Unshrinking

1. Fatphobia is a pervasive and harmful form of oppression

Fatphobia is thus partly a misguided ideology, or a set of false beliefs and inflated theories, that our culture holds about fat people: that we are necessarily unhealthy, even doomed to die of our fatness; that we are to blame for our own fatness, in lacking moral fiber or willpower or discipline; that we are unattractive, even disgusting; and that we are ignorant, even stupid.

Systemic discrimination: Fatphobia is not just individual bias but a structural phenomenon that creates barriers for fat people in various aspects of life:

• Healthcare: Fat patients often receive inadequate care, misdiagnosis, or dismissal of symptoms
• Employment: Fat job applicants face discrimination in hiring and promotions
• Education: Fat students experience bullying and lower expectations from teachers
• Public spaces: Fat people struggle with inadequate seating, equipment, and accommodations

Intersectionality: Fatphobia intersects with other forms of oppression, compounding difficulties for marginalized groups:

• Women face harsher judgment for their weight than men
• People of color, especially Black women, experience more severe fatphobia
• Disabled people encounter additional barriers when fat

The pervasiveness of fatphobia leads to internalized shame and self-hatred, affecting mental health and quality of life for fat individuals.

2. The health risks of fatness are often exaggerated

The most careful, credible, well-replicated studies on this topic show that the relationship between fatness and mortality can be represented by a U-shaped curve, with being either very fat or very thin correlated with—and not necessarily causing—premature death.

Mortality risks: Research challenges common assumptions about fatness and health:

• "Mild obesity" (BMI 30-35) isn't associated with significantly greater mortality risk than "normal weight"
• Being "overweight" (BMI 25-30) is associated with lower mortality risk
• Extreme obesity and being underweight both correlate with increased mortality

Confounding factors: The relationship between fatness and health is complex:

• Weight stigma and discrimination contribute to health problems
• Socioeconomic factors, access to healthcare, and stress levels impact health outcomes
• Fitness level is often a better predictor of health than weight alone

Media reporting on obesity research tends to sensationalize findings that confirm existing biases while downplaying or criticizing studies that challenge these assumptions. This perpetuates misconceptions about the health risks associated with fatness.

3. Dieting is ineffective and potentially harmful in the long term

In fact, it appears that weight regain is the typical long-term response to dieting, rather than the exception.

Failure of diets: Most people who lose weight through dieting regain it:

• 95% of dieters regain lost weight within 1-5 years
• Many regain more weight than they initially lost
• Sustained weight loss is extremely rare, especially for those with higher starting weights

Health consequences: Weight cycling (repeatedly losing and regaining weight) can be harmful:

• Increased risk of cardiovascular disease and strokes
• Worsened immune function
• Higher likelihood of developing diabetes
• Slowed metabolism, making future weight loss more difficult

The focus on weight loss as a health intervention is misguided. Instead, promoting overall health through sustainable lifestyle changes, regardless of weight outcomes, is likely to be more beneficial and less harmful in the long run.

4. Fatphobia has racist and classist origins

Fatphobia is not only rooted in racism; it continues to uphold it. For one thing, it gives privileged—and thin—white elites a way to believe in their superiority to other groups while maintaining plausible deniability of their racism and classism.

Historical context: Fatphobia emerged as a tool of white supremacy and colonialism:

• 18th-century European "scientists" associated fatness with Blackness and "savagery"
• Thinness became a marker of "civility" and whiteness
• The "ideal" body type shifted to exclude and degrade Black bodies

Modern implications: Fatphobia continues to reinforce racial and class hierarchies:

• Fat bodies are often associated with poverty and lack of self-control
• The pursuit of thinness is tied to class aspirations and "respectability"
• The diet and "wellness" industries profit from and perpetuate these hierarchies

Understanding the racist and classist roots of fatphobia is crucial for dismantling this form of oppression and recognizing how it intersects with other systems of discrimination.

5. Fat bodies are subject to widespread moral judgment

Pain and suffering are bad, and are the kinds of things that we ought to prevent and to end, if possible, in the name of morality. Pleasure and enjoyment, moreover, are surely good—the kinds of things that we ought to promote and to foster, at least if no one gets hurt in the process.

