this post was submitted on 15 Dec 2024
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United States | News & Politics
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As a kid who grew up fat, the taunting didn't help at all.
So did one of my daughters. It may not have been helpful in itself but think of t as a reflection of the prevailing attitudes. That being overweight is unhealthy and should be remedied. People go to great lengths today to justify and even glamorize being obese and it's frustrating as can be.
I think the problem is that so much of our self-worth is wrapped up in being physically attractive. People want to feel desirable, and feeling ugly or unwanted is a killer on your self esteem. It also disproportionately affects women, as a man's value isn't necessarily tied to his physical beauty.
If we treated obesity as a health problem, and not a beauty defect, then it would be like heart disease or eyesight. You have a daughter, so you're probably old enough to remember when wearing glasses was considered ugly and unattractive. People would rather walk around unable to see than put on their spectacles, and contact lenses became a must-have fashion accessory.
If not for the shared social trauma of fat-shaming, there would be no need for the overcorrection. People come in all shapes and sizes, and health is a relative term. Helping people get healthy is an act of medical care, not social control. It should be treated like any other condition, without judgement or stigma.
I'm going to agree with most everything here, though guys have their own critiques to deal with. Short, bald, and pudgy or scrawny muscles take a fair bit of confidence to overcome. Some compensate in more or less healthy ways depending on their own persona.
The way we deal with it as a society is a tougher question. Kids don't deal in nuance so well so trying to frame it as a health thing is hard to do without perpetuating old stereotypes. Telling them that it's wrong to bully someone but that being sedentary and out of shape is not good at the same time takes a lot of balancing. With the current culture of body positivity and health-at-every-size it can leave people scared to suggest that someone take up some sports or eat healthy for fear of being labeled as fat phobic.
Somewhat ironic additional note, I just recently joined the ranks of the spectacled. Not delayed out of vanity but out of lack of need up until now, but yes I do remember the era of 4-eyes being a thing.
That's fair, but short and bald are not health issues. And kids should be encouraged to exercise regardless of their size. A skinny kid who plays video games all day isn't living a healthy lifestyle, either. Health at every size is about setting attainable standards. The overweight kids can't climb the rope or fit into a bikini. As a society, we need to encourage healthy diet and exercise, not body shape and appearance. Kids understand that, because they haven't learned to equate sex appeal and self-value yet. It's the adults that have a hard time with it. That association is learned, and we're all better off if we don't learn it.