All articles tagged with #fatphobia
Tess Holliday said on TikTok that a life-insurance company denied her coverage because of her weight, highlighting ongoing weight bias in healthcare. The Cut notes anecdotes and a 2024 study showing stigma in medical settings, and mentions Holliday’s plan to relaunch the Eff Your Beauty Standards campaign to defend bodily autonomy.
In Australia, summer and beach culture amplify body dissatisfaction for millions, contributing to disordered eating, anxiety, and social withdrawal; experts emphasize there is no such thing as a 'summer body', advise mindful social media use, and encourage seeking professional help when needed.
Philosopher and Cornell University professor Kate Manne, in her new book "Unshrinking: How to Fight Fatphobia," argues for the acceptance of being overweight and challenges the societal pressures and infrastructure that discriminate against fat individuals. She advocates for 'radical bodily autonomy' and suggests that the health risks associated with being overweight might be correlations rather than causations. Manne's stance is controversial, especially given the backdrop of rising obesity-related hospital admissions and the significant healthcare costs associated with obesity. Her work calls for a reevaluation of societal norms and the treatment of overweight individuals, emphasizing dignity, compassion, and material justice.
Model Emily Ratajkowski is facing backlash for a photoshoot in which she posed in a single leg of a pair of jeans, seemingly emphasizing her slim figure and the size difference. Fans criticized the shoot as "fatphobic" and accused Ratajkowski of mocking plus-size fashion. Some commenters called her a hypocrite for participating in the shoot after writing a book about body image. Plus-size model Tess Holliday also criticized the fashion industry's lack of options for larger sizes. Ratajkowski has yet to respond to the backlash.
Colorado, the skinniest state in America with the lowest obesity rate, is planning to introduce two draft bills next year to ban weight discrimination by employers and housing providers, as well as weight-based bullying in schools. This follows a similar law in New York City and proposals in other states. Campaigners hope that obesity will eventually be recognized as a protected characteristic at the federal level. The US has the highest obesity rate among developed countries, and Colorado's obesity rate is similar to that of the UK.
The promotion of Ozempic, a drug that aids weight loss, as a "miracle cure" for obesity is steeped in fatphobia and harmful rhetoric. The language used perpetuates the idea of eradicating fat people, while the drug itself does not provide a permanent solution and can have dangerous side effects. The focus on eliminating obesity fails to acknowledge the flawed nature of using Body Mass Index (BMI) as a measure of health and promotes unrealistic beauty and size ideals. Instead of celebrating the potential end of "obesity politics," it is important to contest fatphobia and fat hatred in all its forms and recognize the essential role fat plays in our bodies and society.
Country singer Oliver Anthony's viral song "Rich Men North of Richmond" has garnered criticism for its offensive lyrics, including fatphobic remarks. While some praise the song as an ode to the American working class, others argue that it perpetuates fatphobia and the "welfare queen" trope. The song has gained popularity among right-wing figures but has also faced backlash for its portrayal of the poor and its misdirected anger. Anthony describes himself as politically centrist, and the song has surpassed Jason Aldean's controversial track on the iTunes country chart.
Sara Ramirez, who plays Che Diaz in "And Just Like That," discusses their character's storyline in season 2, which explores the Hollywood machine and the pressure to conform to a more digestible version of oneself. Ramirez also addresses Che's journey in confronting fatphobia and their past relationships, including a near sexual throuple experience with Miranda and their old partner, Lyle. The season aims to authentically explore modern identity, relationships, and consent culture.
The author, who had lost 55lb through healthy lifestyle changes, reflects on the societal pressure to be thin and the recent rise of Ozempic, a new injectable drug that promotes weight loss. She criticizes the current body positivity movement for being too focused on self-love and not enough on community activism, and argues that pursuing thinness at any cost only reinforces fatphobia. She encourages acceptance of different body sizes and achieving true body positivity, rather than the corporatized version.
A TikTok trend in which users use an editing tool to make their faces appear larger and then export the modified image to TikTok for a comparison video is being criticized by some as fatphobic. The videos have been met with criticism by some online who say the trend mocks plus-sized individuals and stigmatizes weight gain. The trend comes as some users on TikTok continue to grapple with body issues and eating disorders. Other filters that modify people’s faces or bodies have also sparked debate on how they could contribute to body dysphoria or self-esteem problems.
Journalist Virginia Sole-Smith argues that American diet culture has caused kids to absorb an onslaught of body-shaming messages, and parents can combat this by reclaiming and normalizing the word "fat." Sole-Smith suggests using the word "fat" as a neutral descriptor, saying it helps "take all the power out of the word." She also argues that efforts to fight childhood obesity have caused larger, systemic problems to be obscured, including childhood hunger and poverty. Sole-Smith also discusses the harm of anti-fat bias, thin privilege, and the flawed use of the BMI to measure health.
Brendan Fraser's Best Actor win for his role in "The Whale" is a harmful portrayal of a fat person, perpetuating fatphobic stereotypes and reducing fat people to a one-dimensional caricature. The trend of thin actors donning fat suits for critical acclaim dehumanizes fat people and takes work away from fat actors. Hollywood needs to create diverse stories and cast actors that reflect body diversity, rather than perpetuating harmful myths about fat people.