What does FWIW mean?

FWIW means "for what it's worth."

I disagree in some ways that there is nothing to be proud about. Again, I don't believe "proud to be fat," is about fat at all. First of all, only a very small number of people will say or believe that they are proud to be fat, and when they do, an even smaller number, if any, will mean that fat is the ideal way to be. Rather, they are proud to be fat in some small way like some homosexuals may be proud of being gay. Is sexual orientation, especially if you believe it is an inate part of who you are, not something you had a choice in, something to be proud of? And like just as we say no one wishes they weren't "thin," who wishes they weren't heterosexual? Who asks for society's disapproval? It's about being proud of who you are, when no one else will.

In some sense, I guess I am proud to be a fat woman. Even proud of my fat. This even shocks me. What is there to be proud of? What has fatness given me that thinness never will? As a fat person, I will always know who my true friends are. My husband, who understands what it is like to be fat himself, loves me and finds me sexy, now, not just in 200 lbs. I was strong enough to choose a man who does not need or want a fat woman, but wanted me because I was smart and funny and compassionate. I have a master's degree in psychology, I worked in social service and law enforcement for years, I taught college classes, and in countless other ways I was able to accomplish things in my life that no one said I could - because I was, after all, fat, lazy, worthless, and stupid. I refused to let my weight and other people's perceptions of me, get in the way of accomplishing what I thought was important. Despite the way I was treated by others virtually all of my life, I did not let it destroy my compassion for others. In a very real sense, every pound is a battle scar that made me and continues to shape who I am. And that is something to be proud of. I do desparately want and need to lose the weight, and when I do, I will have better health, and a better life. I will be proud of that, but I hope I am never "proud to be thin," in a way that means I think I am in any way a better person thin than fat.

This may seem a little "too-too" but I think part of loving oneself is treating your body 'like a temple; not a tent'. In other words, if you TRULY love yourself, you'll want to treat yourself with respect; eat healthy foods, exercise, and so forth. It's NOT about "looks" or what the "scale says".... it's about health, and like they say "You haven't got anything if you haven't got your health." So I think that more people will stay fat than not because it's easy to do so if we stress the "big movement." Let's face it - it's already hard enough to get motivated to lose weight when we simply want to LOOK GOOD. But when it's a matter of health, many times, that makes all the difference in the world as to what a person does/doesn't do to lose weight.

JM2C

Quote:
I refused to let my weight and other people's perceptions of me, get in the way of accomplishing what I thought was important. Despite the way I was treated by others virtually all of my life, I did not let it destroy my compassion for others.

Now THAT'S some healthy thoughts! - After all, it all begins with our thinking.

Beach Patrol,

I really doubt that more people will choose to stay fat, than will try to lose weight if the fat acceptance movement gains ground. Especially since all of the fat acceptance books and magazines I have read stress, believe it or not, healthy eating and exercise, just without using the scale to measure your self worth. One of the biggest pushes in the movement is to become physically active and to "demand your right," to exercise and participate in sports in public.

While I certainly am not a "fat activist," it was only in fat acceptance literature (BBW and Radiance magazines, the book FatSo!...) that I was encouraged to feel comfortable going to the gym, the beach, the pool, exercise classes... To be seen in public exercising. They were the first place that I had ever seen articles on eating more fruits and vegetables, and cutting out junk food not as part of a "diet", but as the way you eat forever.

Without these books and magazines, I mightn still believe that I don't have a right to be seen in a bathing suit. But I love swimming, and the encouragement I read in these magazines really helped me get over my fear of offending others with my fatness. Even so, it has taken me fifteen years to buy a bicycle out of fear of how I would look on it, and the possibility of being laughed or jeered at. I finally decided the heck with that. Although I was swimming and doing tai chi, I did both indoors, and I wanted a fun outdoor exercise, and I remembered how much fun I had as a kid on my bicycle, but try to find information bike on weight limits and on the best bicycles for fat riders. Except in fat acceptance publications and websites, you will be hard-pressed to find any.

So much prejudice and discrimination against fat people is falsely justified because of the "health-effects," of obesity. It's a lame excuse because we don't discriminate to the same degree against people who engage in other unhealthy habits. We encourage unhealthy ways of weight loss, and if concern for our health the "real" reason, why would our society be so offended by seeing fat people swimming, dancing, doing aerobics, and bicycling?

I just don't buy it.

Well said. That's what I was thinking. Overweight is not healthy (or good for you) no matter how much positive self esteem one has. High levels of self esteem won't keep us from getting weight related issues such as high blood pressure/sugar, sleep apnea, and various cancers. Sometimes the happiest most grounded people die from the most dreadful diseases. Why increase our chances by being over weight.

Yes!!!!

The fat acceptance movement will never gain ground... except among fat people. Too many people know it is just plain unhealthy and the vast majority of the time is caused by people simply overeating and not taking care of their bodies.

Sorry, but this does sounds a lot like the arguments that I have heard and read about the "fringe" members of my Gay community. "Those queers won't ever convince people to accept them, it's just plain sick, unhealthy and caused by loosing their way with God." But, look at how much better things are today than they were 30 years ago... perfect? No, but I now have space to exist in this society visibly instead of having to hide my true self from those around me.

