Body positivity / Fat acceptance

[Hispo]

Body positivity / Fat acceptance

Source of picture: Fat, happy and healed: A movement toward fat liberation

According to wikipedia:

Body positivity is a social movement that promotes a positive view of all bodies, regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender, and physical abilities. Proponents focus on the appreciation of the functionality and health of the human body instead of its physiological appearance.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_positivity

The fat acceptance movement (also known by various other names, such as fat pride, fat empowerment, fat liberation, and fat activism) is a social movement which seeks to eliminate the social stigma of obesity.Areas of contention include the aesthetic, legal, and medical approaches to fat people

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_acceptance_movement



Good morning to everyone here on the politics &  society section of the forum.
I wondered how many of you have heard or read about both body positivity and fat acceptance movements on the internet and outside of it. I would like to know your opinions and thoughts on these movements which are usually associated with left wing political ideas in the west, and I would also like to know about your thoughts on the societal and health implications these kind of movements could create in the west in the long term if they are accepted and adopted widely in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Canada, the whole European Union and the rest of Latin America.

Do you believe these movements are important and have some actual goals which could improve the well being of people? Or do you rather believe they are nothing but an excuse for governments to waste taxpayers' money on programs which are unnecessary.

Let us discuss about this, since I have not seen a thread about these movements  here on the forum lately.

[DeathAngel]

I believe people should mind their own business & not make fun of fat people. Bullying is bad & shouldn’t happen but the whole movement is BS. People getting jobs that they shouldn’t just because they’re fat, to meet quotas is wrong. Seeing big fat women on Victoria Secrets runways etc, Calvin Klein ads with obese women, it’s stupid & has gone too far.

[Apocollapse]

I don't hate fat people, but I just don't like it.

Fat people are simply not care with themselves and they want to make other people's life harder, even though they can also make other people's life easier (they eat a lot and need few tools to improve their life, so people who sell those things are making money).

I can understand why some men are fat, because men's value are on the money, not the body.

While women, one of their value are on their body, so if the women are fat, it means there's something wrong with them.

Men want to be rich because they know men without money is nothing.
Women know beautifulness is important, but they don't want to chase it? it's the same like men who're not chasing money.

[DaRude]

Depends on your interpretation. Notice that the fat girls in the picture are attempting to do fitness training. If the intention is to remove stigma so that those people can go to the gym without being bullied and shamed, and ultimately encourage them to loose weight, I'm all for it. If the intention is to normalize it to keep them unhealthy, and encourage more people to become obese, i don't know who would support that. Fat people should be accepted but constantly encouraged to loose weight. So i guess to get to the root of the argument, the questions should really be: should society/government encourage healthy weight in people. (but this also seems rhetorical)

[Fiatless]

If the goals of this movement are to help obese people overcome stigma and embrace programs that will make them lose weight and stay healthy,  it's okay. But if they want to make people think that it is okay to pay less attention to our shape, thus promoting an unhealthy lifestyle, I am not in support of it. Anyway, I have respect for people who are confident of their physical appearance, which includes their size, colour, gender, etc.

Any organisation that is focused on making people love themselves regardless of societal pressure deserves government support. Self-hate or an inferiority complex has negatively affected people's confidence, to the extent that some of them have gone to the extent of contemplating suicide.

[LTU_btc]

Body positivity/fat acceptance for me is nothing more than looking for excuses why you're fat. Offcourse, things like mocking, bullying can't be justified. It's not our business to comment how other people looks.
But for me being fat isn't body positivity. It's in most cases people who don't care about their health, they put everything into their body like it would be trash bin.
Not sure what exactly this movement is trying to achieve. Because I don't think that you should appear on Playboy cover just because you're fat. And if you're that fat that you can't even fit in standard plane seat, you should pay for extra ticket
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/plus-size-travelers-slam-airline-seat-policies

[passwordnow]

Do you believe these movements are important and have some actual goals which could improve the well being of people?

