January 25, 2013
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Fat Shaming
A prominent bioethicist is saying that we need a little fat shaming to curb obesity.
He said that we need social pressure to help some people lose weight. He wants posters that read, “If you are overweight or obese, are you pleased with the way that you look?”He has suggested that a good dose of shame would help repair the nations health. Here is the link: LinkDo you think we should fat shame in order to help others get healthy?
Comments (113)
Our culture is already saturated with fat shaming. I know he’s a bio nerd and everything, but he really needs to get the internet under that rock he’s been living under.
Hell yeah!
OMFG YES!
I watch Honey Boo Boo and her family when I’m on the treadmill. No shame.
Yes and no. It might work for some and maybe not for others. I use people who have fit bodies as my motivation because I want to see myself where they are.
Such an initiative might backfire, as it might trigger the very sort of behavior he is trying to curb. You don’t want people to take either the thinspo route, or resort to BS “fat acceptance” rhetoric to justify their laziness… so I’d say that promoting healthy living and strenuous exercise is a better option. ESPECIALLY exercise. People are all too lazy and eager nowadays for the quick fix, be it thinspo behavior or stupid fad diets or diet pills.
No.
i think the focus should be on health, not appearance.
I think it’s terrible that its come to this. We shouldn’t have to shame people into caring about their health. They should just naturally care.
I always wonder who the people are in those pictures about obesity. Like do they just take a picture of some random person without them knowing?
I think we should idiot shame to help others get a clue.
What perplexes me is that it’s always people who get the pressure, yet the companies that made them fat get off Scott free with their marketing campaigns as if they care. Those companies should get some of the blame for making them addicted to their product as we know there is in fact a chemical reaction that occurs.
@Baseballchik138 - Why should they care? What the fuck does it matter to you if people are fat? It doesn’t hurt you any.
I do not like how people are stereotyped for being obese. HOWEVER, i do feel that obesity is a huge issue in the US. please shame me every time Im walking into a restaurant to get fatty food. if i had money leaking from my ass, i’d pay someone to follow me around to tell me what i can and cant eat and tell me not to get fat and stuff… why not, do you strive to be lesss than healthy?
the spectrum of the problem is that you have young teens battling anorexia because that’s the image “everyone” wants them to be seen as, while govt money has to go and support people with obesity related health problems. wut wuhht.
i hate how people like this always think it’s their damn problem to tell someone else what they need to do with their bodies and their lives.
why do you care, daniel callahan? why?
i realize i comment so much on your posts it’s embarrassing.
I’m torn. On the one hand obesity is unhealthy and should be discouraged. On the other hand I’m totally into fattie porn and don’t know what I’d yank to if all them bitches were shamed skinny.
It’s alright to be a little fat just don’t overdue it!- Marlon Brando
We don’t need to curb obesity. We don’t need to curb behaviors in others if they only affect the person that has the problem.
“Are you pleased with the way that you look?” And exactly how many people in this world are going to say ‘yes’? Fat, Thin, Average…..pretty much everyone male or female has body image issues. So yeah, isolating and shaming just one part of our society isn’t too cool.
@Shadowrunner81 - very good point!
Why are people pressuring others to lose weight? I think it is rather unhealthy especially living in a society where we preach the high almighty freedom to choose credo. People should live in a way where they feel comfortable and confident about themselves without the feeling of being ashamed and that includes being obese. To impose something like to be thin or buffed up goes against the principles and values that people always talk about. And it is immoral to make someone feel bad about themselves!
@MyHomeIsWriting – Uhm fat people have medical bills. Many of these fat people cause insurance to go up or tax payers to pay for their shit because they are on medicare/medicaid. So pretty much Im busting my ass to pay for some fat person’s heart surgery because they are lazy. The same goes for smokers. People fail to understand that resources are limited. Everything one person does effects the others around them. So not only are you rude, but also completely wrong.
@thefittedsheet – You too, please read above post.
I want to take this opportunity to say hi to Shimms, and that I miss her. Shimms… I have been feeling very lonely lately. My loneliness. My life feels like a snowflake. My life feels like a constant struggle. My life is ugly. My life is ver disapointing. I am so far from the sun. I feel invisible and without purpose. I’m in pitch darkness. I am in outerspace. I feel like dust. I wish there was hope for me here on earth.
<a href="http://www.asian-university.org
/” >
AsianuniversityGreat post,
I have carefully read your artical description & I am interested to take your artical. if i had money leaking from my ass, i’d pay someone to follow me around to tell me what i can and cant eat and tell me not to get fat and stuff… why not, do you strive to be lesss than healthy
@deargodkillme - HUMANS have medical bills if they choose to visit a doctor. I don’t like my tax dollars taking care of you any better than you like yours taking care of me. Get the fuck over yourself.
