Look at Instagram beauty. The definition of a big bootie/phat ass has really changed in the past 20 years.
Fat-shaming is a thing; had Stewart’s book been published today, it’d be skewered on talk shows for this one joke being fat-shaming.
We may not be there yet, but around the time All About That Bass came out, normalizing obesity started gaining mainstream support. Despite clear evidence that it shortens life expectancy and is considered a co-morbidity for any medical condition, American society is overriding the medical community in telling people “it’s OK to be fat,” and worse, calling any other messaging “fat shaming.”
It’s already happened. You just didn’t notice because the Kardashians distracted everyone.
I don’t use Instagram because I don’t hate myself. But trust me, I noticed.
My dad almost died at the age I am now because he insisted on eating Mac & Cheese five times a week. Scared him straight, thankfully. Blows me away every time I see him now because he’s a toothpick compared to what I saw growing up.
This was a decade before all about that bass, the healthy at any size nonsense, etc. Either way, it really is unfortunate that we’ve gone from “you shouldn’t be shitty to people because they’re fat” to “being obese is something to be celebrated.”
People aren’t celebrating being obese. They’re celebrating being themselves and accepting that they’re more than their body. They’re also saying that it’s possible to be beautiful and desirable even if you’re overweight.
Fat shaming doesn’t work. People don’t always try to improve themselves when they feel like they’re worthless. Sometimes they do, and you’ll always see some ex-fat person in the comments saying how they needed the shame to improve, but the data doesn’t really support that position.
I just want people to be able to be happy. I want people to be treated like humans regardless of their looks and weight. That’s the goal of most of these *movements."
Also… While some extra crazy people out exist that claim that it’s healthy to never move and be over 300 pounds, those people are often cherry picked and used as examples of cultural downfall, even when they’re the minority.
Great response, I’d just like to add: almost everybody does something unhealthy. I’m sure they wouldn’t want to be shamed and insulted for it by random people on the internet. You can believe that being overweight is unhealthy while still being accepting of others.
It’s like religion: Keep your mouth shut if you don’t have anything positive to say.
I apologize if I wasn’t clear in my statement. I was not supporting shaming fat people. As someone who is, once again, overweight, I know they are well aware. I am, however, opposed to those who state that you can be healthy and obese, as the evidence does not support it. Also, no one is owed to be found attractive by others. The greater your weight deviates from healthy, the lower your pool of potential partners. People need to accept the realities, not expect others to indulge in fantasies. That was all I was trying to convey in short hand. I still think all people should be treated with respect, and it isn’t anyone’s job, except maybe a medical professional, to point out someone’s weight to them.
You didn’t notice it already happened?
Look at Instagram beauty. The definition of a big bootie/phat ass has really changed in the past 20 years.
Fat-shaming is a thing; had Stewart’s book been published today, it’d be skewered on talk shows for this one joke being fat-shaming.
We may not be there yet, but around the time All About That Bass came out, normalizing obesity started gaining mainstream support. Despite clear evidence that it shortens life expectancy and is considered a co-morbidity for any medical condition, American society is overriding the medical community in telling people “it’s OK to be fat,” and worse, calling any other messaging “fat shaming.”
It’s already happened. You just didn’t notice because the Kardashians distracted everyone.
I don’t use Instagram because I don’t hate myself. But trust me, I noticed.
My dad almost died at the age I am now because he insisted on eating Mac & Cheese five times a week. Scared him straight, thankfully. Blows me away every time I see him now because he’s a toothpick compared to what I saw growing up.
Well, me neither, but it leaks out.
Good to hear about your dad, though. Late is better than never.
This was a decade before all about that bass, the healthy at any size nonsense, etc. Either way, it really is unfortunate that we’ve gone from “you shouldn’t be shitty to people because they’re fat” to “being obese is something to be celebrated.”
People aren’t celebrating being obese. They’re celebrating being themselves and accepting that they’re more than their body. They’re also saying that it’s possible to be beautiful and desirable even if you’re overweight.
Fat shaming doesn’t work. People don’t always try to improve themselves when they feel like they’re worthless. Sometimes they do, and you’ll always see some ex-fat person in the comments saying how they needed the shame to improve, but the data doesn’t really support that position.
I just want people to be able to be happy. I want people to be treated like humans regardless of their looks and weight. That’s the goal of most of these *movements."
Also… While some extra crazy people out exist that claim that it’s healthy to never move and be over 300 pounds, those people are often cherry picked and used as examples of cultural downfall, even when they’re the minority.
Great response, I’d just like to add: almost everybody does something unhealthy. I’m sure they wouldn’t want to be shamed and insulted for it by random people on the internet. You can believe that being overweight is unhealthy while still being accepting of others.
It’s like religion: Keep your mouth shut if you don’t have anything positive to say.
I apologize if I wasn’t clear in my statement. I was not supporting shaming fat people. As someone who is, once again, overweight, I know they are well aware. I am, however, opposed to those who state that you can be healthy and obese, as the evidence does not support it. Also, no one is owed to be found attractive by others. The greater your weight deviates from healthy, the lower your pool of potential partners. People need to accept the realities, not expect others to indulge in fantasies. That was all I was trying to convey in short hand. I still think all people should be treated with respect, and it isn’t anyone’s job, except maybe a medical professional, to point out someone’s weight to them.
And All About That Bass was released a decade ago this year! So Stewart’s book was 20 years ago. Sweet.