Moral assumptions: Fatness is often viewed as a moral failing:

• Fat people are seen as lacking willpower or discipline
• Thinness is associated with virtue and self-control
• Weight loss is framed as a moral imperative

Flawed reasoning: The moral judgment of fat bodies is based on faulty logic:

• People have limited control over their weight due to genetic and environmental factors
• The pursuit of thinness often causes more suffering than fatness itself
• Other potentially risky behaviors (e.g., extreme sports) aren't subject to the same moral scrutiny

Rejecting the moral judgment of fat bodies is essential for promoting a more just and compassionate society. Recognizing that bodies come in diverse shapes and sizes, and that weight is not a reliable indicator of character or worth, is crucial for combating fatphobia.

6. Sexual fatphobia causes significant harm

Denying people access to [sexual] value is an incredibly insidious form of emotional violence, one that our culture wields aggressively and liberally to keep marginalized groups small and quiet.

Dehumanization: Fat people are often desexualized or fetishized:

• Stereotypes portray fat people as undesirable or desperate for attention
• Fat bodies are treated as objects of disgust or ridicule
• Some view fat people as acceptable sexual partners only in secret

Psychological impact: Sexual fatphobia can lead to:

• Low self-esteem and poor body image
• Increased vulnerability to sexual exploitation
• Internalized shame and self-hatred

Sexual fatphobia intersects with other forms of oppression, particularly affecting women and LGBTQ+ individuals. Challenging these harmful attitudes and promoting body diversity in media and culture is crucial for fostering healthier attitudes towards sexuality and body image.

7. Intellectual biases against fat people are common and damaging

There's nothing inevitable about the idea that the brightest minds tend to be housed in thin, male bodies.

Academic discrimination: Fat people face barriers in educational and intellectual pursuits:

• Assumptions that fat people are less intelligent or hardworking
• Lower expectations from teachers and peers
• Discrimination in hiring for academic positions

Cultural stereotypes: Media often portrays fat characters as:

• Unintelligent or bumbling
• Lacking in self-awareness
• Comic relief rather than complex individuals

Challenging these biases is crucial for promoting diversity in academia and intellectual fields. Recognizing and celebrating the contributions of fat thinkers and scholars can help counter these harmful stereotypes.

8. Diet culture employs gaslighting tactics

We are gaslit out of telling ourselves what we know, responding to our own desires, and even having the wherewithal to pursue our own hunger.

Manipulation tactics: Diet culture uses gaslighting to:

• Make people doubt their own hunger and fullness cues
• Convince people that their bodies are inherently flawed
• Create a cycle of shame and self-doubt

Perpetuation: Gaslighting in diet culture is reinforced by:

• Media representations of "ideal" bodies
• Medical professionals who prioritize weight loss over overall health
• Social pressure to constantly pursue thinness

Recognizing these gaslighting tactics is the first step in resisting diet culture and reclaiming a healthier relationship with food and body image.

9. Chronic hunger is a form of suffering we should reject

Pain and suffering are bad, and are the kinds of things that we ought to prevent and to end, if possible, in the name of morality.

Ethical considerations: Chronic hunger caused by dieting is a form of unnecessary suffering:

• It violates bodily imperatives (natural urges like hunger that signal important needs)
• It can lead to physical and mental health problems
• It reduces quality of life and overall well-being

Alternatives: Rejecting chronic hunger doesn't mean abandoning health:

• Focus on overall well-being rather than weight loss
• Practice intuitive eating and honoring hunger cues
• Prioritize joyful movement and nutritious foods without restriction

Recognizing chronic hunger as a form of suffering helps shift the focus from weight loss to overall health and well-being, promoting a more ethical and compassionate approach to bodies and food.

10. Body reflexivity offers an alternative to body positivity and neutrality

Body reflexivity offers an escape from the apparently exhaustive options of positivity, negativity, or neutrality, by proposing a different focus. Rather than changing how bodies are assessed, it urges us to transcend the mode of assessment entirely.

Concept: Body reflexivity focuses on:

• Recognizing that one's body is for oneself, not for others' approval
• Rejecting external standards of beauty or worth
• Acknowledging the body's functionality and needs

Benefits: This approach can:

• Reduce anxiety about appearance
• Foster a more authentic relationship with one's body
• Promote resistance to oppressive beauty standards

Body reflexivity offers a powerful alternative to both the pressure of body positivity and the detachment of body neutrality. It encourages a more nuanced and personal relationship with one's body, free from external judgments and expectations.

Last updated: October 14, 2024