Meet the fatosphere
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I don’t write much about body image, but I should, because part of being smarter and fitter is knowing that “fitness” is not necessarily indicative of “thinness”. This is especially apparent at the pool, where I regularly see a number of so-called “fat” people zipping back and forth in the fast lane. Rotund as they are, they’re fierce swimmers, and not at all ashamed to be seen in a bathing suit.
So it happens, blogs by fat people have multiplied in proportion with the obesity scare. Today’s New York Times has a wonderful article about a few of these bloggers. I especially like this quote from Kate Harding, a 33-year old “yoga enthusiast” from Chicago and author of Shapely Prose:
One of the first obstacles to fat acceptance is breaking down the question of whether being fat is a choice … No fat acceptance advocate is saying you should sit around and wildly overeat. What we’re saying is that exercise and a balanced diet do not make everyone thin.
For being such a happy community, the “fatosphere” gets a lot of hate mail. People judge fat people. “Go on a diet” is the common reaction. Red No 3 (proving that the fatosphere isn’t a girls-only club) has this interesting comment on his blog:
Dieting. Nearly every fat person in this country has been on a diet. Most probably have dieted for most of their life. Not only do most people on diets gain the weight back, most gain back more than they lost. As our diet culture has expanded, its gripped more and more people who’d have never dieted before. And at younger and younger ages. I can’t tell you how many fat people I’ve seen bemoan how they thought they were huge when they were young, but looking back realize they weren’t much more than average. As fat has been hyper-stigmatized, its directed people into a system which has only ever proven useful for making people GAIN weight. You want to know why there are so many fat people around? How about blaming diets for once instead of doing everything possible to blame everything else.
I used to be a chub, and now I’m not, but I feel like I’m constantly fighting the battle keep the weight off. Even though I’ve lost the weight, I wouldn’t say I’m “thin”. Exercise has provided a bit of muscle, and the occasional beer and stick of butter have provided a comforting layer of fat. But I think I’m healthy, which often leads me to also think that maybe my body just wants to carry a little extra baggage and I shouldn’t fight it so hard.
Fat bloggers, however, are not about fighting their bodies (nor are they about eating Doritos and Twinkies). The fatosphere is about accepting their bodies and encouraging other fat people to develop a positive self image. I agree that people would be a lot happier, and healthier, if they loved their bodies (because people who love their bodies treat it well!). So in that way, the fatosphere is doing a huge service, both to the fat bloggers everywhere, and the obesity “epidemic” on the whole.
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January 23rd, 2008 at 9:42 am
This is my first time on this blog and I really like the content ; ) Have you guys checked out thedailyskinny.com yet? It’s mainly for healthy weight loss, but they also get into some great nutrition and exercise advice.