Thoughts on Size Acceptance

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Totally uninspiring title I know, but I couldn’t really think of anything better! I wrote a lengthy draft post containing my personal observations and impressions of the Fat Acceptance movement that seems to be growing in popularity at the moment, however I decided to scrap that because of an email from someone I’ve never met – heck, barely even interacted with Online, regarding a comment I made on a forum about my desire to lose some weight. This is actually the fourth post I’ve attempted to write on the topic, but the other two were deleted because they were turning into rants I’m not really informed enough to make! Before I go on, I want to make it clear that I am not judging the entire Fat Acceptance movement based on one comment, I know this person is something of an anomaly.

The email read I hate it when I see women giving in to the media pressure to be thin, why can’t you all accept and love your bodies the way they are instead of trying to get to size zero all the time? Now, for a start, I have no intention of getting to size zero (for a start, I don’t think my hips could ever fit into a size zero garment, even if I had no body fat whatsoever!) but right now, I’m heavier than I’d like to be, and I don’t like the way it looks or feels. It also has a big impact on my breathing, which is reduced anyway, so I could do with shifting around 15lbs for health reasons.

Now, I’m all for being happy the way you are, but there are a few common judgements that are made against people because of their size. I’m sure we’ve all been guilty of one or two of these, but wouldn’t women in particular be so much happier if:

• Average, naturally thin, fat, eating-disordered, disabled, we’re all Real Women.
• People didn’t assume tat:
  • Fat people eat too much and are lazy – medical conditions, certain medications, etc. can all be a cause too.
  • Thin people don’t eat – I once lived with a girl who would buy a packet of blue cheese and eat it on its own with a fork in one sitting. She always had ice cream in the freezer and her favourite meals were huge bowls of chili and pasta dishes. She was also as thin as a catwalk model and believe me, I know she didn’t “purge” any of it, the walls in that house were far too thin.
  • People only want to lose weight because magazines tell them to.
• People didn’t feel the need to judge based on weight or comment on it at all! Lets face it, insulting someone for being fat when is the same as insulting them for having a facial birthmark or a visible disability – it’s judging based on appearances that potentially the person in question has no control over.
• Well-meant advice to “just do a bit more exercise” or advice to eat more or less food should be left to professionals, family and close friends – those who know the cause of the “problem” they’re trying to “cure”.

Simply put, people shouldn’t have to feel like they must hide their shape in fear of the judgement of others. Sure, someones belly fat could be due to laziness, someone else’s protruding hip-bones could be due to obsessive under-eating, but unless you know the person concerned, you have no idea if that really is the reason, even if it seems the most likely conclusion that can be drawn. For every genuinely mean-spirited person out there, there are probably several others who would laugh or make a cruel quip about someones size, but would feel terrible if they later found out that the person in question couldn’t do anything about it because it was a side-effect of medication they were on, or a lymphatic problem etc.

Fat acceptance is great, and I read some really wonderful, inspiring blogs dedicated to just that, but I think until people stop judging others by their size and making assumptions about their lifestyle based entirely on physical appearance, it’s going to be hard for many people to accept their own bodies. This has probably already been said by many bloggers, writers etc. and indeed I hope it has – it’s something I think everyone needs to think about. I think kids, as well as being taught that not eating right will make them become fat, unhealthy, etc. should be taught that this is not the case for all overweight people. Finally, I hope the picture I chose for this post doesn’t offend anyone – I chose it because I think it represents well what society thinks fat people are like, but it’s a Barbie doll, as plastic and fake as you can get!

What are your views? Have you already written about this? (I’d love to read other peoples’ thoughts on the subject). Have you ever been the victim of a judgement based on your size or been criticised for wanting to change your body shape?