@shezadey - Nah. ingredients are on the labels, and we have google. We need to assume more personal responsibility. That’s like saying Bacardi kills people because it makes people drive drunk.
@MyHomeIsWriting - Medical bills also arise as a result of emergencies. Heart attacks, strokes, etc. Those as well as other costs associated with obesity and weight problems do pose an issue for health care - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120409103247.htm
Not saying we should necessarily force people to act in a certain way, but we have to recognize that in the case of obesity, it does impact more than just the person.
I think the loss of the Twinkie has been hard enough, no need to make life even harder for them.
They do it for smokers… so why not for something that is equally as unhealthy.
yes people need a reality check
@deargodkillme - Yet we waste our resources on war that most likely suck up more of the government’s resources than obese people with a myriad of problems.
i don’t think this kind of negativity would be productive towards promoting a supposedly positive goal. so NO. they feel bad enough as it is without society creating such a propaganda against them…
We’re a country that’s soooo PC about everything
, so people walk/or get wheelchaired into the hospital unable to breathe at night with high blood pressure and diabetes because
NO ONE TELLS THEM THEY’RE OBESE
!!! OMG. Fat shaming works in Korea. For those of you confused what obesity is it is a BMI 30-34, overweight is a BMI 25-29. They also have created the categories of morbid obesity and super mordid obesity in the 4 years I’ve been in medical school. Once you know a persons’ weight and height, you can calculate BMI. Google BMI calculator.
‘
@deargodkillme - “Im busting my ass to pay for some fat person’s heart surgery because they are lazy.”
Actually, you’re “busting your ass” to pay taxes. Obese people, even obese medicare patients, also pay taxes. Everybody who qualifies pays taxes … and just because a lot of people see some percentage of that tax money return to them in the form of government aid doesn’t mean that they need to be shamed. You might as well shame people into not going into the military because then you’d have to “bust your ass” to pay their salaries. You should also shame people into not going into public teaching, the police force, the fire department, politics, or any company that has received a government contract because then you’d have to “bust your ass” to pay their salary. Hell, shame people into dying young and not get old…. old age accounts for a lot more medical emergencies- and medicaid recipients- than obesity. Then you wouldn’t have to “bust your ass” to pay their medical bills (or rather, have a small slice of your tax money that will NOT be taken out of your taxes even if nationwide obesity is reduced pay for medicaid).
Frankly, increasing fat shame is like increasing the caloric load on a McDonald’s meal. That stuff has enough calories already! Same with our society… there is enough fat shame floating around without artificially inflating it. Ask any obese person if they would like to lose weight and get healthy… and the answer you’ll receive is “YES!” by about ninety-something percent of that population. Overeating is often rooted in depression and when you increase the depression you’ll increase the incidence of overeating. Increasing fat shame in our society will backfire horribly when it comes to reducing obesity.
By the way, there’s an apostrophe in the word “I’m.”
@NorCal_ish - “ !!! OMG. Fat shaming works in Korea. “
No, it doesn’t. A preponderance of healthy food (seaweed, pickled cabbage and fish are the main staples of a Korean diet) and a genetic disposition towards slenderness is what works in Korea…. and by the way the trend towards obesity in that country has been rising. There was no fat shaming in Korea about fifty years ago… such a movement would have been laughable. The country was desperately poor, starving, under authoritarian rule, trying to rebuild itself after the Korean war, and trying to feed its people. Starvation, not obesity, was the main problem there. Now with the increase of Western foods and rich economies obesity (not surprisingly) has been rising. It’s still far lower than in the US- or even Europe!- but it’s been definitely rising. Fat shame and a pressure towards plastic surgery has done nothing to stop the trend … and I have absolutely NO problem with plastic surgery being less of an obsession in the US than in Korea!
It’s just genes. If you think encouraging a more Korean diet would help then I agree (though I absolutely HATE kimchi! It literally stinks! You can’t open a refrigerator in Korea without smelling a thousand farts!) but definitely fat-shaming is NOT the answer. It does not work in Korea, and it will not work here.
If you want the US to have the same obesity rates as Korea…. good luck! The vast majority of the US’s non-Asian population tends towards the chubbyish
@Tooty_fruits - Yes! Well put!
@Lithium98 - I don’t agree, but LOL anyway!
@MyHomeIsWriting - Hahhaha! Agree!
I think we should shame bioethicists who suck at ethics.
Shame is a terrible motivator.
In other news: reading these comments has once again re-established my loss of hope for humanity.
@phoebester - Could not agree with you more.
@MyHomeIsWriting - Well, if our country does move towards universal healthcare it will affect us.
