Fat acceptance movement

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The fat acceptance movement, also known as the size acceptance movement, fat liberation movement or fat power, is a grassroots effort to change societal attitudes towards acceptance of fat people. Within the movement, people differ on what they believe are the best ways to address prejudice and discrimination against fat people in Western culture.

[edit] Background

Activism concerning issues of excessive weight gain covers numerous fronts but generally can be described as attempting to alter societal, internal, and medical attitudes about fat people.

The movement argues that overweight people are targets of hatred and discrimination,^[1] and that obese women are subjected to more social pressure than obese men.^[2][3][4] Hatred and disrespect towards fat people are seen in multiple places, including media outlets, where fat people are often ridiculed^[5][6][7] or held up as objects of pity.^[8] Discrimination comes in the form of lack of equal accessibility to transportation and employment.^[9]

Members argue that anti-fat stigma and aggressive diet promotion have led to an increase in psychological and physiological problems among fat people.^[2] Proponents of fat acceptance maintain that people of all shapes and sizes can strive for fitness and physical health.^{[10][11][12][13]} Health is believed to be independent of, not dependent on, body weight. Thus, proponents promote "health at every size", the philosophy that one can pursue mental and physical health regardless of their physical appearance or size.

Through the works of authors such as Paul Campos and Sandy Szwarc, the fat acceptance movement has argued that doctors should treat the health problems of people of all sizes, believing that health issues are not defined by weight and are shared by people of all sizes, fat and thin. Some in the movement have argued that the health risks of fatness and obesity have been exaggerated or misrepresented, and used as cover for cultural and aesthetic prejudices against fat.

Fat activism faces challenges.^[14] Organizations such as the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) and the International Size Acceptance Association (ISAA) have relatively small memberships, and people interested in the movement tend to be clustered in larger cities and spread across medium- to small-sized web communities.

[edit] History

During the early part of the 20th century, obesity was seen as detrimental to the community, by means of decreasing human efficiency, and that obese people interfere with labor productivity in the coastal areas of the United States.^[15]

In the Rust Belt, Prairie areas and vast tracts of the Southern U.S. however, obese men are/were not only merely valued but revered. The term Fatboy especially in the South is a term of endearment the same as within the male blue-collar/manufacturing culture of the early and mid 20th century.

This kind of history and visibility gave rise to the Fat Acceptance movement which originated in the late 1960s, although its grassroots nature makes it difficult to precisely chart its milestones.^[16][17] Like other social movements from this time period, the fat acceptance movement, initially known as "Fat Pride," "Fat Power," or "Fat Liberation," often consisted of people acting in an impromptu fashion. A "Fat-in" was staged in New York's Central Park in 1967.^[18] Called by a radio personality, Steve Post, the "Fat-in" consisted of a group of 500 people eating, carrying signs and photographs of Sophia Loren (an actress famous for her figure), and burning diet books.

Several groups formed during this period to promote a fat acceptance agenda. In 1969, William Fabrey founded a social club promoting "Fat Pride" called the National Association to Aid Fat Americans, subsequently renamed the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA). In 1973, a radical NAAFA chapter spun off to become an independent group, the Fat Underground, promoting a stronger activist philosophy. They were inspired by the philosophy of the Radical Therapy Collective, a feminist group that believed that many psychological problems were caused by oppressive social institutions and practices. The Fat Underground, founded by Sara Fishman (then Sara Aldebaran) and Judy Freespirit, took issue with the growing bias against obesity in the scientific community. They coined the saying, "a diet is a cure that doesn't work for a disease that doesn't exist," reflecting their dedication to fat acceptance and fat activism.^[19]

Shortly afterwards, Fishman moved to New Haven, CT, where she, along with Karen Scott-Jones, founded the New Haven Fat Liberation Front, an organization similar to the Fat Underground in its scope and focus. In 1983, they collaborated to publish a germinal book in the field of Fat Activism, Shadow on a Tightrope.^[20] The book collected several fat activist position papers initially distributed by the Fat Underground as well as poems and essays from other writers.

The 1980s and 1990s witnessed an increase in activist organizations, publications, and conferences.^[16][17] In the 1980s, new anti-dieting programs and models began to appear in the research literature in response to new information dispelling common myths about obesity.^[2]

[edit] Modern movement

Even though men are under less pressure to conform to a weight ideal than women, the greater degree of emphasis on physical appearance in modern male culture has given a number of men the same types of body image anxieties seen in many women.

Members of the contemporary movement perceive negative societal attitudes as persistent, and as being based on the presumption that fatness reflects negatively on a person's character.^[21][22] Currently, the fat acceptance movement continues to strive for change in societal, internal, and medical attitudes toward fat people. Proponents engage in public education about the myths concerning fat and fat people.^[23] Organizations hold conferences and conventions: including NAAFA, the Association for Size Diversity and Health, the No Lose Annual Conference, and FatGirl Speaks. NAAFA publishes a newsletter. Several books have been written on the topic, including Fat!So? You don’t have to apologize for your size, By Marilyn Wann, Tipping the Scales of Justice: Fighting Weight-Based Discrimination, by Sondra Soloway, Largely Happy: Changing your mind about your body, by Lynda Finn, and Don’t Diet, by Dale Atrens.

