There have been lots of conversations around Snapchat and Instagram lately about what body positivity and fat acceptance have to do with health. In my opinion, they do not exactly go hand-in-hand, but there is a connection, even a very small one, between the sides that I feel place me in the middle.
What I Am
I feel as if I am body positive. I believe that every body is beautiful in its own way, that every one has the right to do what they want with their body without being subjected to criticism and that beauty does not come with a number limit. I am having body positive issues when it comes to myself, but I never feel any hatred towards anyone who professes to love themselves in any way they see fit. I believe that men and women can both be body positive, as gender roles should never play a part in body positivity. Men have just as many body issues as women do, and I think that is overlooked quite a bit.
I am pro health. Healthy living, eating, exercise, fitness, etc. I believe that people should strive to keep their bodies in tip-top shape on the inside in order to live a long, lusciously beautiful life with friends and family.
What I Am Not
I am not part of the fat acceptance movement. While I do believe that people should never be hated on for their weight, their size, the number on the scale, I don't believe that being fat should mean being obese for the rest of one's life. Having extra fat on one's body is okay as long as it's not an excessive amount. I am a morbidly obese woman. I am coming close to 400 pounds and I am trying to get that in check toot-fucking-sweet because it is not fun living life in this body. I can barely walk up a flight of stairs, and when I do get there, I am panting and sweating like I just ran a marathon. I know that many people like to be big. They accept and love their bodies and I honestly applaud them because of the struggles I am facing. I don't judge and I don't discriminate. It's just not how I want to live my life.
I am not a fat hater. This seems to be tied to the fact that I am not a fat acceptor. I am fat, I'm not going to shame myself, so no, I'm not a fat hater. I just don't think being obese is the way I'm supposed to be.
Let's talk about Health and Body Positivity
Body positivity and health are not in tandem with each other. They should never cross. I think the reason why they get put together has to do with the fact that many plus size woman are part of the body positive movement. Plus size people outnumber thin people in the movement 10 to 1, so the debate on whether health should be included with body positivity is an ongoing one.
That being said, I believe that being 300, 400, 500 pounds is not healthy. Even if a doctor says that there is nothing physically wrong, such as a thyroid disorder or diabetes, I don't think being that heavy is healthy. If you can not walk a couple blocks in normal, spring weather without sweating or being out of breath, you are not healthy. If you can not walk up a small flight of stairs without breathing heavily at the top, then you are not healthy. If you can not do simple tasks without a part of your body hurting, you are not healthy. I don't care who you are, what your weight is, this applies to everyone of any size. Getting back aches and trouble breathing by doing simple tasks around your house is not the symbol of health and any doctor who says different needs to have their license revoked.
I'm going to get real with everyone. My legs are the smallest part of my body, second only to my arms. Walking up hills and stairs is especially hard because of how small my legs are and how much weight they have to carry. I figure my legs carry at least 300 of my 400 pounds around all day, and it wears them out. I get home from shopping and I can barely walk the next day. My thighs shake from exertion after walking up the 15 steps to my dentist's office. Does all of this sound healthy to you?
I firmly believe that a person can be fat and healthy. I have seen it, I used to be smaller and in much better shape so I lived it. I was a fat girl but I was healthier than most fat girls my size. I firmly do not believe that a person can be obese and healthy. There is no way. As an obese woman, I can say that it is impossible. I'm not judging anyone by saying these words, either. I am obese and I will never shame myself, but people... We need to stop the madness. Stop associating body positivity with health. They are two completely different things. Fat acceptance and health are two different things. They should never be brought together and be represented as one.
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