You need to take a step back and calm down. I didn’t even mention people’s weight, I mentioned their health. I never even suggested getting involved, I simply said that it’s awful that our society in moving in a direction where health is thrown out the window. Is it wrong to wish more people cared?
@xDark_horizonx - Although I don’t agree with fat shaming you make an excellent point! What if we started putting picture of obese people on Ding Dong boxes?! Same concept.
We should only “fat shame” obese people as much as we “thin shame” anorexic people into proper shape. :-
Yes.
@Tooty_fruits - What about ignorance, or racism?
@Annieothergirl - You are everywhere!
Fat shaming works for asians. Go to any family party and your aunts and uncles will tell you immediately if you gained weight or if your skin is bad.
The funny thing is your aunts and uncles are pretty chubs themselves, but they will tell you to stay skinny and have fair skin.
Does it work? Yes and no. Everyone responds differently to different stimuli, but who really cares. It works on me, but that is because I have a low self esteem. Not really but maybe. So I agree with Annie. Yes and NO.
Do you! Be whoever you like. Find people who accept you for you are. Get healthy if you want to. Dont get healthy. Buy drugs to lower your blood pressure if you dont want to lose weight and be fit. Happy is happy.
“Do you boo. Do you.”
I believe in Pink
I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner
I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong.
I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls.
I believe in Miracles.
-Audrey Hepburn-
Let’s put to shame the bullies who come up with these stupid ideas.
I totally agree.
I absolutely disagree that fat shaming is the way forward. Fat shaming leads to unhappiness in those who are overweight, which only leads to overeating and unhealthy crash-diets in desperate attempts to lose the pounds. And crash-diets have the opposite effect of the intended one. So a person will become more miserable and less healthy, and it’s a horrible circle that many people struggle to break out of.
No, what we need is education. Education about health and nutrition and exercise. People need to be taught better and at a younger age, and encouraged to eat HEALTHY, not be bombarded with fads or the message that on particular body type is good and the rest are unacceptable. Children should be taught how to prepare good, healthy meals, rather than leaving them with little option but to microwave pizzas every evening when they have to fend for themselves. They need to be encouraged to try a range of different physical activities, to find something that they enjoy, be it yoga, gymnastics, team sports, dance, walking, whatever. We should be promoting the correlation between healthy eating / physical activity and reduced depression and anxiety, increased energy and self-confidence, longer lifespan, smaller medical bills etc, NOT emphasising how important it is to look a certain way.
yes to shame towards obesity. Being obese is dangerously unhealthy. And only one person can make him/herself back to health. I’m not saying just willpower is enough, but it is required to start with. If shame can give willpower to return to health then YES.
no to shame towards body shape though. I can’t really say how this can work but one has to be able to accept the fact that they probably cannot look like a hollywood star, but still able to see whether or now one’s body is in a healthy state.
a few points: being overweight is the result of eating too much and not being active enough. people need encouragement and role models that are realistic, not shaming. being overweight also has a psychological aspect which i think isn’t addressed enough. focusing on health instead of weight only works for a while–eventually the extra weight affects you. it is everyones problem, just like smoking, because we all pay for it in some way–karen
As if there is NOT fat shaming going on already? What world is HE living in?
And “do you like the way you LOOK” should be changed to “do you like the way you FEEL”
I thought he was going for health, here, not appearance. But since he went the appearance route, I’m just going to chalk him up to being a complete fuckhead. I wouldn’t take him too seriously.
Quite frankly, everyone has an unhealthy habit that could affect their health. Are we going to shame all those too? It’s easy for those who may not be fat, to think fat shaming is okay… because it’s not them that’s being shamed. but if we could shame THEM for one of their unhealthy habits, lets see how well they like that.
There’s enough fat shaming already. Not the answer, in my opinion. And live and let live. Unless you’re a perfectly healthy person, you have no right to get all over someone else and shame them for theirs and shame on anyone who thinks THAT is okay!
I agree with what others have said before– if we as a collective society are going to do anything (and I’m not really saying we should, because I don’t really think it’s my business), we should focus on the health aspect. I think focusing on trying to get people to look thin will only encourage more unhealthy behaviors, and will encourage people to strive for unhealthy, unrealistic ideals. Not everyone has the same body shape, so what may look “overweight” on one person may actually be their healthy weight. Not to mention that I think inspiring people is a nicer way to go about initiating change than shaming and ridiculing them.
i’m overweight, and its the only thing that people look at when thinking about my health. when i go to the doctors, my cholesterol and normal, my blood work and muscle responses are normal, the only thing to work on is my cardio (because i dont run anywhere, walking is my forte).
because of my mom pressuring me to lose weight (which was hurtful because my sister weighed more than me and my mom never said a word, and my mom was also around my size) and even wanted me to get breast reductions at 16 (i am currently a DDD cup, back then i was a D–> DD). That pressure caused me to do UNHEALTHY things such as starve myself, harm myself, and feel depressed so i didn’t want to move or do anything at all.
i don’t think “fat shaming” should be a thing. Because “Fat” doesn’t always mean “unhealthy”. Everyone carries weight differently and for different reasons. Some may have disorders, slow metabolisms, or a slight problem that makes is almost impossible to work out for extended periods of time.
