Be Uncomfortable: Changing Our Perception of Fat

Lamar Todd

Professor Shaw

8 December 2019

WGSS 275

Blog #3:

Fattylympics: Changing Our Perception of Fat

Being overweight in our society has always been perceived as a negative thing. While other cultures may see weight and the accumulation of fat over time as a source of abundance and prosperity, and at times it may even serve as a symbol of wealth, Americanized societies are disgusted by the idea of not being stick skinny and embodying the idealistic European American standards of beauty. 

Can Fattylympics and the reclaiming or “rebranding” of fat in our society truly change our perception? Or rather does it hinder us?

The Fattylympics otherwise referred to as the “roly-poly” olympics in an article by daily mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2170666/Fattylympics-The-Roly-poly-Olympics-Contestants-WERE-game-laugh.html, explains that the fattylympics began initially as a protest to the inherent “sizeism” that those who are not in “Olympic shape” face as discrimation during the preface of the 2012 olympic games. This form of fat activism is all about empowering those who feel this burden by society to conform and feel negatively about their own appearance, to the point where taking up more space makes you invisible. Our society has focused so much on this standard of beauty that all of the negative connotations surrounding fat are amplified. Individuals are persecuted for their appearance, even when they cannot help it and are made to feel that their fat equates to being unhealthy. Fortunately there is enough evidence to support the fact that being “fat” does not equate to being unhealthy. These individuals walk around in society everyday with this stigma placed on their bodies. They live uncomfortably in a world where they don't feel they belong. This is exemplified in the previous stated article through a Fattylympics participant who stated, “I am supporting the Fattylympics because as a fat person I feel that this is the only Olympics that wants me”. This idea of comfortability is ironic in the way that it provides a comfort to those experiencing an uncomfortability in their very existence on a daily basis. In this way, the phrase “Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable” is truly applicable. An example of this is depicted in the image above where a woman who society deems to be overweight is doing aerobic exercises and participating in the Fattylympics. She wears tight, colorful clothing to accentuate her curves and show off the body that most are afraid and unable to share with the world due to the discrimation placed on them. 

Drastic measures are necessary because it is not always to make others feel comfortable enough to help. Sometimes it is about empowering those within the group and disrupting the norms. This makes others uncomfortable and whether people change their minds or not about helping out the cause, it is mostly about the rebelling group to not worry about the norms or the perceptions anymore. Regardless of this, fat people will be perceived in a negative way without them even being able to control that perception due to how society shapes individuals minds. With this being said fat people then take this power back and disrupts people's comfort and continues to control the negative perception in a drastic way which can also spark change   

Fattylympics is also a form of competition that people who are overweight in our society typically do not have the opportunity to be a part of. Competition is a hallmark in American societies. It leads in the contribution to a consumerist society by way of allowing prices companies and individuals to compete and better themselves. If you do not have this form of competition, most individuals who do not possess such internal motivation allow themselves not to be involved in things such as sports and extracurricular activities. Fat activism and the Fattylympics allow these individuals to find fair and positive, morality building competition that in turn help individuals build a sense of self (one that they are proud of) as well as a sense of community that they may have lacked due to social stigmas. 

While this form of competition can be seen as increasing unhealthy attitudes toward food and food consumption/relationships, it also serves as an opportunity for  “Fat activism [to] stand in opposition to the social stigma associated with fat, and, more generally, fatphobic attitudes throughout culture, and it has had considerable successes even though these attitudes are hegemonic and entrenched.” In this way, it is clear that the persisting attitudes and unhealthy relationships with fat and food do not outweigh the possible positive outcomes associated with this form of fat activism.  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21604851.2018.1453622. In this way, Fattylympics and the reclaiming or “rebranding” of fat in our society has the power to truly change our perception of fat as a people and in turn increase competition, motivation and community within individuals who are not viewed to have the ideal body type in America.