Fat! So? Too
So, part of being a decent person is, as far as I've figured out so far, knowing that you haven't got it all worked out and you never will. You will say something stupid and wrong. You will make mistakes. You apologise, you learn, you move on. So, I'm trying to fill my gaps in my understanding, and at the moment I'm all about size acceptance. Lately, I stumbled upon this-
http://redvinylshoes.com/blog/2010/05/as-fat-as-i-wanna-be/
- which I urge you to read, but to paraphrase, the writer tells us that she is what we might call "bad fat" and that that is her choice and she should not be judged for it. If that sounds dismissive, it shouldn't. I just really think you should read this.
Anyway, the good-fat-bad-fat distinction is still a a chip in my understanding of the size acceptance movement (which as a standard size type person I already feel a bit dodgy about, like when I go to queer events with my boyfriend). I refer to the sort of "well it's not like it's their fault they're fat. Healthy people can be fat too!". I can remember someone trotting a similar thing out about gay rights and it just doesn't feel right, like no-one would choose to be gay if they had the choice because it's lesser, other, bad.
I find it easiest to think in analogies and I was trying to think of something that felt right here. No analogy is going to be perfect, but I'll give it a shot. Smoking, perhaps, or drinking? We are aware of the risks of these activities, and well we should, but if we choose to do them anyway, then as long as we're not hurting anyone then that's our choice. I've seen a few commentors attempting to make the case that the fat do have a negative impact on health as a whole, by "setting a bad example", which makes no sense, really. Or that they are wasting our tax money with their "health problems". Now, this is a charge we make against smokers and drinkers. So what about drivers? How does the decision to get behind the wheel affect our chances of injury or death, or that of others? How much does it cost the tax payer each year? I don't know. BUT I BET IT'S A BUNCH. But it seems daft to publicly shame drivers simply for deciding to drive. We expect them to respect the lives of others and obey the law and we let them be. What is so wrong about letting people decide what they do with their bodies?
http://redvinylshoes.com/blog/2010/05/as-fat-as-i-wanna-be/
- which I urge you to read, but to paraphrase, the writer tells us that she is what we might call "bad fat" and that that is her choice and she should not be judged for it. If that sounds dismissive, it shouldn't. I just really think you should read this.
Anyway, the good-fat-bad-fat distinction is still a a chip in my understanding of the size acceptance movement (which as a standard size type person I already feel a bit dodgy about, like when I go to queer events with my boyfriend). I refer to the sort of "well it's not like it's their fault they're fat. Healthy people can be fat too!". I can remember someone trotting a similar thing out about gay rights and it just doesn't feel right, like no-one would choose to be gay if they had the choice because it's lesser, other, bad.
I find it easiest to think in analogies and I was trying to think of something that felt right here. No analogy is going to be perfect, but I'll give it a shot. Smoking, perhaps, or drinking? We are aware of the risks of these activities, and well we should, but if we choose to do them anyway, then as long as we're not hurting anyone then that's our choice. I've seen a few commentors attempting to make the case that the fat do have a negative impact on health as a whole, by "setting a bad example", which makes no sense, really. Or that they are wasting our tax money with their "health problems". Now, this is a charge we make against smokers and drinkers. So what about drivers? How does the decision to get behind the wheel affect our chances of injury or death, or that of others? How much does it cost the tax payer each year? I don't know. BUT I BET IT'S A BUNCH. But it seems daft to publicly shame drivers simply for deciding to drive. We expect them to respect the lives of others and obey the law and we let them be. What is so wrong about letting people decide what they do with their bodies?