“Fat shaming” should NOT be an option because a lot of it has to do with shaming the “fat” and the way people LOOK, and not FEEL. shaming people causes BAD and UNHEALTHY habit fast in a lot of people. They will go to methods of starving and vomiting or laxitives to make themselves skinny. What they should do it promote healthy messages like the benefit of eating a salad everyday, or metabolism boosters for morning and midday snackers. That way you’re not FAT shaming, you’re HEALTH PROMOTING.
Ummm..no
Two words – Hell No! I am obese myself, but the last thing I need is to have someone oust me in public. This is the same as the bullying heavier kids get in schools, so why is that wrong and this right?
The fuck is a bioethecist?
Look, bioethecist dude, if that’s even a real job. If you don’t think fat people are attractive, don’t have sex with them. If you’re concerned about paying their medical bills, advocate for private insurance.
And be very ashamed for being so goddamned nosy. Geez.
We also definitely need to shame the willfully ignorant.
“What? You don’t believe in sound scientific principles behind either evolution OR global warming? Go put on the dunce hat and go read this text books until I say so!”
Fat people know they are fat. As one who’s been steadily gaining weight, I know. There is no need to make people feel bad. Often times, people are fat because there is a deeper issue that needs to come up. Often times, it’s genetics. Sometimes, it’s depression. Sometimes (like in my case) it’s contentment. People know if they need to lose weight. Often times, they need positive pressure to get up and do something about it.
I thought we were taught to stand up to peer pressure as kids? what will be next? if society dictates people need to have a certain color hair, or certain color eyes in order not to be shamed, once the shaming starts there will always be some wanting to take it further…. oh wait, Hitler already went that route. its a personal choice whether they remain obese or not. obese people are well aware of the fact that they are obese. many of them look in the mirror every day and hate themselves because of what they see. kids get picked on in school for being obese, and it doesn’t change as they grow into adulthood. people still pass rude comments, stare, and make generalized assumptions about a person based on their weight. they feel bad enough now without a campaign designed to make them feel bad.
There is so much I could say on this topic. I agree with @shezadey that the corporations who are producing, marketing and selling all of the crap should take SOME of the blame. Not all, of course, because then this quickly turns into a debate on internal vs external locus of control. But anyone who isn’t living under a rock, should easily recognize that we are simply drowning in a world that is fueled (literally fueled) by unhealthy behaviors/choices/lifestyles. To place ALL of the blame on the person living in THIS world is simply unfair and ridiculously absurd. That being said, a little strategic fat shaming wouldn’t be so bad but I disagree with “how you look” being the motivator. It should be “how you feel”. Fat shaming carries a pretty negative connotation but there must be a way to do it in a slightly more positive way. I should also note that there are A TON of other things that could and should be changed in this world to transfer some of the responsibility away from the individual and more towards the environment (a shift from internal to external, so to speak).
@deargodkillme - And here, in a nutshell, is why universal government-run healthcare is a horrible idea. When the government–and thus, by extension, everyone else–pays your medical bills, suddenly the government–and everyone else–has a vested interest in keeping your bills low. That leads to Nanny State practices like banning smoking, limiting the size of sugary drinks, etc. Government healthcare means an end to the privacy of one’s body and/or life choices.
@TiredSoVeryTired - haha best comment!
This guys a fucking idiot. He does realize that most people who overeat do so because they have emotional problems? They cope with food. Shaming them is only going to make the emotional problems worse which is going to set them off to want to eat again. Not to mention this would make every obese person the target of bullying even more so then before, causing even MORE emotional problems. Every genius has a weakness. And his is psychology.
The man is a moron. People who want to jump on the band wagon to attack and shame others need to crawl back into the bottom of the pond they came from.
@xDark_horizonx - The only difference is that one person’s smoking can negatively affect the health of other people in the vicinity. As far as I know, people are still free to smoke there are just limits on where they are allowed to do so… which only makes sense to me, a non-smoker, since I don’t want to be forced to ruin my lungs as a result of someone else’s personal choice. I would never judge someone for smoking (out loud, anyway), but it’s nice to me that I can breathe freely in restaurants and bars now. People who are overweight don’t really affect my health or day-to-day life.
