Fat Acceptance: A Bad Idea

By accident, I came across a blog about "fat acceptance".  The idea seems to be that some people are destined to be fat, and that this should just be accepted.  It turns out there are a number of these blogs all with similar ideas.

I found this to be both sad and troubling.  First, it's sad because being overweight is not an incurable condition, even though some make it out to be.  If a person wants empirical evidence, they can look at the National Weight Control Registry and find people who have lost and kept off weight for a number of years. 

Second, it's troubling because there seems to be a motive to spread this message of fat acceptance.    If someone is overweight and it doesn't bother them, then that's their own business to some degree.  But trying to convince others to accept their fatness does not sit very well with me.  With two-thirds of adults overweight or obese, the last thing people need is a message telling them to just give up and accept their condition.

I think most people want to be in shape - it's probably a natural human desire.  Given the choice between having a fat body and an in-shape body, would anyone really choose having a fat body? 

If you really wanted to argue it, you could say that being overweight has "externalities".  Everyone is an influence on someone.  If a person gets in shape, this tends to have a spillover effect on others.  I have seen this numerous times.  Likewise, if a person gives up on their physical condition, then this is likely to affect others too - in a negative way.

Losing weight is very possible.  If someone is doubtful of this, feel free to drop me a line.

Comments

[cathy]

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[Hayley]

I would like to ask you Matt, have you ever tried to lose a substantial amount of weight? Have YOU ever been fat?

Alternatively have you ever been in a situation where you've wanted nothing more than others around you who knew what you were going through? To maybe give you an alternative option to what seems to be the hardest and most distressing solution?

This is what fat acceptance is. An alternative. Why be unhappy when you could be happy? It's a very easy concept to grasp.

[chris]

Here come the Fat Acceptance Bullies. They got you on google alerts and they can't accept dissent. Be prepared for them to attempted to get you blog pulled!

[Kitty]

As someone who has been both fat and fit, I'd much rather be fit. The health problems that come from being large are one thing, but even from a social perspective it's a nightmare. Clothing is difficult to shop for, and strangers will often judge at a glance and offer opinions freely.

I think that Fat Acceptance is a crutch used by fat people as an excuse to not need to do anything about it. Nowadays even people who are overweight due to medical reasons have options. The only reason to be fat is to choose a life of fatness. Why in god's name would any one do that, let alone be proud of it?