In recent years, more writers have written to promote fat acceptance: related online zines include Fat!So and Figure 8, related blogs include Kate Harding's Shapely Prose, Big Fat Blog, and The F Word. Several websites have sprung up to help connect fat people with fat-friendly service providers and products.^{[citation needed]} Many books have been published challenging the medical claim that fat produces ill health and highlighting the issue of weight-based discrimination that fat people are subjected to by medical professionals and society at large.^[24][25] Size discrimination has been increasingly addressed in the arts, as well. Performance art groups such as The Padded Lilies, Big Burlesque and the Fat Bottom Revue, among others, intentionally feature fat bodies in their shows.

There has also been an emerging body of fat political and sociological studies, some with a fat activist agenda, developing within the academy. The American Popular Culture Association has an area in fat studies and regularly includes panels on the subject. In addition, student groups with a fat activist agenda have emerged in a number of colleges including Hampshire, Smith, and Antioch colleges.

In addition to what the movement is doing to raise public awareness, there have been a surge in studies both for and against fatness in scientific journals on virtually all topics including medical, psychological, politics, etc.

[edit] Issues within the movement

Wikinews has related news: Obesity and the Fat Acceptance Movement: Kira Nerusskaya speaks

Self-described fat activist^[26][27] Kira Nerusskaya feels that how people describe themselves depends upon their comfort level with their bodies.^[28]

As it has expanded, the fat acceptance movement has faced internal issues.

One point of contention in the movement is found between those fat people who are attempting to lose weight and those who are not. Opponents of weight loss attempts cite the high failure rate of all permanent weight loss attempts, and the many dangers of "yo-yo weight fluctuations" and weight loss surgeries.^{[citation needed]}

Due to intrinsic linguistic misunderstandings and differing definitions of the word "acceptance," some "fat activists" believe the phrase refers to any fat person fighting for equal rights and opportunities, regardless of whether or not that person believes that the pursuit of reduction in a person's body mass is feasible. Other "fat activists" define "fat acceptance" more strictly, applying that phrase only to fat people who are not pursuing a reduction in their body mass, and use phrases such as "fat activist" to describe fat people and "allies" working more generally on civil rights issues pertaining to fat people.

An additional issue with regard to language is that many in the fat acceptance movement find the terms "obese" and "overweight" offensive, as they are often used to make overtly prejudiced statements seem more clinical or scientific. The word "fat" is generally preferred.

In practice, the only way to know the position of any particular individual member of the group on weight loss attempts is to ask, or read specific position papers on the issue.

Another common division in the "fat acceptance" community is the differing attitudes towards general society, specifically "thin people". The fat acceptance community generally divides into two categories. One is those who feel discrimination towards "thin people" hinders their cause. The other side views "thin people" as the enemy, or the partial cause of their social stigma; some cater to this group with mockery of thin people.^[29] The subject has received serious debate.^[30]

[edit] Related law

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Michigan, Washington, D.C., and the California cities of San Francisco and Santa Cruz have passed laws prohibiting weight discrimination.

[edit] Criticism

[edit] Health problems

Despite advocates' claims to the contrary, many studies show that fat people are more likely than others to be in poor health, at a time when health care costs are rising,^{[31][32][33][34][35]} though activists claim this may be partially attributed to fat people avoiding doctors because of perceived weight discrimination in the medical profession.^[36] In 2006, the CDC estimated that 10 percent of current health care costs are due to obesity.^[37] A Dutch study concluded that lifetime cost of obesity are less as these individuals die at an earlier age, while obese individuals have higher annual health care costs.^[38]

There are many health related problems associated with obesity, including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and joint problems caused by overloading the skeleton with too much weight. One study found that obesity reduces life expectancy.^[39] Public health officials regard widespread obesity as posing significant costs to society.

On the other hand, Slate magazine online is quick to argue that over an entire lifetime, the obese are saving America money because they die earlier, and it is the elderly who are the costliest patients.^[40]

[edit] Social criticism

Fat acceptance advocates' positions have sparked criticism. Some critics, while acknowledging that fat and obese individuals are subject to inappropriate discrimination or pressure, contend that fat acceptance advocates' goal of unconditional acceptance of obesity is itself unhealthy.^[41] They contend that accepting fatness will make people less likely to aspire to achieve a healthy weight.

Additionally, the common fat acceptance mantra that "diets don't work" is considered by some critics to be an oversimplification that may discourage a person in need of a healthier lifestyle from making responsible and potentially beneficial changes in eating habits. This is, of course, correct in the cases of most fad diets, but dietary changes coupled with exercise and other changes in lifestyle, would indeed work in at least making one healthier, if not slimmer, in most cases. ^[42]

[edit] References

(A) Medical Practitioners' Guide to Benefits of Adapting Environments for the Obese Michigan State University study by Angela Berg MD and Joyce Burke MD http://www.msu.edu/user/burkejoy/frame_b.htm

[edit] Sources

[edit] Academic journals

[edit] Other publications

• "Fat Pride World Wide: The growing movement for avoirdupois acceptance". Reason Magazine. Reason Foundation. October 23, 2007. http://www.reason.com/news/show/123151.html. Retrieved 2009-08-17. 

[edit] Organizations

[edit] External links

Fat Acceptance at the Open Directory Project