The Big Ballet is a troupe of dancers from Russia who weigh a minimum of 220 pounds each.
“The Big Ballet formed in 1994 and set out to deliberately and, above all, self-confidently challenge accepted social standards in a world where the pursuit of slenderness and beauty seems obsessive. The dancers courageously and imposingly prove that grace, elegance, charisma and nimbleness is not the demesne of the “thin”, proudly presenting their voluptuous yet surprisingly sinuous and flexible figures.”
Eugenia Martínez Vallejo, clothed by Juan Carreño de Miranda
Date: 1680
But wait, aren’t fat children a modern phenomenon? No, no they aren’t.
(Part 1)My (thin) friend is currently writing a fantasy story where magic is tied to a mage's physical being and strength. When she let me look over it, I noticed there's absolutely NO fat representation. I've spoken to her before regarding my own experiences of erasure as a fat child and teen, with only Augustus Gloop and Dudley to identify with. She says because mages are physically active for their magic, they're never fat, which is inane.
(Part 2/2)I know that is wrong, but I’m bad at composing my thoughts to
argue against her. I know she’s willing to change things if I convince
her otherwise, and I know how important positive representation is.
Please, can you help me regarding her ignorance? What can I say? Thank
you.
Introduce her to pictures of Holley Mangold, fat woman weightlifter and extremely strong person. Then shower a bunch of other heavy lifters, many of whom are fat. Not the bodybuilders, but the Olympic heavy lifters.
How do you feel about all the negative press that an athlete receives when they show up to a game or to training camp overweight? I remember Jesus Montero was effectively cut from his team for being overweight. Is that fat shaming, or is it a legitimate practice given that pro athletes are paid to retain a certain physical form?
Yesterday, actor Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) responded on Facebook to a fat-hatred post by the LAD Bible about weight gain he experienced during a battle with suicidal depression. The LAD Bible originally posted a picture of his thin body taken while his TV show was still airing, juxtaposed with a newer picture of him with a fatter body. To his credit, Miller’s response was eloquent, honest about his struggles with crippling mental illness, and dismissive of haters.
Today, social media is abuzz with headlines pointing to his response, and many of them say a variant on the same thing: Wentworth “shut down body shamers”.
No, he didn’t. While his post was moving, personal, and eloquent, and openly discussed mental illness and the stigma, shame, and dangers it brings, he might have distracted the body shamers, but he didn’t really shut them down. In fact, he responded to body shamers the way many of us have felt forced to respond to body shamers and bullies throughout our lives: he offered them an excuse for the size of his body. The offered excuse, in this case, was mental illness.
I can’t speak for you, but I’ve heard them before: “I know I’m fat, but I’m trying to do something about it." "I’m fat because I’ve been pregnant. But honestly, it’s only temporary." "I got into a bad place in my life, so now I’m fat, but I’m trying to get out of that place." Excuses from well-meaning people who are trying to shield themselves from the corrosive effects of bullying and cruelty. Excuses offered for a condition that requires no excuses: having a body that may be a different size, shape, or appearance from the narrow range of types of which bullies are tolerant.
Miller didn’t do anything wrong, then or now. Whatever he was going through–and I applaud the courage he showed by a candid, public discussion of his struggles–it has zero effect on his worth as a person. Neither his illness nor the visible changes in his body are connected in any way to his character or morality. In no way is anyone permitted to say this actor somehow deserved mocking, bullying, and assholery, for any reason.
After Miller’s post, The LAD Bible responded with a lengthy apology…citing Miller’s mental illness as a reason they should have been more sensitive. And that’s the problem, the very core of the problem with making an excuse to anyone for your body: they shouldn’t have posted their mocking bullshit simply because Miller is a human being. Not because he offered up an "acceptable excuse” for being fat.
My manager saw his interview getting out of her car. She was a larger and not conventionally attractive woman. She wasn’t even that big, maybe size 16-18.
He said he wasn’t going to waste his time and got his admin to do the interview. He said it was because she was moving too slowly and had trouble getting out of her car. Even if that was the case, this job had no physical component whatsoever.
Another male staff member came looking for the manager. He peeked in the meeting room and asked me where the manager was. I said he bailed on his interview and I didn’t know where he’d gone. The staff member looks again at the woman being interviewed and says “Yeah, I don’t blame him.”
I should add that this woman was dressed appropriately for an interview and had an MBA
I am 20 years old, living in Germany, and I currently attend a vocational school. We have gym class once a week. At the beginning of the school year, we received a document that detailed the way we would be graded in gym class. And there, they openly admitted that fat students would always receive worse grades than thin students. I’m not kidding. “weight” was listed as a criteria. No explanation, no justification, just “Oh, you’re fat? Guess you’ll fail class then.”
