hundreds of studies linking obesity to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obstructive sleep apnea,
Fat Acceptance strikes me as really complicated. Because on the one hand, yeah, being heavy is linked to many health problems, and the American lifestyle (sedentary work and recreation + plenty of tasty, fat-and-sugar-filled foods + a generally chaotic and isolating lifestyle which makes people want easy comfort) has many factors which lead to people being fat.
But on the other hand, Americans are so fucked in the head about appearance ("You must look like an anorexic supermodel or NO-ONE WILL LOVE YOU!"), and so moralizing about disability ("You are suffering because it is YOUR OWN FAULT for not making yourself better by sheer will") and so moralizing about fat in particular ("You are disgusting and evil for being gluttonous! and weak!"). It ties into the way Americans look for perfection, and viciously deride people who aren't achieving it.
And these things have become horribly intermixed. So a lot of the time, when people say "you must lose weight for health reasons," the other set of messages are present-- either underlying the doctor saying it, or simply in what the patient hears. Sometimes doctors are quite stigmatizing, even though if you asked them, they would say they were just looking at studies. And often, when people try to lose weight, what's going through their head is the latter list of reasons ("I'm disgusting, I'm weak, I'm lazy, I'm ugly") rather than the former ("I need to do something to improve my health.") And that is toxic as hell.
So while I think that the Fat Acceptance movement does use incorrect information, and can sometimes get fanatical, the work that they're doing to try to free people from the tremendous shame they feel about weight is very, very important. I also think they wouldn't be out there spreading misinformation if everyone else would work harder on not stigmatizing fat, not equating it with laziness and slovenliness and self-hate.
For example, I feel that a doctor's role is to say things like, "Are you interested in losing weight? It is what I recommend-- it has [health benefit specific to the patient's presenting problem]" and then listen to the answer. And offer advice and assistance and support in losing weight if the person wants it, but also acknowledge that if they do not choose that path, it's not because they're a bad or stupid person. I think that would help a lot.
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branchandroot
(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-10 02:47 pm (UTC)Fat Acceptance strikes me as really complicated. Because on the one hand, yeah, being heavy is linked to many health problems, and the American lifestyle (sedentary work and recreation + plenty of tasty, fat-and-sugar-filled foods + a generally chaotic and isolating lifestyle which makes people want easy comfort) has many factors which lead to people being fat.
But on the other hand, Americans are so fucked in the head about appearance ("You must look like an anorexic supermodel or NO-ONE WILL LOVE YOU!"), and so moralizing about disability ("You are suffering because it is YOUR OWN FAULT for not making yourself better by sheer will") and so moralizing about fat in particular ("You are disgusting and evil for being gluttonous! and weak!"). It ties into the way Americans look for perfection, and viciously deride people who aren't achieving it.
And these things have become horribly intermixed. So a lot of the time, when people say "you must lose weight for health reasons," the other set of messages are present-- either underlying the doctor saying it, or simply in what the patient hears. Sometimes doctors are quite stigmatizing, even though if you asked them, they would say they were just looking at studies. And often, when people try to lose weight, what's going through their head is the latter list of reasons ("I'm disgusting, I'm weak, I'm lazy, I'm ugly") rather than the former ("I need to do something to improve my health.") And that is toxic as hell.
So while I think that the Fat Acceptance movement does use incorrect information, and can sometimes get fanatical, the work that they're doing to try to free people from the tremendous shame they feel about weight is very, very important. I also think they wouldn't be out there spreading misinformation if everyone else would work harder on not stigmatizing fat, not equating it with laziness and slovenliness and self-hate.
For example, I feel that a doctor's role is to say things like, "Are you interested in losing weight? It is what I recommend-- it has [health benefit specific to the patient's presenting problem]" and then listen to the answer. And offer advice and assistance and support in losing weight if the person wants it, but also acknowledge that if they do not choose that path, it's not because they're a bad or stupid person. I think that would help a lot.