Where I work, the majority of my coworkers smoke, and they all get regular breaks throughout their shifts to go outside and smoke. I could have a shift that is just as long and not get any breaks. So in my mind, it all evens out.
Absolutely not.
@npr32486 - As I said before, anything that makes people feel ashamed of themselves is truly immoral. However, racism and ignorance goes hand-in-hand because some people still thinks that skin color is directly linked to intelligence or the amount of crimes committed, which is really sad. People don’t understand that the media is a double edge sword – the way people of different skin color is portrayed in stereotypical ways that infects the mind of the public deeper. This is also the case with obesity. I know some people that were born obese, and others, not a fault of their own goes into depression and overeats. I’m not trying to be a saint here but what I think people lack are true sympathy for others because they deem themselves supporters of freedom of choice and health experts, but they don’t care. Otherwise they wouldn’t suggest something that psychologically detrimental to people of all ages. Our society already has image issues and children as young as 12 goes on diets, causing them to have bone problems. This one girl in Elmira NY started dieting at the age of 10 and by the age of 12 she had bone density of a 60 year old. Due to an horse riding accident, she had a hip fracture. Fat shaming solves nothing. Why not implement programs to help people eat healthy and be more active? Rather than focusing on images, focusing on adopting a healthy lifestyle would be more beneficial.
The most intolerable thing is hypocrisy – pretending to care but not really.
@TheyCallHerEcho88 - Yeah in this case I do not care how it affects your health or the health of others, this is about convincing an individual that they are doing something unhealthy. Shaming is a bad way to phrase it really, instead it should be call Aggressive/ Forceful Educating.
But as you brought it up, I know plenty of responsible smokers who diligently make sure nobody is taking in their second hand smoke, however yes there are a vast majority of idiot irresponsible smokers who don’t care about where their smoke goes or the space they monopolize with it.
Now while someone being over weight might not affect you.. it does affect their family; they will have a shorter life span, increased likely hood of serious medical conditions (which increases everyone’s insurance costs), which both lead to financial burdens and stress on their family. Additionally a majority of overweight adults do not enforce good eating/ nutritional practices with their family which means that their children are at high risk for being obese themselves. So while it might not be an affect on your day-to-day, it is far from isolated to the individual.
@phoebester - Kimchi doesn’t smell bad. lol
While Korean food is slightly healthier, it’s still drenched in sugary sweet corn syrup and you can gain a lot of weight if you like dokkboki or fried food.
The real reason is the whole country is on a diet from the age of 6 until they die AND liposuction is cheaper and offered EVERYWHERE and something girls who are 110 pounds get because that’s not thin enough. Plus $20 worth of groceries in America would be around $40 in Korea (just basic stuff like eggs, fruit, salad, chicken) so you have to diet because it costs more to buy groceries than it does to eat out.
They also have small portions for Western snack and drinks. Our drinks are twice or three times the size. Even their birthday cakes are tiny and expensive.
Its great….no slut shaming, but it’s okay to fat shame. That’s BS.
I think that part of the problem is that shame probably leads them to more eating (emotional compensation). They’re already ashamed, so that doesn’t work. But maybe a bigger emphasis on health is needed.
I personally think bringing beauty to the forefront is what encourages people to be better. They are ashamed enough, there is plenty hidden shame and pain… we don’t need to tell them that – we need to make them better from the inside.
Idiots.
@Erika_Steele - we do need to curb current obesity problem (i’m not talking overweight people, i’m talking obese people) because it unnecessarily burdens the healthcare system (putting a 500 lb person on a gurney could kill them, diabetes on the rise and adult onset diabetes now being seen in children, commercially available needles and catheters used on a “normal sized” person, does not do it’s job in an obese person) , it makes it much for difficult for movies/ airlines/ etc. to fully accommodate their customers, it affects gas consumption, if everyone started getting on the trend to becoming obese it affects the work force, it affects family life, it affects a lot of things – but this isn’t to say this is caused by 1 individual being obese, it is caused by an entire population trending towards obesity
many people who are obese don’t need more shame in their lives – they need the emotional, spiritual, nutritional support instead of the overly simplified “calories in, calories out” mantra. There is currently no known genetic/biological factor that explains/controls the MAJORITY of obesity cases out there (of course there are few people with actual genetic predispositions that cause obesity) – there is some weak correlation with certain genetic loci, but they are weak associations at best.
to say obesity is not a problem because we should only care about ourselves and not others is to say that we are not and should not be a thriving society.
