Our TV channels are saturated with programmes about obesity, as a society we are armed with more information and awareness on the subject than ever before. The reason for this? It touches more of our lives. With an estimated 50% of Brits estimated to be overweight now, the Government is trying to drive a weight loss revolution. It is not healthy to carry too much excess weight, we know that. It has been recognised and documented that obesity related illnesses are costing the National Health Service millions of pounds a year and this figure is likely to rise significantly in the future.
In the UK, we are given government guidelines as to how many calories Mr and Mrs 'Average' should be having a day. The new calorie recommendations say that men can now eat around 2,605 calories of food every day, while women can eat 2079. Both represent an increase of around 100 calories on previous figures. Surely it was not a good idea to make this information public? By stating that we are actually allowed to eat more calories, per person, per day we are giving those less savvy the green light to increase their over consumption further. Perhaps I am not crediting the Great British Public with much intelligence but many people out there are impressionable to such 'official' advice.
The fattist revolution
I sometimes wonder why everything requires a label but fattism is an increasingly common form of discrimination that is borne from our societies rapidly expanding waist lines. Just as much as sexism and racism will never go away completely, fattism has grown around a social stigma that exists about obesity. Fat people are judged, it is assumed by many that they are lazy and lacking self control when it comes to food and that they are the only ones to blame for their weight issues. I think slimmer counterparts view it as a form of weakness and proof a person is idle, choosing a lifestyle they know is unhealthy. Perhaps I should coin the term smokist. Next time I see someone lighting up in the street I can shout some carefully thought out insults their way; nicotine junkie, chimney, pathetic addict! The point I am aiming to make here is that, if we use the ethos that fattists work by, smokers are weak willed, undisciplined, addicted...
Fat people stand out, it is a natural instinct to notice when someone looks different. It happens in nature too, any other animal or bird that is visually different from the pack or flock is noticed and often attacked. Having been on the receiving end of societies intolerance of fat, I do sympathise with the daily discrimination an obese person goes through.
Why do we get fat?
Over eating is only one element of why a person is obese. Fattists fail to acknowledge or understand that there is often one or many psychological reason as to why a person gains a large amount of weight. I have a unique stand point on this as I have experienced both ends of the scale (literally and figuratively.) Excessive weight is often symptomic of something deep seeded and troubled in a person. Not all the time mind, as with everything there are exceptions to the rule. There are people out there who are natural extra weight carriers, their physical destiny pre determined by genetics. There are others with medical reasons as to why they pile on the pounds but these groups are in the minority.
There are those of us who use food as a crutch. Those of us who have or do seek solace in the bottom of a biscuit barrel to cope with stress, upset and depression.
Discrimination about body size
Fattist attitudes are apparent most places in our daily lives. Writing from experience of when I was bigger, cruel comments and jibes in the street originate from fattist people. Sitting on a busy bus or train and having the spare seat next to you avoided until it is the last option available, guess what? That is fattist too. Subtle fattism but fattism nonetheless.
I had an interesting conversation with some friends recently, relating to whether fatter people are discriminated against in job interviews. I posed the following question:-
You have 2 female candidates for one job. One girl is 230 pounds, the other is a slim 130 pounds. Both have good CV 's (resumes), both interview well and prove themselves to be on par for the role. What is the likelihood that the slimmer girl will be picked over the overweight girl, just because of how she looks ?
The verdict from my buddies was unanimous. Both said that had the interview panel been all men then there would be no doubt that the slimmer girl would get the job. I think the
overall consensus we came to was that the overweight girl would be at an immediate disadvantage due to her appearance.
I really don't want to believe that this would happen in reality but my hypothetical scenario would probably fall in favour of Miss Slim. Am I being cynical?
I happened across an article relating to this very subject and urge you to read it. The author is a male journalist who has suffered this direct discrimination himself, proving the stigma crosses the sex boundary. He writes in a thought provoking way and eloquently covers off the more disturbing side of this emerging intolerance of fat.
http://www.independent.co.uk/
When I was bigger, I definitely noticed that people treated me differently. I have given this lots of thought and have to concede that this was probably down to how I came across as well. As mentioned in previous posts, my self confidence was pretty low in those days and I was far less inclined to speak up for myself then or even speak out at all! fat people don't like drawing attention to themselves. Paranoia was a constant companion. When I bought food from either a super market or takeaway, I was always wondering if people were watching me, monitoring my trolley or my order and thinking to themselves 'no wonder she is fat.' Eating out at restaurants was the same, there were occasions where I would deliberately select something healthy from the menu, just to defy anyone who might be observing and expect me to order a gargantuan meal.
You know what, hand on heart, I do the same now. If I am in the supermarket and I see a larger person with a trolley I will take a sneaky peek in there, looking at what kinds of food they have chosen. So does that make me fattist? I don't think it does, I often look now because it serves as a reminder of when I was fat and the types of shops I would do.
Lack of understanding
I don't like fattism but then I am biased, I think society still lacks understanding about why
people get really fat. You hear these so called 'fattists' ranting about how fat people eat too much, lack will power, lack self respect and discipline. Yes, perhaps they do lack these things but there are reasons for that that are not considered or are ignored. These are all symptoms of emotion related obesity (my newly coined term!)
Persecuting anyone for how they look or live their life is tantamount to discriminatory behaviour in my liberal world.
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