End Fat Talk

[dragonlady7]

Even if you're not into fat activism, and think that people should be thin, and obesity is a failure of willpower, even if you read no other studies that suggest metabolism is primarily governed by genetics and calories in/calories out is not actually a valid way of guaranteeing a shrinking waistline--
Even if you believe that it is everyone's moral imperative to be slender--

At least hear this: Many studies have indicated that using shame to encourage obese people to lose weight usually backfires, whether those obese people are adults or children or adolescents. Shame leads to eating disorders and yo-yo dieting, both of which seriously impact health.

So even if you don't believe in fat acceptance, please understand the message of the above video, which is that "fat talk" hurts everyone. Being catty, being judgemental, being down on yourself or others about their appearance, specifically about their, or your, size, is hurtful. Even if you sincerely believe that you're going to drop dead of a heart attack because you're forty pounds heavier than you were in college-- please don't put yourself down, at least not in front of other people.

It hurts everyone-- it hurts women, it hurts men, it hurts children most of all.

More women in the U.S. currently suffer from bulimia and anorexia than breast cancer.

Comments

[ravenclaw-eric.livejournal.com]

Personally, I'd say instead of "obesity," singular, it should be referred to as "obesities," plural...there are a lot of underlying causes that can lead to this. I've known people who bloated up like blimps due to the medication they had to take; anti-depressants and the like.

As for the fashion industry...they do it that way because it's easier to design for skinny than fat. Personally, when I get to be an Evil Overlord, the fashion industry's next for the firing squad after whoever invented those damned automated-dialing systems.

[ithilwen.livejournal.com]

Sadly, I've come to the conclusion that many people cling to 'fat talk' precisely because they know it hurts people. They aren't actually interested in helping other people lose weight or improve their health; they just want to make themselves feel better/superior at others' expense.