I think it’s a very fine line to walk – the majority of obese people do not WANT to be obese, and are not HAPPY with being obese, they don’t need to be told to lose weight, what they need is support in doing so
I think HONESTY about the issue is more needed than shame or a “diagnosis”. We treat drug addicts with hard facts and rehabilitation strategies. Everyone’s different but if it’s an addiction, get help… If it’s a lack of discipline, set up personal boundaries… If it’s a lack of knowledge, go learn how to feed yourself properly.
nahh I think we need more unhealthy ppl… more unhealthy ppl creates more jobs in the health field, and we need more jobs.. !
@accumulations - blah, blah, blah, I don’t agree with policing people’s morals and/or behaviors when they don’t affect other people. Obesity in another person does not cause physical harm, emotional harm, nor does it infringe upon other people’s personal liberties. What does supporting someone that wants to lose weight have to due with curbing obesity in society as a whole? Absolutely, nothing.
Daniel Callahan is an idiot…he’s old and senile too.
I dont think it would work you need to figure out why they are fat is it biological, mental, or just plain lazyness. If its just plain lazyness then fat shaming could work, but if its one of the other two then it would only make the problem worse.
I’m itailan… I’m supposed to be big.
@Erika_Steele - it’s all about the money – there are specific obesity related financial costs that, of course, morally it wouldn’t be right to make a fat tax right? But then where do institutions get the money to buy bigger inpatient hospital beds, what about the labor needed to transfer them – from working in the medical field, i can see that our current institutions are not fit and are not capable of providing the same kind of care for obese people than can for people of lower weight. Even some gastic bypass equipment are not suited for the increasingly larger waistlines because the laproscope is not long enough, etc. I’ve been in the OR watching total hip replacement surgery on a larger (albeit not obese) person, and the way that the leg is supported during the operation is not suitable for someone who is obese – it would damage them more than it would help. Obesity DOES incur a financial cost to society, and that is an undeniable fact.
@Erika_Steele - i do 100% agree however, that we shouldn’t police other people’s morals and/or behaviors when they don’t affect other people, but obesity IS beginning/starting to affect other people – namely healthcare professionals, institutions that treat people – the body type of people that used to go to hospitals in the 50s is very different from the average person walking through the hospital doors today. That means a lot has to change to accomodate that. And change isn’t bad, it’s just the transition period and the people being the guinea pigs that get the worst of it
I do not think that we need to start fat shaming people. We have learnt from other shaming that it hurts other people. Instead of fat shaming, they should be encouraging people to loose weight. Not shame them
@accumulations -the cost of caring for people that are overweight is different from saying other people should make it an issue to police other people’s weights. Hospitals should buy bigger beds, bigger wheel chairs, bigger gurneys etc. Some of them are already doing that without the need of setting up nanny state policies to police people’s weight.When I had my son, the wheelchairs were large enough for 3 of me (at least). I do get that not all hospitals are located in areas to have the tax base to support providing hospitals with equipment they need to treat larger patients; that’s the problem. Creating more government programs to curb obesity is not going to do anything. THAT is a waste of tax payer money.
No, and that is disgusting and stupid. If a person were very obese, it would be cruel, and I don’t think anyone chooses to be that way. What is fat is a matter of opinion outside of extremes, and outside of them, it is not a fact that a size 8-10 woman is any healthier than a size 18 woman. I wish people would quit being cruel and quit trying to make cruelty into policy.
I don’t think that fat shaming necessarily makes it any better, but I don’t believe in fat love or fat acceptance because I think that’s unhealthy. Women already get enough shame about their bodies from the media. We need to put the focus on healthier habits and healthier lifestyles and accepting people for where they’re at towards living healthier, regardless of body shape.
@korean_biyatch - you think people don’t know that they’re fat?
@Erika_Steele - the issue is not creating gov programs to police/ curb obesity – thetheologian here asked about social pressure to curb obesity, a condition that is not simply just a social issue.
@accumulations - It already is a social issue, but you can’t make everyone care about it. People are not obligated to follow any social contract so making even less socially acceptable to be overweight is not going to do any good. People are going to be fat if they want to be fat. It’s their choice. I personally don’t care and I am pretty sure there are people that are obese that don’t care what society thinks about them either.
@arae137 - i completely agree with you and share the exact same sentiments.
@Erika_Steele - agreed that you can’t make everyone care about it. And I think what works more than fat shaming (doesn’t work at all – my parents used to “fat shame” me, and it turned me deeply bitter and eating disordered despite never having been overweight by definition) is providing a support system to address underlying issues such as emotional issues, educational, teach healthy living, address the issue of poverty and availability of resources
@accumulations - where exactly would the funding to create this support system come from? If it comes from private organizations, how do we assure this educational information is equally disseminated to everyone? We already have programs like this, they do not work and the same goes for most programs designed to re-educate people about a personal choice. People are not going to change their behavior because they read something or because a doctor or teacher told it to them. In order for them to want to change, they have to experience something to make them want to change.
