A New Study, A New Excuse To Shame

A study came out of England and has swept the feeds of all of us, thanks to to the article in the Daily Telegraph. The study supposedly concludes that it is better to be “skinny and lazy” that “fat but fit.” 

I feel like this contradicts many studies that have been saying the exact opposite. I refuse to be one of those people who ignore science because it negates my beliefs. If this study truly shows that it is better to be skinny and lazy, than so be it. I’m holding out judgement until I can do more research.

That being said, articles like this are dangerous. The rhetoric of the posts around this article are disturbing. I can understand wanting to help people live their best, healthiest lives. I also understand, and believe that the duty of our scientific community is to discover the answers to all of our questions and concerns, whether those answers make us uncomfortable or not.

Saying that obesity is akin to terrorism only creates an environment for fat people to continue to be abused and bullied. It doesn’t really matter what this study says. There have been plenty of studies that say that shaming people for their body type does not help anyone become healthier. So, please, keep this in mind. Fat or not, the people in this study (and those they represent) are still human beings. Please don’t use studies like this as an excuse to malign and degrade.

In the meantime, I don’t see this as a reason to change what I’m doing. I still contend that becoming “body positive” has led me to the healthiest lifestyle I’ve had so far in my journey. Not that it really matters to me, but I am down 2 pant sizes and at least 20 pounds. (I have not stepped on scale outside of my doctor’s office in almost six months.) It may not be rapid weight loss, but it has been done in a healthy way that has created sustainable lifestyle changes. My Yo-Yo days are over, thanks to loving myself.

Articles like this can be disheartening. It gives ammunition to those people who are just “worried about our health.” It will give opportunities for more attention hungry Nicole Arbors to jump in and add more fuel to the hate fire. I imagine in the next few days there will be a lot of rhetoric on the topic. I hope you remember, as I hope to remind myself, that this study doesn’t change a basic principle. No matter what we look like, or what our health status is, we are deserving of basic decency and dignity. As a fat person, I still have just as much of a right to be in public and happy. I am deserving of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (wherever that pursuit takes me).

I am not a terrorist because I am unwilling to conform to an unattainable standard of beauty.