Body positivity & fat acceptance
Can we talk about obesity?
And can we acknowledge it’s bad for you?
“Body positivity” is a social movement aiming for all people, regardless of their body, its appearance and abilities, to have a positive body image.
“fat acceptance”, which precedes body positivity, has the same aim, but is focused only on people with a higher weight.
The big difference is the word “fat acceptance” just sounds bad. There are people who will openly say things like “I don’t like fat people”. That’s intolerant, isn’t it? But is that what the fat acceptance movement or the body positivity movement are for?
I don’t think so.
These social movements are for the men and women (and mostly women) themselves who feel bad about their body.
Should they feel bad?
Should they accept their bodies?
What does it mean to accept one’s body? It’s not like one can reject it…
Always think positive
You should always be optimistic and look on the bright side. You have something others do not have.
Sometimes we keep holding on to the one negative thing that has somehow, at some point caught our attention about ourselves — like an anorectic who can’t get over the fact that she’s not “thin enough” and looks through the fact that she’s thinner than most, that she has a beautiful body and a beautiful skin and the only thing preventing her from enjoying her life is, not her weight, but her mindset (or, illness, if you like).
A woman may be slightly overweight but actually gorgeous, and be completely ignorant of anything except the extra weight she has.
This is a problem
It’s a problem if you focus on the problem with the magnifying glass of depression — and sink into despair.
Losing weight is HARD.
Body positivity — yes, let’s be positive and optimistic and love ourselves the way we are.
Fat acceptance — no, let’s respect everyone regardless of their looks, and let’s keep in mind we should be striving to have a healthy weight.
We should not accept obesity any more than we should accept anorexia nervosa. It’s hypocritical if you say, “it’s okay no matter what you weigh,” to those who are obese and then look at someone severely underweight and say, “yikes, we gotta treat this terrible disease.”