I am sorry you experienced fat shaming from your parents; that is an entirely separate issue. Your parents needed help with how to be a parent. I will agree that more needs to be done to recognize the emotional part of over-eating, but as someone who has an eating disorder, I know all the telling me in the world is not going to make me change.
@Erika_Steele - I think a lot of people WANT to change, and desire the help, they just don’t know where to turn to, and how to do it in a private manner to feel the most comfortable doing it, and not ashamed. I have friends who are overweight who want to lose weight but are afraid to go to the gym because they’re intimidated, or they give up and emotionally eat because they feel as though they’ve already “lost” in some way and don’t know where to start, and have motivational problems (strangely they’re academically motivated and overachieving, yet not physically, even though they SAY it is something that concerns them). They would rather hide themselves because they lack a supportive group (friends maybe, family maybe) to ease them out of that comfort zone.
I agree that in order for them to want to change, they have to experience something to make them want to change, but the desire to change and having the resources, whether emotional or something more tangible, for change are different things. I honestly think a good, understanding, and close friend can help do many of these things, but of course trust is an issue. Many people have the desire to change to do many different things, yet don’t act in that way, maybe because they don’t have the resources to.
As for actually having an eating disorder – that’s also a whole separate issue from obesity as it stands. Much of obesity is linked with poverty and access to resources issues.
@Erika_Steele - Socialized healthcare affects everyone, though.
@SKANLYN - Ditto
@mycontinuity - LOL. yeah, that’s all true. I like to pretend dokbokki is healthy because I’m addicted to the stuff …. but yeah! full of oil and corn syrup
@DrummingMediocrity - so we spend more tax payer money to create more programs in addition to the ones we have that don’t work? My tax money goes towards many things that I may or may not agree with. People aren’t stupid, they don’t care. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out how to eat in a way that is healthy. If they have issues with emotional eating, again, they know what they need to do. How is increasing social pressure going to make people care when they clearly already don’t care to change to fit in. People that don’t care what society thinks don’t care. There is nothing anyone can do to make them. Therefore, societal or governmental pressure is a waste of time and money (in case of the government).
@accumulations - this is going to sound callous, and it is. People that want to change and don’t have the support system for it, have to keep looking for friends and people to add to their lives to provide them with the support that they need. Society as a whole does not have to care about obesity or anything else that boils down to personal choices. To give up is a personal choice.
People that live in poverty may have a harder time than wealthier individuals, but even this is a cop out. People want preparing food to be convenient and easy. I am thankful that my mom taught me how to make meals from basic ingredients like rice, flour, milk, butter, potatoes, and dry beans. People who live in poverty may not have the luxury of 9-5 hours. However, meals can be prepared and frozen on the weekends and then heated up just as easily as crappy processed foods. You work with what you have. No it is not easy to rise above poverty in the US, but that is not an excuse to be obese.
There should be government programs for the obese. They should force us to attend the gym for like a month under supervision of a trainer. Otherwise, they should charge us more for healthcare if we refuse to go. We already get shamed, trust me. Most people don’t care about that. My obesity is caused by medication. I’m working on trimming down. However, while traveling in fat land, I’ve noticed that a lot of these people simply do not know how to take care of themselves. It’s sad.
@Erika_Steele - Amen! Other people should do their own research (or not) in making healthy choices, and pay for their own health problems (or not). I should not be held responsible for anyone else’s personal lives unless I am an individual’s legal guardian.
@Colorsofthenight - The
government should not be involved in anyone’s personal lives, period.
There would be less resentment for fat people if so many of those fat
people weren’t already on medical assistance, and many more recently and
increasingly having a large effect on rising healthcare costs.
and if he thought “large” women were sexy then it would be polar opposite soo.. in the eye of the beholder…
We’re already ashamed……
we need posters that shame assholes like this bioethicist, then perhaps we’ll have.. hm.. nope, never mind
As if that’s not what we’re already doing…
@Colorsofthenight - They should “force us” to a gym and use a trainer? Move to China or some other socialist country, comrade…
The person that invents fast food that is healthy and tastes good, and can be sold inexpensively will make millions and have the world beating a path to their doorstep.
Face it, we all grab fast food because it is easy, tastes good, and is inexpensive. We don’t think of the long term consequences, we rationalize, “one burger isn’t going to make any difference one way or the other”…until we have eaten hundreds of those burgers over many months, then look at your hips and thighs…
Will shaming work? Doubtful. Remember the guy who criticized the fat TV anchor and she went off on him with her editorial? He got called out for being insensitive, and all he was doing was pointing out she made a poor role model for those struggling with obesity, that she was promoting “fat is OK” waddling around in front of a camera.
