What’s So Positive About Fat Positivity?

I’m sorry, but this feminist cannot get down with the whole fat positivity scene that’s been on the rise in feminist and riot grrl circles in recent years. Not because I have a problem with fat perse, but rather I have a problem with the serious health problems that fat can directly contribute to – like diabetes and heart disease – and sister, there aint nothing positive about that. It is to the issue of health that the entirety of my concerns about fat positivity are founded. This stems from my belief that the human body is an amazing thing, and that by loving the fat you put on it, you’re disrespecting it.

Now before you fire off the retort that not all people who are fat are unhealthy or unfit, let me lay down a plea to get real here ladies. Those who genuinely fit into that category are in the minority, so arguments along those lines are not going to cut the muster with me. As someone who has a condition (PCOS) that lumps on the pounds in spite of healthy eating and exercise, I know too well that fat is not a simple matter of indulgence – but that’s not going to stop me from having a critical view of fat and its positivity advocates. As inspiring as many movements within feminism are, sometimes they get too caught up in feel-good rhetoric that obscures other important issues involved.

It feels like feminist heresy to write this piece, but it’s not the first time I find myself beating a different drum to my peers and it won’t be the last. I simply cannot bring myself to agree with the sentiment that if you love your fat you love your self. Surely if you loved yourself you’d take steps to ensure your self lived a long and healthy life? Fat undermines health and longevity – yes, it does. And when I say ‘fat’, I’m not talking about thunder thighs and a few extra pounds, I’m talking about FAT – the kind of fat that squashes your internal organs and leaves you breathless. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that I’m saying healthy = skinny. I am most certainly not. What I am saying is that some elements of the ‘fat positivity’ philosophy is seriously problematic, because on the health front: fat will fuck you up.

When I talk about fat, I’m not talking about a bit of chub. Nor was Britney Spears at the MTV music awards by any means fat. By my way of thinking, you’re fat if your weight has a negative impact on your health or well being. Some folk say that their excess weight does not affect their health – ask them the same question again after they’ve lost the weight and they’ll reel off a long list of ways in which their weight effected them, but only having since lost the weight have they realised. Like being able to breathe easier, feeling less tired and having more energy. It’s also important to realise the differences between being a fat young person and a fat middle aged or elderly person. If you feel unaffected by your fat at 25, see how you feel about it at 45 when the body starts to slow down a bit, chances are you’ll be feeling the effects of your fat a lot more.

I wonder why there isn’t more debate about health within the fat positivity scene. In my experience (which may be different to yours) it’s been conveniently put aside. If any sister dares to say she wants to loose weight, the fat positivity police will be on her ass, labeling her and her desire to loose weight another victim and product of sexist media.

There are of course many important issues around women’s body size and shape that need addressing, but that doesn’t mean that all attempts to loose weight are caught up in these murky media messages. The idea that there is one singular body ideal that all women should aspire too, in terms of shape, weight, colour, etc is one such message. Discrimination and misconceptions towards fat are also perpetuated. “Fatist”, or “sizeist” notions that claim fat people are less intelligent, out of control, sexless, etc. are among these misconceptions. The same kinds of stereotypes that have been applied to women in general and people of colour.

Personally I prefer the phrase ‘size acceptance’. Size acceptance, to me, is about accepting a person’s size without stereotyping and without judgment. It’s also about rejecting sexist expectations about what women “should” look like. But even within this whole size acceptance mentality, I can’t be positive about fat because fat has negative health outcomes. But that doesn’t mean I’m negative towards fat people, fat is not an indication of character. I just disagree that fat is a good thing.

Fat positivity relieves us of the guilt society lumps on us for not conforming to the sexist ideal of how women should look, but the danger of some sections of the movement is that it invites us to ignore something that is potentially doing us harm. If you’ve misunderstand this piece as a diatribe against fat folk then you’ve totally missed the point. This piece is a call for more balance. It is not my intention to be negative about fat, but rather, be honest. Let’s get real and have an honest discussion about fat. Taking care of your body and taking steps to loose weight in order to improve your health does not mean that you are succumbing to sexist and consumerist notions of how a woman “should” look. Fighting fashion fascism that dictates we all ought to be a size 8 is not going to be won by loving body luggage that could land us with high blood pressure and a heart attack. Taking steps to obtain a healthy body weight (as opposed to a culturally desirable weight) is one of the greatest acts of self love you could take. It means you care about your self, your health and your longevity to be a fighting fit feminist.

Folk who are positive about your fat – you are absolutely smart, intelligent, gorgeous, sexy and lovable as you are, but you’re not necessarily healthy. You know it, I know it. The greatest challenge of fat is to figure out a way for women who are overweight to feel good and positive about themselves without being subjected to prejudice, rejection and fashion/media fueled guilt trips. Fat positivity is one means to address this issue, but it does not necessarily achieve the balance between size acceptance and positive health outcomes that ultimately, ought to be our primary goal.