I have been conflicted with fat positivity lately...or maybe just the term its self. I think it's great to love the body you are in and be self confident and love yourself regardless...not questions asked, that's how you need to be. Everyone should strive to accept and have respect for the person they are in all aspects. It has taken me a really long time find the beauty in myself, and sometimes it is a daily struggle. I'm not perfect and I am by no means as thin as I would like to be, but I have come to accept that this is my body, and while I can be healthier, some goals are just unattainable within my body type.
With that being said, I think that saying you are 'fat positive' has kind of become a crutch for some people. You can be big and be healthy, but there comes a time when it becomes difficult to change your habits and falling back on 'fat positivity' can be detrimental to ones health and quality of life. There are people in wheel chairs where the reason they are there is because their body structure can no longer support their weight. Human's were not intended to be like this. Sure, some people are predisposed to being just big boned, or hormonally imbalanced, or have thyroid problems, but that doesn't mean that being fat won't kill you like everyone else. Yes, there is a lot of issues surrounding this, such as class with regards to high preservative and fatty foods being cheaper. But at the same time, there is also self control and self preservation.
I am not fond of the comparison that people often make about it being alright to criticize a smoker, but not a big person eating a greasy burger but if someone I cared about was headed in a very self destructive direction with their eating habits, I don't feel as though I should feel bad to talking to them about it. I would hope that someone would do the same for me, because it is often reflecting a deeper issue.
I think big people can be beautiful people, I'm not at all stuck in one image of beauty. But as I am learning to take care of myself better, I feel so much better; not only about body image, but I have more energy, and I'm not fucking sad all the time.
I don't know....
With that being said, I think that saying you are 'fat positive' has kind of become a crutch for some people. You can be big and be healthy, but there comes a time when it becomes difficult to change your habits and falling back on 'fat positivity' can be detrimental to ones health and quality of life. There are people in wheel chairs where the reason they are there is because their body structure can no longer support their weight. Human's were not intended to be like this. Sure, some people are predisposed to being just big boned, or hormonally imbalanced, or have thyroid problems, but that doesn't mean that being fat won't kill you like everyone else. Yes, there is a lot of issues surrounding this, such as class with regards to high preservative and fatty foods being cheaper. But at the same time, there is also self control and self preservation.
I am not fond of the comparison that people often make about it being alright to criticize a smoker, but not a big person eating a greasy burger but if someone I cared about was headed in a very self destructive direction with their eating habits, I don't feel as though I should feel bad to talking to them about it. I would hope that someone would do the same for me, because it is often reflecting a deeper issue.
I think big people can be beautiful people, I'm not at all stuck in one image of beauty. But as I am learning to take care of myself better, I feel so much better; not only about body image, but I have more energy, and I'm not fucking sad all the time.
I don't know....
prophetnoise:
I think a terrible bi-product of our society is the ideal of thin, as opposed to healthy. When i hear people saying why they want to lose weight, i rarely hear anyone even mention as an afterthought that they want to be healthy. It's usually some sort of image issue. While having a good self image can be important, it won't keep a person alive. There are plenty of skinny people who could be healthier/exercise more. Both "fat-positive as a crutch" and "losing weight for image centric issues" are both examples of how our society just seems to have a misguided agenda, and rarely cares to look at the underlying issues. That, of course, may just be my misguided opinion though 