Fat Acceptance Movement - Background

Background

Activism concerning the societal acceptance of fat people covers numerous fronts but generally can be described as attempting to alter societal, personal, and medical attitudes.

The movement argues that overweight people are targets of hatred and discrimination, and that obese women are subjected to more social pressure than obese men. Hatred and disrespect towards fat people are seen in multiple places, including media outlets, where fat people are often ridiculed or held up as objects of pity. Discrimination comes in the form of lack of equal access to transportation and employment.

Proponents argue that anti-fat stigma and aggressive diet promotion have led to an increase in psychological and physiological problems among fat people. Proponents of fat acceptance maintain that people of all shapes and sizes can strive for fitness and physical health. They believe health to be independent of, not dependent on, body weight. Thus, proponents promote "health at every size", the philosophy that one can pursue mental and physical health regardless of their physical appearance or size.

Through the works of authors such as Paul Campos and Sandy Szwarc, the fat acceptance movement has argued that doctors should treat the health problems of people of all sizes, believing that health issues are not defined by weight and are shared by people of all sizes, fat and thin. Some in the movement have argued that the health risks of overweight and obesity have been exaggerated or misrepresented, and used as cover for cultural and aesthetic prejudices against fat.

Fat activism remains a marginal movement. Organizations such as the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) and the International Size Acceptance Association (ISAA) have relatively low memberships, and people interested in the movement tend to be clustered in larger cities and spread across medium- to small-sized web communities.