Believe me, it was not the suit-wearing gay men and dress-wearing lesbians who work at their jobs day in and out and never call any attention to themselves, quitely going home to their "roommates" and (probably) 2 dogs and/or 3 cats and telling their parents about their fictitious opposite-sex romantic partners who just happen to never be able to come visit over the holidays who made these changes possible. It's the naked paraders, the Vegas-headdress-wearing rollerskaters, the shaved head, pierced, labrys-tattooed leather butches who screamed at society until it began to listen.

We should ask ourselves this: when we lose weight, are we really going to stop being "fat" people? Will the lessons that society has forced us to learn about our own self worth just magically melt away? Will the years of marginalization and ridicule suddenly never have happened?

Why hate ourselves as much as everyone else does? Health risks involved with weight gain? Sure. Does that mean we should appologize to society until such time as we are declared "fit"... do we need a Doctor's note of good health to show in order to feel good about ourselves? Are we "sinners" or simply people who are going through life like everyone else, and who now are at a point where we need to lose weight?

jillybean720:

I'm not saying the homosexuality is the exact same as obesity, that isn't my point at all. My point is that both groups have a "fringe" that is working to increase awareness and acceptance from the larger society, and that the fringe is very important to those in the rest of the group. And, yes, there is the argument that people don't choose to be gay (though believe me there are a LOT of people who think... no insist... that we do): but how many of us really woke up one morning and thought "I think I'll weigh 360 lbs by the time I turn 36"- I sure didn't. Certainly, both are seen as moral failings in our society, even if one might be seen as unavoidable and the other preventable.

I think the "unhealthy" argument only goes so far. If you are arguing that health insurance should be higher for those in the obese group... well show me the stats and we'll work out a deal. But everyone here knows that that is not the main part of what the fat acceptance movement is fighting against. It's all the other garbage, misrepresentations, and discriminations (ever look at the pay differentiation and hiring percentages?). The "rules" about how visible we are allowed to be to the greater society, and that is exactly the same as with any other marginialized group. You don't have to agree with the "proud to be fat movement", but there are a lot of people guilty of "being visible while fat" who are thankful for their efforts.

I think one should be proud of whatever they are. trying to be better is always good.

I do understand your point, Jen, but it's what's called a far-fetched analogy. Homosexuality is an innate part of someone and obesity is a disease. No one (unless they are a rabid homophobe) is in a laboratory searching for a cure for homosexuality. And scientists don't even need to look for some pharmaceutical remedy for obesity ~ I'm cured and I took no pills.

Discrimination against people who are born they way they are is one of the biggest human travesties. The reason that weight discrimination runs rampant and is more socially acceptable is because everyone knows that obese people have a CHOICE to change their lifestyles. It's hard as ****, but it's not impossible, especially with the advancement of weight loss surgery. Losing weight does not mean losing your identity, unlike someone trying to change someone's sexual orientation.

Being proud of being fat is like being proud of having cancer. Why would someone be proud of something that could potentially kill them? Obese/overweight are considered diseases. They are in medical journals listed as diseases, and doctors treat them as such. Now, I agree we should be proud of OURSELVES. Would anyone really put "FAT" on a list of their positive attributes? I know I wouldn't and it would be LAST on my list of how I define myself. It is part of who I am, and I accept that, but I wouldn't mention it under "qualities I take pride in." When I'm dying, I'm not going to tell my great grandchildren that weighing over 300 pounds was a "proud" moment in my life.

I think it would be healthier to say instead of "proud to be fat" to "proud to be myself."

And it's great that they fight against discrimination, BUT so does the American Obesity Association, and they actually promote and encourage weight loss. On their front page, the links are : Education ~ Research ~ Prevention ~ Treatment ~ Consumer Protection ~ Discrimination.

I just think they send out an unhealthy message that some people buy into. The only media coverage I have seen/read on the fat acceptance movement has been, "Are you fat? Well STAY fat then!! It's perfectly okay!!" That may be the media's fault and they may be being misrepresented, but that is all I have seen. And if they ARE being misrepresented, then they aren't doing much about it.

And I visited the National Association of Fat Acceptance and on their FRONT page, the links to recent media articles are as follows :

NON-DIETERS ARE MORE SUCCESSFUL AT BOOSTING HEALTH THAN DIETERSNon

U.S. SCALES BACK ON OBESITY DEATHS (about how the gov't was WAY wrong about obesity-related deaths)

STUDY SHOWS WEIGHT LOSS MAY RAISE RISK OF DEATH

OBESITY ~ HOW BIG AN ISSUE?

GASTRIC BYPASS SURGERY GONE BAD

They are ENCOURAGING and SCARING people into staying fat. It's very irresponisble in my opinion.

Compare websites everyone : //http://www.naafa.org/ NAAFA

http://www.obesity.org/ AOA

I fear kaplods is the minority in reading that "fat acceptance" literature.

I personally think they need to reform their agenda.

LOL well I admit I am "guilty" of being one of those "wacked Christians" -- But since this thread is turning into one resorting to such name calling I will bow out and leave you with it and go back to some more positive discussions.