"It could be worse... you could be *fat*" September 29, 2010
Researchers have discovered new evidence for an illness they have called "infectobesity" – obesity that is transmitted from person to person, much like an infection. The agent thought to be responsible is a strain of adenovirus, versions of which cause the common cold. It has already been labelled the "fat bug".
There are more than 50 strains of adenovirus known to infect humans but only one, adenovirus 36, has been linked with human obesity.
I sarcastically quipped at the time " I'm quite sure that the internet will discuss this in a calm, informed, and constructive manner. By which I mean, it will end in INTERNET TEARS." and sure enough, the usual fat-phobic bullshit started flying around various forums, facebook pages, and of course the comment page on the article itself. The usual stupid bullshit got trotted out, and I actually had to step away and not even think about this for over a week before I came back to it.
Fat-hating is one of those still socially acceptable forms of discrimination. And like other forms of discrimination, it gets tarted up with all sorts of excuses, one of the latest being that HOLY CRAP US FATTIES ARE DESTROYING THE MEDICAL SYSTEM, we ought to be ashamed and sad!
Guess what guys? I have news for you: if your big plan is to shame people into losing weight, maybe you might want to notice that historical precedent shows that it doesn't work. And really, if you're so concerned about how we're causing the future fall of western civilization, and you truly want to "help" us, engaging in the same hateful shame? Yeah, that's not exactly what we would call productive.
And that's how you know it's the same bullshit discrimination wearing a different halloween mask - because that's not the intended result, it's a chance to boot the boot in on someone, another brushstroke in that great painting of overweight people being drawn to a bucket of ice cream as if it was the planet killer from Star Trek.
So first, let's address the whole equation where Fat = Unhealthy (because you know all of the criticism and invective is being lobbed by professional triathletes whose own habits are above reproach). Take a spin over here to Kate Harding's blog. Go ahead, I'll wait.
Done? Good. Because here's the thing: ain't NO ONE saying that sitting around and eating unhealthy food is somehow okay. But because someone is fat doesn't mean that they're not taking care of themselves, that they're not healthy, and most of all, that you have any right to tear away at their dignity and self-respect! Because you can't hate yourself to a better you, and it sure won't work pointed at anyone else. And I know this from personal experience.
In 2004, I went from 310 pounds down to 241. I did it by doing strenuous cardio every day, and eating a dietician approved diet. And yet I was still fat - and of course, according to that witch-doctor bit of hokum known as the BMI, in desperate need of dropping another 40 pounds to be healthy. I made it to 232, but only by calculating out my resting metabolic rate and slashing my caloric rate even further. I saw another dietician, who gave me the big thumbs up.
And my body? It crashed. I never moved past 232, but I did a great job of making myself sick and depleting myself of so many nutrients that I was prone to infection. My body was fighting against a virus - but the virus was the idea that I HAD TO LOSE MORE WEIGHT, so it did the only thing it could to make sure the operator would stop such horrid behavior: it drove me into a wall. Between that, and the depression that kicked in because all of Madison avenues lies that being thin would make everything better for me (hint: that's not what happened!), I had to go through a long journey where I realized many things, but chief amongst them was that the BMI was bullshit, that I had been at war with myself and had escalated said war to a full on assault on my own health, and that I had to take better care of myself. After consultations with my doctor, we both agreed that the number on the scale simply was not a valuable metric at all.
My story is not unique: You can stop and talk to just about anyone who is fat, and they can tell you a variation of it. To lift a quote from Kate's blog, "You cannot hate people for your own good" - most of all yourself.
It's not easy going in such an image-obsessed world. And while I'm absolutely not going to claim that one gender suffers more than the other, both sexes suffer this discrimination. And I deal with how years of it have been hard-wired into another voice in my head every day. Every insult, every well-meaning comment, every harsh word is another piece towards the structure of self-hate. And make no mistake, those words hurt:
Even if you don't agree with me about how FAT=DEATH is mathematically and scientifically not-fucking-true, at least recognize the fact that everyone deserves dignity and respect unless they show themselves to be unworthy (and being fat is not a criteria).
And if you're fat? Don't hate on exercise because it didn't make you thin. Love exercise because you can get strong and because it makes your mind faster and smarter, and that endorphin rush is a wonderful thing. And love yourself. You can be sexy and fat - really, if you doubt me, take a look at any of the pin-up photos I post here. I don't post it because of pity, I post it because it's hot as shit, and if you can find it in yourself to love yourself, you can walk that walk too.
And if you're going to be a hateful, backwards, discriminatory fuck? At least own up to being such an ugly person. You can hate on me, but I'm sure happy I'm not you.
(The video above is reposted by permission of the author, Erin Zerbe aka Zerbetron. In addition to being a kick-ass pin-up model, she's put together some truly powerful and wonderful photo sets about size acceptance not just for women, but for men as well. I highly recommend checking these photo galleries out)