Body Image

When you see a fat person, what do you immediately think of them, or how they got that way?

After being bombarded with images on the news of overweight people from the neck down, accompanied by bits and pieces on this Obesity Epidemic, it's easy to assume the aforementioned person sits and shovels garbage in their mouth all day.

The argument "fat is NOT healthy" has just been beaten to death on TV debates and internet message boards. This is not to say that fat is indeed healthy, however. This is to shed some light on the fact that fat people are PEOPLE. Probably the majority of obesity cases are caused by overeating, but we cannot tell who overeats and who is just stuck that way thanks to genes.

We live in a society where overweight people are constantly shamed and dehumanized. To start off, there is a huge lack of flattering clothes in larger sizes. Overweight people are oftentimes the subject of ridicule in entertainment, and are constantly blamed for the rising cost of health care.

Did we forget about slender people who have equally bad eating habits and are also at high risk for diabetes and heart disease?

Commercials are even more blatant in fat-shaming, ranging from the obvious weight loss ads loudly declaring "belly fat is unattractive!" to the fast-food ads naming a competitor's food's side effects to include "loss of boyfriend."

According to eatingdisorderinfo.org, recent studies have found that up to 24 million Americans suffer from an eating disorder. Half of females between 18-25 would rather be run over by a truck than be fat, and that 2/3 would rather be mean or stupid. 81% of ten-year-olds say they are afraid of being fat. Time magazine reports 80% of all children having been on a diet by the fourth grade.

This is also not to condemn overweight people who do choose to lose weight. In fact, it has been said that the first step in successful weight loss is acceptance of oneself. Afterall, if one feels depressed or ashamed, food is seen as temporary comfort.

Bottom line is, if we want this "epidemic" taken care of, why do we keep shaming?

Elizabeth Yada



A picture from the Feminist Fashion Show from the Valley Rally: Coming Out For Justice on April 19, 2008. The clothing was all designed by Elizabeth Yada. Her mission is to design clothing for realistic bodies and furthering the message of health body image.