This does not mean that fatness causes cancer. There are many psychological, social, and physiological factors that co-occur with fatness that could be responsible for the apparent association between cancer and weight.
Fat people experience intense social stress due to weight prejudice and discrimination, and chronic stress, especially social stress, increases the risk of developing cancer.
thin people talk so much shit about fat people taking up space and being in the way
but yesterday i went to the mall, and i got a little turned around looking for the sephora, so i went over to one of those mall maps
there was already a thin person standing in front of me, so i stood a few steps back and off to the side so that i wasn’t in her way, but could still sort of see the sign
i am over 400lbs… i am not smol… i am very visible, there was NO way she didn’t see me, especially since at one point she glanced back in my direction (something you might do if you sense someone close by/behind you)
she is taking ages looking at this sign, which is a little frustrating, but i don’t know her life, so i patiently wait as I try hard to see if i can locate the store i’m looking for
she then steps directly in front of me so i cannot see a thing
i roll my eyes, sigh, and step to the right to try looking from that angle
SHE STEPS IN FRONT OF ME AGAIN
she is officially actively blocking me from looking at this sign
finally she figures out where douche-bags-inc is located and she walks away
i sigh loudly and say “asshole” just loud enough to be heard, but i doubt she felt like talking back to someone over double her size
it takes me about 5 seconds to see where the store is located, and head on my way
i may take up more physical space, but let me tell you, fat people have been conditioned to actively work to take up less space, by pressing against walls, squishing ourselves, and making it easier for people to move around us. this is actually something i’m still working to unlearn, because i’m 100% done making space for thin people who never make space for me. I am not being an asshole about it, but i’m not shrinking myself for anyone anymore. I’m allowed to take up space.
but THIN PEOPLE!? you fucks just walk all over the place, spread out, randomly step in front of people, flail about, and take up way more space than fat people, because you feel so fucking entitled to all the space around you, but somehow a fat person just standing still is the problem?
kiss my massive ass
This is my general experience as well. Since childhood, as I was also a fat child, I’ve tried my damnedest to contort myself and even make myself incredibly uncomfortable to not take up too much space and make sure other thin ppl around me can navigate around me as easily as possible (mostly I do this now to avoid harassment though because ppl are mean and if a fat person dares to take up the space they need thin ppl love to degrade us) But thin ppl are largely not concerned especially in crowded areas (how ass backwards is that tho) with the space they use. They will stand in the middle of things, obstructing the foot traffic. They will walk down the middle of hallways and aisles, not one side to make passing easier. They will walk really slow oblivious to everyone behind them or walk way fast and get pissed at everyone around them for not speed walking like they are. They’ll stand in front of signs or doorways just enough so that others can’t squeeze by or also observe signs without making them move. I fly to Arizona from the east coast every year which means I spend roughly 6 hours in various airports all over the country. Everything I’ve listed I’ve noticed from about 60-70% of the thinner ppl around me. I’ve seen this is malls, theme parks, the convenience store down the street. It’s so normal to me in fact I’ve throughout my life made excuses for them like “maybe they’re not always an asshole they just spaced out” or “maybe they’re just really tired and thus lacking the energy to be considerate” But really I don’t think that’s the overall problem here. It’s that thin ppl don’t have to take into account the space they occupy, so they just kinda take more than they need and I don’t think they do this to be malicious, it’s simply one of the privileges they’ve been awarded and they don’t even notice. It’s only when someone who needs to use more space like a fat person or a disabled person crosses their path are they forced to think about the space around them and what they’re taking up.
this is legit something I’m always working to unlearn. I will walk all the way around the perimeter of the store to get to the other side rather than try and squeeze through people. One of my old bosses noticed me do it once and he laughed a little and was like “Paige I’m soryr I’m in her way just ask me to move!” and I laughed because it’s not like i did it on purpose. it’s just what I do now. not even 5 minutes later I did it again and I realized about half way through and so did he but neither of us said anything. On the bus I’m constantly squishing myself into a fucking pancake trying to leave space and then skinny mother fuckers will just spread out in the aisle because they don’t feel like sitting next to somebody. like they’ll take up a million miles of space and not feel bad about it and I gape at this. meanwhile i’m crushing myself and all of my groceries into one seat on top of a wheel well because i don’t want to inconvenience any skinny people. like, what the fuck?
The worst is when |I’m sitting in nan inside seat on the bus with a skinny stranger next to me, and at my stop they’ll stay in their seat and just like, turn their legs thinking I should be able to get out. I panic every time. I haven’t figured out how to be like YO I REFUSE TO RUB MY ASS ON YOUR FACE STAND UP SKINNY without barfing but it’s mortifying. I just stand there and quiver in abject horror until they get it and move their ass.