We have spent millions as a nation campaigning against obesity. Gyms, diet centers, pill manufacturers, all make millions because we cannot exercise our arms and push ourselves away from the table, then Hollywood glamorizes anorexia and drools over some rail thin stick, gushes about how beautiful she is. Take a few minutes and look at pictures or Marilyn Monroe. The beauty queen and sex symbol of the 50′s and 60′s, and look how twisted we have become in a relatively short time. Go back and look at photos of movie stars of the 30′s, 40′s, 50′s. Greta Garbo, May West, etc. Many were plump, cherubic, even portly, and that was considered “hot”. Check out Elizabeth Montgomery from the 60′s and 70′s. Incredibly beautiful and sexy, and anything but thinspo. There are zillions of examples out there.
Fact is, some like thick, some like thin. As long as you are healthy and happy, able to do the things you want, it isn’t anyone else’s business what you look like. If they don’t like the way you look, then look at someone else. If you don’t like the way you look, do something about it. Easy? Nope, but you will have more stamina, sleep better, and have more energy when you hit that gym on a regular basis. Go find a Zumba class, or Kisado if you want to drop weight quick. Quit eating stupid stuff. The less processed and preserved, the better. It is just common sense, people. Eat your heavy meal at breakfast, your light meal in the early evening, no food after 8 pm. Quit drinking any kind of pop and drink water instead. Sounds easy, hard to do. But it works.
….I’m wondering how long it took to comeup with that idea??… Maybe it just occured to them, although I got a clue as to what might contribute to the ‘fat’ problem…. how about MSG?…. in short, there is a cycle in the brain that re-enforces good stuff/ bad stuff in the brain/body. Serotonin gives the body/brain a good feeling about what has been consumed; this in turn stimulates a portion of the brain to produce glutimate, telling the serotonin producing centers to produce more serotonin, hence the good feeling…. Monosodium glutimate/MSG may be the reason, hence the government/industry effort to remove said substance from our food supply…. something to think about, maybe… Peace
I don’t know about shaming, but I think we need to stop embracing obesity as a socially acceptable and healthy thing. I don’t care what anyone says; it’s not healthy. There is nothing healthy about fat crushing your internal organs and suffocating your heart. But I’ve also stopped being so concerned with other people and worked on making myself healthy. And when I have kids, I will make sure they have healthy views as well. Btw, my healthy views are exercise and eat everything in moderation, so I never feel deprived. ;]
No. Fat shaming does not work. There’s more than enough of that already. I think we should cut that shit out. No one has the right to make another person feel bad about their body, or to tell them that they are not good enough.
Obesity is not chosen; I know, for I am definitely the recipient of too much weight for Health’s sake, Hollywood and magazines have decided that, “The Coat Hangar Look,” is the beautiful woman, size 0–1, and I heard a mother chastize her size 6 daughter, for it would not be popular at college. Do not lie to me; To keep this figure you eat lots of greens with vinegar, a couple of bites of protein, a couple bites of fruit, a coveted bite of desert, but if you go over, then you get out the laxatives. I do not like my obesity, but skin, bones, muscle, and no reserves is a ticket to eatting disorder and the ugliest older women you will ever see. Men who love this tiny figure, and women as well are in serious danger of anorexia; bullemia, all eatting disorders, and yes; you can live half starved with fluids and vitamins, but how did, “Starved,” the size of a child, become beauty. Look at Renaisance paintings, and we are talking breast and hips, so one hundred years from now, Will people freak out at the ideal woman who must wear pads to have a rear. I am sorry for us all, because we cannot love ourselves for who we are.// Yes I fully disagree with giving kids a bunch of sugary drinks, and making a fat kid, for that child/s life is hell.// Frankly, Hollywood has made larger womens lives hell, so we are ridiculed, though I do have people tell me my skin is great. Certainly, I shall not deny it, that I did not worship the sun, and these fat cells fill in the lines.// I am not anyone’s model; And my husband and I are pledging eating from around the perimeter of the store, but the new weight values are yet another issue to lower health care cost, and CDC does not give one damn about how you look, but it is what you are going to cost medically.
This campaign of thinness is apt to bring back in the Twiggy years of girls in the hospital dying from anorexia, so we are on a fine line here with the advice from NIH and CDC. Did anyone think this was not a campaign of dietary issues which had been beaten like a horse in those hallways, and I wish it was all because our government wants to make us happy people.
Thanks, Barbara Everett Heintz, “Pinkhoneysuckle” Amazon and Kindle