health issues, size acceptance, and contentment with our bodies as women
I was participating in a conversation about size acceptance, prejudice, and living with ourselves. It was about body image, the food we eat, shape, size, and health, and the discussions were interesting at first.
Lately, it feels a bit like people are self-justifying their dietary decisions, health situations. A lot of the women in the thread are overweight, some because of diet, some because of metabolism, some because of genetics, some because of hormones, some because of a combination thereof.
A very angry note has grown in the posts - anger against the idea that our society deems it 'unacceptable' to be plus-sized, but also anger that people judge others not just by what they look like but by what they eat. So, me (1.6m/65kg) sitting down to a burger and fries is okay. But if I was the same height and 130kg, then people would look at me and say I was making unhealthy choices.
Frankly I'm still making unhealthy choices by eating a burger and fries, whether I'm 65kg or 130kg; but I'm less likely to be judged at 65kg.
Although one could argue that a burger (meat patty, cheese, egg, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, pineapple on sesame bun with BBQ sauce) is not terribly unhealthy other the the fats and oils from the meat, cheese, and bacon - which people would be eating anyway in, say, a ham and cheese sandwich, or an egg-and-bacon roll.
I understand the anger at one level. At another, well, it feels very bitter and self-righteous: "I'm going to eat what I want and you have no right to judge me on my choices!"
Or maybe that's just my privilege of being an Australian size 12? I've never had people judge me by what I eat, because the results are not apparent to people.
I'm not sure what I'm getting at here. I'm kinda struggling with the conversation at several levels all at once.
Lately, it feels a bit like people are self-justifying their dietary decisions, health situations. A lot of the women in the thread are overweight, some because of diet, some because of metabolism, some because of genetics, some because of hormones, some because of a combination thereof.
A very angry note has grown in the posts - anger against the idea that our society deems it 'unacceptable' to be plus-sized, but also anger that people judge others not just by what they look like but by what they eat. So, me (1.6m/65kg) sitting down to a burger and fries is okay. But if I was the same height and 130kg, then people would look at me and say I was making unhealthy choices.
Frankly I'm still making unhealthy choices by eating a burger and fries, whether I'm 65kg or 130kg; but I'm less likely to be judged at 65kg.
Although one could argue that a burger (meat patty, cheese, egg, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, pineapple on sesame bun with BBQ sauce) is not terribly unhealthy other the the fats and oils from the meat, cheese, and bacon - which people would be eating anyway in, say, a ham and cheese sandwich, or an egg-and-bacon roll.
I understand the anger at one level. At another, well, it feels very bitter and self-righteous: "I'm going to eat what I want and you have no right to judge me on my choices!"
Or maybe that's just my privilege of being an Australian size 12? I've never had people judge me by what I eat, because the results are not apparent to people.
I'm not sure what I'm getting at here. I'm kinda struggling with the conversation at several levels all at once.