We’re Not Glamorizing Obesity: Exploring Body Positivity in the Media

Trigger warning: “Fatphobia”

In the past few years, the term body positivity has skyrocketed in popularity online. In my own personal life, I’ve dedicated a lot of time and effort to learning about body positivity. Nowadays, I follow intuitive eating and actively work to take care of my body in healthy, non-restrictive ways. So, as you can imagine, I follow lots of body-positive folks on social media who are doing wonderful things to help break down weight stigma and encourage people, especially young womxn, to do the same. 

Despite the growing awareness around toxic diet culture, there is still a lot of misguidances, misinformation, and ignorance that pops up on pages like this. In fact, it was only a few months ago that I stumbled across a post of a plus-sized model with quite the paradoxical comment section – half the commenters were beaming with positivity, and the other half, well, wasn’t. 

One comment in particular, though, stuck out to me: “You’re glamorizing obesity.” This one really bothers me, not just because it’s totally uncalled for, but also because it’s just plain untrue. Right now, you might be thinking “but Lauren, obesity IS bad and if we keep promoting it everyone is going to think it’s good and oh my god we’re all going to die!!!!!” First off, I don’t blame you for thinking that way; I used to think like that too. So let’s first work to break down the false assumptions surrounding high BMIs. 

Despite what you might think, being overweight or obese isn’t actually a death sentence in the way that society makes it out to be – and there happens to be plenty of evidence supporting that. In a great Scientific American article, a study from 2017 is discussed which observed that active people aged 15-55 with high BMIs were no more likely to develop heart disease than active people with normal BMIs. 

Furthermore, in one study I found linked from “Current Wellness,” it was discovered that weight stigma (including stigma from healthcare providers) actually drives the so-called “obesity epidemic.” And another study found that, more specifically, weight stigma harms physiological and psychological health (rather than being ‘motivational’). And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one of the many studies proving that restrictive dieting doesn’t really work – that’s right, your willpower isn’t actually the issue.

So, back to how body positivity is portrayed in the media. Yes, body positivity is ultimately a movement for everybody. But it’s important to know that the idea itself started out as fat acceptance. 

The Fat Acceptance Movement began in the 1960s and – despite the clutter of photos of thin, able-bodied white women you see under the hashtag #bodypositivity – it was designed for people with oppressed and fat bodies, with an emphasis on BIPOC and people with disabilities. So, when you see a photo of an actual fat person on your body-positive Instagram feed, know that they have more than every right to be there. 

So no, fat people aren’t “glamorizing obesity.” On the contrary, fat folks online are working diligently to push back against societal beauty standards, weight stigma, and even the patriarchy (but that’s a topic for another day). We humans have no choice but to exist in our bodies, so we might as well choose to be at peace with them. And if you ever find yourself doubting that your body deserves peace, take comfort in knowing that your body knows best how to take care of you, so you can go ahead and trust it.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

• body positivity
• fatphobia
• intuitive eating
• media