IMHO, they are important because of how body shaming is a serious culture nowadays, these movements have clear goal and that's to help people that are part of their movement to improve themselves. But it shouldn't just be acceptance of what they have become right now but, to improve themselves and become the better person and become at least acceptably fit.

Or do you rather believe they are nothing but an excuse for governments to waste taxpayers' money on programs which are unnecessary.

Let us discuss about this, since I have not seen a thread about these movements  here on the forum lately.

If this is part of government funding, they better make improvement programs to these people and make them healthier than accepting of what they are now. I accept them and don't hate them at all but we can be better for our sakes right?

[o48o]

They are misunderstood terms. People seem to think that body positivity glorifies fatness, but i never saw it as such. Loving your own body, no matter the size is healthy. And at the same time you can want to eat healthy and exercise. Idea is that you don't need to hate your body while doing it.

Because when you start to hate how you look, it doesn't end no matter how thin or muscular you are. You will just see the lack off muscle in somewhere or too much fat in somewhere else. This loath to your body could actually trigger unhealthy responses like depression (which will make it even harder to get healthy).

And then there are ton of existing data and studies about anorexia and body dysmorphia, which is supporting the need for body positivity.

[bitterguy28]

I believe people should mind their own business & not make fun of fat people. Bullying is bad & shouldn’t happen but the whole movement is BS. People getting jobs that they shouldn’t just because they’re fat, to meet quotas is wrong. Seeing big fat women on Victoria Secrets runways etc, Calvin Klein ads with obese women, it’s stupid & has gone too far.

yeah they shouldn’t be made fun of but i don’t think they are disadvantaged just because they weigh a little more they are just like anyone else so why offer them jobs? or special treatment? unless they have a health issue then i’ll understand

[Hispo]

If the goals of this movement are to help obese people overcome stigma and embrace programs that will make them lose weight and stay healthy,  it's okay. But if they want to make people think that it is okay to pay less attention to our shape, thus promoting an unhealthy lifestyle, I am not in support of it. Anyway, I have respect for people who are confident of their physical appearance, which includes their size, colour, gender, etc.

Any organisation that is focused on making people love themselves regardless of societal pressure deserves government support. Self-hate or an inferiority complex has negatively affected people's confidence, to the extent that some of them have gone to the extent of contemplating suicide.

If you take a look at social media you would realize there is a fair percentage of people who use the term "fat-shaming" to point out others who talk about their weight, regardless it is in a constructive way or not. In general, I have seen more people seeking shelter in these movements as a way to cope with their body and avoid excercise, than people willing to hit the gym and eat healthier.
Because of it, there are many people who negatively criticize the movement of fat acceptance, because implicitly allows people to live with a condition which is perfectly avoidable and treatable in the mid term.

Needless to say, these movements are very prevalent in the United States, where obesity is common and widespread, probably because of they quality most of the people have access to.

[paxmao]

This is CRAP. Being fat, to the extent seen in that picture for example, is unhealthy and should not be accepted as it is totally preventable and not that difficult to remove except in clinical cases or certain conditions.

The fact is that the food industry is permanently selling things that look like food but are basically poison. Educate yourself and by all means do not believe this shit, it is just the sports brands trying to sell to the immense percentage of overweight population.

They are misunderstood terms. People seem to think that body positivity glorifies fatness, but i never saw it as such. Loving your own body, no matter the size is healthy. And at the same time you can want to eat healthy and exercise. Idea is that you don't need to hate your body while doing it.

Because when you start to hate how you look, it doesn't end no matter how thin or muscular you are. You will just see the lack off muscle in somewhere or too much fat in somewhere else. This loath to your body could actually trigger unhealthy responses like depression (which will make it even harder to get healthy).

And then there are ton of existing data and studies about anorexia and body dysmorphia, which is supporting the need for body positivity.

