Thank you all for the feedback you gave me about Regina Benjamin. Thank you, AJC, for your very kind, and as always, terrifically eloquent post about size acceptance as a feminist issue. AJC blogs about a range of feminist issues, grounding her posts in her outstanding, nuanced knowledge of history. I should also mention that AJC is extraordinarily fly. You can and should read her blog here: http://reachingbacklookingforward.blogspot.com/.
I wanted to make a quick note: the strong voices we need to
hear in order to create a better dialogue about size in this country do not end
with absurdly impressive Surgeon Generals. We cannot wait until our role models start to talk about
health at every size, about fat people’s right to exist, about losing weight as
a constant goal/ideal/struggle, about that vulnerable, girls and teenagers are
hearing our society’s messages about weight and learning to hate themselves at
a young age.
Because as soon as size acceptance resonates with you, you
have a responsibility to become aware of the ways that it affects you, which
impacts your own sizeist comments and thinking.
It takes time to undo years of internalizing a fat-hating
culture. It takes time to counter
that little voice inside of you, that says, “My country is filled with a
disproportionate amount of obese people, and all these Americans are idle and
lazy and affecting our country’s image.
I’m not obese; I am the opposite of idle and lazy.”
With this blog, I’d like to help you undo some of that
thinking. And to remind you: sizeism
is the projection about the feelings about your body on to the bodies of
others. Get off the
defensive. If we want to start
feeling better about ourselves, we need to start advocating for others.
One more little gem from a wise, old, dead Jewish man:
"You are not obligated to complete the work, but
neither are you free to abandon it." -Pirkei Avot 2:21.
Klowe, you're a rock star. I finally sat down to read your blog, and it's no surprise that I'm impressed. My two cents? I agree 100% about our society being a fat-hating culture, but I wonder about how we can best advocate for others.
ReplyDeleteBecause just promoting acceptance doesn't address the very real and deadly obesity epidemic whose root cause (and now I'm stepping up on my farmer soapbox) is the industrialization of the food system and the disconnection of people from the production of food (where it comes from, how it's produced, and how to cook it). Obesity rates are directly correlated with the overtake of small family farms by large industrial farms producing commodity crops that are then put into nutrient-poor, processed food products that aren't even food. And of course it's also a class issue, because those with the least amount of time and money are those who are buying the cheap filler calories.
The local food movement has been seen as a classist movement by many because it's the wealthy who are most able to afford to shop at farmer's markets and pay for six dollar tomatoes. Food stamps and WIC coupons go a long way, but they aren't enough to combat the generational brainwashing of the last century that has destroyed a connection to and love of excellent quality food.
You will find very few self-hating or self-conscious farmers, growers, or land-based individuals who are connected to the food they eat and who know what their body needs to be nourished. They may not be thin, but they have a healthy attitude about their bodies. If we are really to advocate for people who are obese, or for those of us who simply have low self-esteem about our bodies and live in fear that we might become fat, it is not just acceptance that we need to advocate for, but for a societal paradigm shift involving the re-incorporation of food production and preparation back into our communities.
This will not only build the strength of communities and return meaning to ritual celebrations, like the harvest, but will create more resilient streets, neighborhoods, and towns where people can be involved in their own empowerment, sustenance, health, and the creation of their bodies.
Wow Jamie, thank you very much for posting. I am so excited to have discourse about this blog IN WRITING!
DeleteThis blog is not geared to address causes of obesity; that is not my particular area of expertise. Which is not to say that I wouldn't address those topics. There are many chronic illnesses that are highly correlated with obesity, and I am in no position to state otherwise.
What I hope to accomplish, instead, is to avoid drawing a line between fat people who are born a particular way and fat people who are made a certain way by society or their own habits, for the purpose of promoting the idea that a fat body is not a cause for any one else's personal concern. Basically, to remove shame from the table when discussing fat and body image. I feel that self-awareness and sensitivity to other people's stories (= humanity) is the best way to foster a more positive conversation about body image and health. As opposed to a conversation based on hatred and fear.
I also want to honor your expertise, eloquence, and compassion. I am speaking for myself, but I know others agree that it is very scary, trying to navigate through an overload of information of what to eat and how to eat it. That I often don't trust my own body's instincts and cravings, in trying to conform to a standard that the wise, mature woman in me -- she's in there somewhere -- knows is just not what my body looks like.
I also dream of the day when we can be more connected to our food and our bodies, and people respect other people's food choices, and navigating the daily rituals of eating will be a joyful process for every one!
ahh! AND I realize I didn't respond to your comments about a fat as a class issue. These are some excellent points and conversation starters. Stay tuned for future blog posts!
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