I’m so annoyed when ppl turn their legs like Imma be able to get around them without invading their personal space. And then they get upset when I do invade their personal space. And I’m like, you’re the lazy ass who didn’t want to stand so we could avoid this situation????
Rub fat assess in skinny folks faces 2kforever.
Oh hey relevant to this post: I was in a hospital waiting room (just waiting to get routine labs done) where they have a nice oversized chair for fatter folk and guess who had to squeeze themselves into a normal chair because the ONE chair made for me was being taken up by a thin person WHO CLEARLY DIDNT NEED THAT OVERSIZED SEAT. Yeah. Did I mention there were at least 8 other open seats this skinny fucker could’ve taken but nah let’s take the oversized chair because fat people don’t exist and this is clearly just a novelty item 😒
that has happened to me to, both in hospital and the doctor’s waiting room
i’ve promised myself that next time i will just walk right up to them and ask for it, and if they ask why, flat out say “that seat is meant for people like me, there’s plenty more for people like you”
and if they refuse to move? i will have no problem asking (very politely) if the front desk has somewhere else i can sit since the only fat chair is filled by a thin person. i refuse to stand while a thin person occupies my only seat option while there are many others available
(it would be different if i walked in and the waiting room was already full; then i’d stand because as much as that sucks, that’s the order i arrived)
Right like if that’s the only seat left and you happen to be thin I’m not gonna fault you But if you see a big chair and think “OH HOW FUN!” and sit in it for ha-has and then a fat person comes in with no seating options for them but plenty others for you and you see nothing wrong with this equation like….fuck you. Related: they really should have more fat chairs though. Like two or three at least please?
I don't know how well known he is outside of Europe, but you would hate Enki Bilal. When asked about why his female characters all have the same body type (thin, with long limbs and broad shoulders), his reply was "Fat isn't interesting to draw or paint" :p
Yeah, because no one has ever drawn female characters as thin and leggy before. He’s so edgy.
In response to the "So there's no way to lose weight and keep it off?" anon and answer: It will never be possible to keep a healthy weight if a person does not change their lifestyle, but just goes on a diet &exercises for a while. The scientific community has shown that people who diet and exercise for a short time gain it back, but the people who make it a part of their every day life (without sacrificing their mental health) can maintain a healthy weight. It is a journey, not a destination.
No. This is not true. I know it is hard to accept, especially if you personally have invested a lot of energy into dieting and weight loss and suffered for both. I know the 60 billion dollar diet and medical industry *tells us* what you are saying. But the actual empirical science says otherwise.
Fifty years of scientific research shows that there is no permanent and safe way for the vast majority of people (i.e. upwards of 95%) to intentionally to lose weight. No “lifestyle change,” nothing. Peoples weights do naturally fluctuate within a relatively narrow window of about 15lbs (their set-point window) in response to all sorts of factors, but intentional attempts to lose weight, especially below one’s set point, nearly always result in weight regain, and usually more than people initially lost. This is what the science really says.
If you know of a meta-analysis published in a reputable empirical journal that supports your assertions, I would be happy to read it. Until then, I will continue to believe the empirical literature over diet-industry propaganda.
PS: People can support their health without losing weight. The notion that thinner is always healthier is untrue, and the notion of a “healthy weight” being the same weight for everyone is also untrue.
(In future , I will not answer asks like this, I will simply reblog this response).
For anyone wondering, you can find sources for my statements on my blog under the “dieting” and “weight loss” tags.
Well then what am I supposed to do? I exercise regularly and eat fairly well for a college student, but I’m heavy and I’m becoming insulin-resistant. If my “set point” is leading me toward diabetes, what on earth am I to do?
People who develop diabetes do not develop the disease because they are fat. It is far more likely that they develop the disease due to an interaction between genetics and the environment, factors that both cause weight gain and cause diabetes. When viewed this way, it seems very strange to propose that losing weight is necessary to treat or cure diabetes, right? Such thinking is akin to believing that offering a bald person a toupee will treat or cure their heart disease (hey, did you know that baldness is correlated with heart disease? It’s because testosterone causes both outcomes).
But people can care for their health – including managing their blood glucose levels – without losing weight. Research has shown that regular exercise and a nutritious diet full of fruits and vegetables combined with intuitive eating can help manage blood glucose levels for both fat and thin people alike.
You can learn more about weight-neutral approaches to treating insulin resistance and diabetes in my “diabetes” tag.
I will never understand when people are like “well then what am I supposed to do???” And it’s like.. do… what thin people do??? Because thin people get diabetes too??? And like this is not a new disease? There are treatments and medicine and monitoring???? Because weight loss doesn’t and has never cured diabetes so ofc we have other options because that’s what literally everyone, including thin people, do
Like my brain will just never understand the mental gymnastics people do in order to hold onto this bullshit argument
Anonymous