No it is not misunderstood, it is a commercial strategy to make oversized clothing a cool (or at least acceptable) option. You should not "hate" your body, you should not "love" your body. You should take care of your body. It is not an phone or a bitcoin wallet.

 Warren Buffet (not a fitness influencer I reckon) says that if you only had one car for all your life, sure as hell you would take extreme care of it. Well, you only get one body.

[Rockson1]

I believe people should mind their own business & not make fun of fat people. Bullying is bad & shouldn’t happen but the whole movement is BS. People getting jobs that they shouldn’t just because they’re fat, to meet quotas is wrong. Seeing big fat women on Victoria Secrets runways etc, Calvin Klein ads with obese women, it’s stupid & has gone too far.

Why all these segregation from some people in the first place, I think as humans we are equal even in the eyes of our maker, I don't see some of this things necessary, just as you said, I think it would have been better if we do our things individually without trying trying to still others peopes happy, or is being fat a bad thing, fat people are humans too and we may not even know what led them being fat, they didn't create themselves, some people that are fat may not be because of the general mindset that they eat a lot, nah nah, it might be that, it is a family thing although it can be controlled but no by them feel that they aren't important, i feel very bad when I hear all this things.

[Frankolala]

Obesity have killed a lot of people and it's a threat to human life. My close friend lost his only uncle to obesity. There was a time that he finds it difficult to breathe properly and he slept one night and couldn't wake up the next morning. After that incident, I do encourage fat people to reduce their size by going to the gym and shouldn't eat everything they see. I believe that doctors must have told these fat people to reduce their size too but they wouldn't listen.

[coin-investor]

I wondered how many of you have heard or read about both body positivity and fat acceptance movements on the internet and outside of it. I would like to know your opinions and thoughts on these movements which are usually associated with left wing political ideas in the west,
Do you believe these movements are important and have some actual goals which could improve the well being of people? Or do you rather believe they are nothing but an excuse for governments to waste taxpayers' money on programs which are unnecessary.

Fat and obese people also have the right to fight for their existence. Some people are comfortable with their body and do not conform to what society expects and wants to see.

This body shaming is also commercial because the slimming industry is a million-dollar industry. They want to portray fat and obese people as sick and ugly people so they can push their products and service to fat and obese people.

This practice of body shaming should be stopped, people have the right thing to choose what they want them to be as long as they feel and act healthy.

[Fiatless]

If you take a look at social media you would realize there is a fair percentage of people who use the term "fat-shaming" to point out others who talk about their weight, regardless it is in a constructive way or not. In general, I have seen more people seeking shelter in these movements as a way to cope with their body and avoid excercise, than people willing to hit the gym and eat healthier.
Because of it, there are many people who negatively criticize the movement of fat acceptance, because implicitly allows people to live with a condition which is perfectly avoidable and treatable in the mid term.

Needless to say, these movements are very prevalent in the United States, where obesity is common and widespread, probably because of they quality most of the people have access to.

Naturally, I am attracted to fat but not obese women. So I like women who are confident about their looks, clean, and not lazy. There is a general view that fat people are lazy and not hygienic, but that's not the total truth. I will not support an organisation that will encourage unhealthy lifestyles under the pretence that they are fighting for people's rights. But I will even join a movement that is against fat-shaming because some body shape is not a result of overfeeding,  but hereditary.
https://www.statista.com/chart/amp/20057/obesity-rates-eu/


It seems that most of the nations with high obesity rates have a high standard of living.

[o48o]

They are misunderstood terms. People seem to think that body positivity glorifies fatness, but i never saw it as such. Loving your own body, no matter the size is healthy. And at the same time you can want to eat healthy and exercise. Idea is that you don't need to hate your body while doing it.

Because when you start to hate how you look, it doesn't end no matter how thin or muscular you are. You will just see the lack off muscle in somewhere or too much fat in somewhere else. This loath to your body could actually trigger unhealthy responses like depression (which will make it even harder to get healthy).

