[Content Note: Fat hatred.]
"While it is not an obligation for anyone at any size to have to engage in physical activity, it's important progress to create spaces that welcome those who do for everyone's physical and mental health." — Ragen Chastain, quoted in a recommended piece in the Washington Post by Rebecca Scritchfield, "Why we need to take fat-shaming out of fitness culture."
This is, of course, something about which I've been writing for many years. If not-fat people who purport to care about fatties' health really did care about our health, they wouldn't do things like shout abuse at us out car windows while we're out for a walk, or body-shame us while we're swimming, or condescendingly "compliment" us for engaging in some physical activity that we may well have been doing for most of our lives, or take sneaky pictures of us in locker rooms and post them publicly without our knowledge or consent, or any one of a seemingly endless number of things that not-fat people who totally care about our health do, thus creating a massive psychological barrier for us to overcome to engage in physical activities.
If you care about fat people's health, then know this: Fat Hatred Is Unhealthy for Fat People.
Allowing us to live our lives free of fat hatred and shaming and judgment, however, is very good for our health indeed.
[H/T to Shaker girlunderthsea.]
Shakesville is run as a safe space. First-time commenters: Please read Shakesville's Commenting Policy and Feminism 101 Section before commenting. We also do lots of in-thread moderation, so we ask that everyone read the entirety of any thread before commenting, to ensure compliance with any in-thread moderation. Thank you.
blog comments powered by Disqus