sleepydumpling:

sleepydumpling:

If you feel that fat people need intervention in their health based on the size of their body, that is not respect and equality.

If you feel that all fat people are unhealthy by default, that is not respect and equality.

If you feel that a television show publicly labelling fat bodies as “embarrassing” is a good health strategy, that is not respect and equality.

If you feel that you know a fat person’s health by seeing their fat body, that is not respect and equality.

If you feel that referring to fat people who object to your views as “idiot haters”, that is not respect and equality.

If you feel that stating that you are a “chubby chaser” excuses your stigmatisation of fat people as inherently unhealthy, that is not respect and equality.

If you dismiss the experiences and perspectives of fat people, that is not respect and equality.

If you cannot see that fat people are discriminated against, vilified and treated as second class citizens by the majority of Western society, that is not respect and equality.

First, let me start by saying that I agree with all of this. Second, let me elaborate with my opinions concerning ‘being fat’ and ‘being healthy.’

People need to understand that there is a big difference between simply being fat and being obese. Fat just means you’re bigger. Obesity is a health condition that should be dealt with if one wishes to lead a long and healthy life. That said, not all fat people are obese or unhealthy. I believe in keeping the body at its natural form, and the thing about that notion is that this could mean different things for different people: some people are naturally skinny and can still be considered healthy. Some people are naturally fat and can still be considered healthy. It can also go the other way around—you can be fat and unhealthy, skinny and unhealthy, or hell, you can even be ‘average’ and still unhealthy. Size is not the sole determinant of health. Focus on the inside, and I don’t just mean personality—how are your organs? Blood pressure? Sugar levels? Can you get around comfortably without damaging any part of your body? If you are healthy in those aspects, then no matter what size your body is, you’re good.

So you shouldn’t call someone obese just because they’re naturally fat.

And on the other side of the spectrum, you should’t call someone anorexic just because they’re naturally skinny.

Unless you’re a doctor that can professionally diagnose people with these conditions, then you have no right in assuming anything about their health by looking at their size.

Oh look, here’s another one.

I am obese. Morbidly obese according to the BMI scale. I personally prefer the term “death fat” or “Super Fat” because there is not a fucking thing morbid about me. And guess what? You know fuck all about my health or any other “obese” person’s health. There is no “just fat” and “obese” that you can differentiate between, because that implies that there is some measure of “overweight” that people can be. What is fat for one person is not fat for the next. Human beings are all diverse and every body shape, size and state of health is a valid human being who deserves respect and equal treatment.

You have no right to decide what constitutes unhealthy for anyone other than yourself. You have no right to label other people’s bodies as fat/obese or anything else, because you think they are healthy or not healthy. You have no right to pathologise a body shape or size as unhealthy. You have no right to even know someone else’s health. And guess what? You have no right to criticise/judge/disrespect/shame/pity/discriminate or lecture anyone that actually IS unhealthy. Health holds no relevance to morals or anything else that could possibly be your business.

And YOU have no right in assuming ANYTHING about a fat person, EVEN if you have decided that they are obese because you deem them unhealthy.