And then there are ton of existing data and studies about anorexia and body dysmorphia, which is supporting the need for body positivity.

No it is not misunderstood, it is a commercial strategy to make oversized clothing a cool (or at least acceptable) option. You should not "hate" your body, you should not "love" your body. You should take care of your body. It is not an phone or a bitcoin wallet.

 Warren Buffet (not a fitness influencer I reckon) says that if you only had one car for all your life, sure as hell you would take extreme care of it. Well, you only get one body.

Companies tapping to markets that have demand is hardly some sort of conspiracy. It's not even unusual. These movements don't origin from the companies, they are formed by people. And it's the people who wants those clothes, not the other way around.

And frankly i see nothing wrong with large people wanting look cool instead of wearing sheets. There's nothing wrong with not hating your body no matter the size. Your size is a personal choice and people don't usually WANT to be overweight or not in shape, they just struggle with their weight. It's not helpful to make them feel discussed or ashamed of their bodies. Just like it's not helpful to shame someone with depression.

Btw, I am not sure how bitcoin wallet is a good analogy for this. You take care of that as well.

[coolcoinz]

I don't hate fat people, but I just don't like it.

Fat people are simply not care with themselves and they want to make other people's life harder, even though they can also make other people's life easier (they eat a lot and need few tools to improve their life, so people who sell those things are making money).

I can understand why some men are fat, because men's value are on the money, not the body.

While women, one of their value are on their body, so if the women are fat, it means there's something wrong with them.

Men want to be rich because they know men without money is nothing.
Women know beautifulness is important, but they don't want to chase it? it's the same like men who're not chasing money.

You'd be destroyed by these activists if you said this to their faces. Especially the second part makes no sense.
Have you forgotten that women bear children? If you had to carry additional weight in front of you for 9 months and couldn't work out because it's bad for the baby, you'd get fat too.

Also, some people get fat because of certain condition like diabetes, so don't put all of them in one basket.

To answer the OP's question, I think that there's no black and white here. On one hand fat acceptance promotes being fat, on the other if it makes these people feel better about the way they look it's good, right? Some of them have eating disorders and sometimes these support groups save them from depression.

[franky1]

theres two avenues of thought

a. dont judge anyone based on height, width, colour or [insert anything]

b. give large people an excuse not to even try to improve themselves and enable them to remain unhealthy by suggesting its ok and acceptable to remain unhealthy

[Apocollapse]

You'd be destroyed by these activists if you said this to their faces. Especially the second part makes no sense.
Have you forgotten that women bear children? If you had to carry additional weight in front of you for 9 months and couldn't work out because it's bad for the baby, you'd get fat too.

Are women always give birth in their whole life?

It takes 9 months to give a birth and 3 months for recovery, after that, they can diet and go to gym, it takes maybe 6-12 months to make them back like when they were single.

You would argue "she had no time because she need to raise the child bla bla", that's why babysitter and housemaid exist, it's pricey? that's why before marriage/have a child, both need to discuss how to have enough money to afford it. Not everyone are lucky? yes, that's why marriage isn't for everyone.

Also, some people get fat because of certain condition like diabetes, so don't put all of them in one basket.

Diabetes patient can go to gym, no excuse.

[Marvelockg]

Body shaming is a major cause of inferiority complex that a lot of either plus sized people are facing or that might not look a certain way that the generality of the public sees to be okay with them and that has led to depression and taking of drugs just to blend into what is generally accepted in the society as her norms.

If you feel healthy being fat and in the long run there is not going to be a threat to you because of your plus size, then there is no need trying to stress yourself about it just to please others. we as humans don't have a say when it comes to the body we are created with. we all grew up to see that we are either fat, short, slim or tall and had to embrace who we are. if you decides to work out just to look a certain way, that is totally fine but if it is because of the opinion of others, then that is not worth it.

the goal is to not just look healthy but to be actually healthy. you can be slim fitted and still be sick while another can be fat or chubby and be damn healthy within.