This is the Weight and Healthcare newsletter! If you like what you are reading, please consider subscribing and/or sharing! Fat people are often shamed, stigmatized, bullied, harassed, and oppressed by people who do so under the guise of being “concerned about our health.” Some of these people simply enjoy mistreating fat people and use the “concern for your health” line as an attempted justification/excuse. Others are truly well-intentioned and misguided by weight stigma. Here are some quick ways to know if what you are feeling is truly concern for fat people’s health, or if it’s just re-packaged weight stigma.
We've ALL been on the receiving end of every form of patronizing, belittling "concern" that you've
cited. This column ought to be printed up & added to the HAES material for dissemination to medical
personnel & anyone else who might be caught in this particular bind, i.e., not knowing how bigoted
they really are. I think most people ARE willing to learn if the information is put as well as you've put
it & it's easily accessible to them. The sadedest part is ( to me, at least) that the peole often most
guilty of this sort of backward thinking are the people we should be able to count on for unconditional support: family, partners, friends. Because they really DO care, they are most in need of
correct information & help in changing their mindset on this issue.
The fear angle is interesting - think of all the bigots out there (racists, anti-Semitic or anti-Catholic
ranters). Someone- most likely my mother - told me that people fear what they don't know, the thing
or person that's different from their personal experience. Most racists don't know any black/brown/
Asian people, so -- fear of the unknown. Same with us. Most fatphobes, crazy as it sounds, really
don't know that we're JUST LIKE THEM: we have all the same feelings & thoughts as smaller people.
We aren't savages - we're just bigger than they are. (Check out "Merchant of Venice" for THE best
anti-bigot speeches). Oh - and if the way I look ( & trust me - at 5'6" & just under 180, I get my share
We've ALL been on the receiving end of every form of patronizing, belittling "concern" that you've
cited. This column ought to be printed up & added to the HAES material for dissemination to medical
personnel & anyone else who might be caught in this particular bind, i.e., not knowing how bigoted
they really are. I think most people ARE willing to learn if the information is put as well as you've put
it & it's easily accessible to them. The sadedest part is ( to me, at least) that the peole often most
guilty of this sort of backward thinking are the people we should be able to count on for unconditional support: family, partners, friends. Because they really DO care, they are most in need of
correct information & help in changing their mindset on this issue.
The fear angle is interesting - think of all the bigots out there (racists, anti-Semitic or anti-Catholic
ranters). Someone- most likely my mother - told me that people fear what they don't know, the thing
or person that's different from their personal experience. Most racists don't know any black/brown/
Asian people, so -- fear of the unknown. Same with us. Most fatphobes, crazy as it sounds, really
don't know that we're JUST LIKE THEM: we have all the same feelings & thoughts as smaller people.
We aren't savages - we're just bigger than they are. (Check out "Merchant of Venice" for THE best
anti-bigot speeches). Oh - and if the way I look ( & trust me - at 5'6" & just under 180, I get my share
of "you know you're obese, don't you?") offends you, LOOK SOMEWHERE ELSE.
So sorry to run on, but you DO make me start thinking!