Plenty of folks are trading in the body positive movement for fat acceptance. If you checked out Curvicality’s holiday issue, you might know why. As I mentioned in my previous column, the body positive community has been overrun with “slim” teas, fit models and toxic diet culture. Let’s recap briefly with a reminder that body love and body positivity are not the same thing. While we encourage everyone to love themselves, the body positive community was created for marginalized bodies.
All this is to say, it is no surprise we fat babes (plus-size humans, curvy girls, thick chicks, whatever suits you), have been looking for a new safe space to exist online without judgment. A space that can’t be confused with any other intentions. Enter fat acceptance, fat positive, fat pride, fat empowerment. Basically, we are here, we are fat, get over it!
The fat positive movement isn’t exactly new.
It has been around since the ‘60s. Most of the movements and activists over the years have wanted the same thing, a society that exists for fat people without judgment and prejudice. This means in the workplace, in fashion, when it comes to health and basically when it comes to being treated with the same decency as thin people.
We can’t talk about the fat acceptance movement without discussing supporters’ issues with the diet industry and an extreme bias against obesity by the healthcare and scientific community. The “Fat Underground” was founded for this exact reason in 1972 by Sara Fishman and Judy Freespirit. Both women felt strongly that diets had been created as a nonsensical cure for a disease they didn’t believe existed (obesity).
Not much has changed since then as far as the diet industry goes. Fat bodies are still constantly belittled and given unsolicited advice on how to lose weight by corporations, and, unfortunately, just about everyone we know.
Fat acceptance is still a very controversial topic and difficult for a lot of people to really understand.
A lot of people will always see it as a space to promote obesity and unhealthy lifestyles. The truth is, for most of us who are considered overweight or obese, we have been fighting this “battle” our whole lives. Being fat is something we were taught was a burden, a curse, something to be ashamed of since most of us can remember.
We have dieted, worked out, joined a program, joined another program: wasted money, starved our bodies, changed our lifestyles, cried on the scale, joined yet another program and we are STILL FAT. At some point, you have to stop fighting your body and start looking for ways to love it. That is what the fat acceptance movement means to me: a space encouraging love and acceptance versus hate and rejection.
As long as fat bodies are demonized and made to feel inferior, the fat acceptance movement is necessary. Be sure to follow the journey online with #fatacceptance #fatpositive or #fatliberation and continue to support and uplift a misunderstood community.
Signing off until next time!
XO, Carmen Rene
(And remember, you can find more of me @eatthecaketoo, or you can email me at: Carmenrene@Curvicality.com)
