I was inspired to write this piece based on a Facebook post from a former high school classmate. The post was essential trying to fat shame a blogger for criticizing stores that have a limited number of offered sizes. It really irritated me and I'm not one to stay quiet when I see someone acting like an asshole, on social media or in real life. So I commented, and told her that fat people don't need her fake concern for their "health." What really disappointed me was that everyone else that commented on the post actually agreed with the fatphobic trash she was spewing. So, my aim here, is to discuss the relationship between health and fat shaming.
According to the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, there was a 50% increase in size discrimination between 1996 and 2006. Size discrimination is the fourth most prevalent form of discrimination in the United States, and even though 60% of Americans are considered fat there are still no federal laws in place to prevent discrimination. In fact, only Michigan and six other cities in the U.S. have laws protecting against weight discrimination.
People often try to disguise their fat shaming rhetoric by feigning concern for a fat person's health. One cannot immediately detect how healthy or unhealthy a person is based on his or her appearance. Yes, being overweight can lead to certain health conditions, but so can genetics or smoking. There are a plethora of factors that can influence one's health, and weight is not the sole determiner of a person's quality of life. Fat people being automatically labeled as unhealthy because of their weight is not only perpetuated by the general public and media, but doctors and medical professionals as well. According to the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, 69% of fat people reported being stigmatized by their doctors, and 31% of nurses stated that they would prefer not to treat a fat patient. Furthermore, a study conducted on nearly 500 fat women reported that 68% of women delayed seeking care because of their weight, and 85% of women cited weight as a barrier to receiving appropriate medical care. Many doctors dismiss concerns fat people, especially fat woman, have about their health with catch-all comments about how losing weight will solve all of their problems.
Additionally, shaming someone and making them feel like shit about themselves is not going to make them want to lose weight. Not to mention the fact that they shouldn't have to lose weight to make society more comfortable with their presence, or to be treated with common human decency.
My point is, it is none of your damn business whether the fat person walking down the street, or the fat person in a bikini on the beach, or the fat person on social media is healthy. It does not concern you. A fat person's health is his or her's business alone. They could be the most unhealthy person on the planet and it still does not absolve you from treating them with respect and dignity.
