets that make up a person.
pk // Jan 23, 2008 at 8:05 pm
As Patrick Bateman says in American Psycho: “You can always be thinner… look better.”
I think this sort of fat-people-ranting effect also reflects how obsessed many people are these days with fitness, eating well, and body image. Sure, taking care of yourself is important, but maybe the saturation of perfect body pics in the media, the pressure to look super thin or fit, and the wagging finger of society at anything trans fatty has some people fed up and wanting to vent a little. I don’t see much harm in it - just how the Internet is a good platform for such voices. In the end, it’s their lives and their health - I don’t see the sense in looking at them too harshly.
anonymous // Jan 23, 2008 at 8:12 pm
nice incite. I think it still hurts to hear someone call you fat, regardless of how you entered the fatosphere in the first place. Whether by ones own lack of effort or alacrity to be fit, being fat and being called fat suck; worse if you’re trying to lose the weight. and for those who show no effort in losing weight, its just another reminder that the mirror isn’t broken. Even if they don’t care that they are out of shape, name calling still stings.
I think being fat is subjective anyways…unless you’re morbidly obese.
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