Do this make me look fat?

Friends cast

"Does this make me look fat?"

I've heard this phrase in almost every sitcom and in almost every dressing room. I've heard it said from friends, family, or even people in the dressing room next to me. It's everywhere. What is "it" that's everywhere exactly? Fat. Whether it is referenced in the popular television show Friends where all of the main characters have insanely hot bodies, or it's just a friend trying on a new dress and getting an outsiders opinion. In the episode of Friends where Chandler is asking the couple Rachel and Ross for advice, he is asking how to get around the question "does this make me look fat?" It can be disguised in advertisements and entertainment as body positivity, body image, or eating disorders. A sister company to American Eagle Outfitters, Aerie, started an "Aerie Real" campaign in 2014 to start advocating for body positivity and more "regular looking" models. This is just a distraction to the real problem that is going on, which is talking about fat and who should be allowed to. Women are constantly being encompassed and trapped by the word fat. Normative ideals are shaping what it means to actually be fat and not letting fat people speak for themselves. 

Rather than getting around the question, how can we think about taking it head-on?

Iskra Lawrence

Many different outlets of media have been attempting to hop on board with fat activism; but are they doing it for the right reasons? I think it's more than what meets the eye. Take the Aerie Real campaign for example. Their leading "activist" for the campaign is Iskra Lawrence, a used-to-be-skinny-supermodel who now has some curves, which is supposed to be enough to embrace all bodies. Her instagram is full of pictures of her in the beach, in her underwear, or wearing tight clothing. She often posts some before and after photos of her early modeling career when she was much skinnier. Lawrence uses this to springboard her platform to call out toxic diet culture, eating disorders, general health, and how capitalism ties these things all together. Even with long, moving, and sentimental captions, promotion of her brand is always worked in somewhere. Being confident with your body is amazing, and it's great to see someone with some curves strutting her stuff; this blog isn't bashing companies who are trying to make their product more inclusive. Quite honestly, I don't think there is space right now for a big company like Aerie to make bold statements about fat activism without getting tied up in a bunch of other issues -- and here lies the ultimate predicament. If big companies aren't able to make change, then who can? What are we really trying to change? And who's to say it isn't all just a big marketing ploy? Aerie profited 300 million more dollars from 2016 to 2017 when the campaign started two years prior. This just goes to show how long it actually takes to see something get traction. This campaign has managed to touch a nerve with its intended audience by using Aerie "role models", such as Lawrence, to show just because your body is different doesn't make you any less of a person -- or less capable of buying their clothes.

Who gets to talk about this and why does it matter? Some fine lines exist as to whether or not one should be able to join the fat activist movement. The Aerie Real campaign is not a fat activist movement; but it is a common, open space for people to share their lived experiences and to share these experiences through the women that Aerie has positioned as role models. All women should feel and be able to claim ownership over their bodies, but not all women can claim ownership of the "fat" experience itself. Not being fat also does not mean you aren't allowed to have internal conflict with the way your body looks. All in all... it's complicated. All of these body positivity and anti-diet campaigns are a start to bringing attention to what fat-activists have to say. In order to answer the question I posed above, we need to start listening to more radical ideas to really start to see any type of change in the way women see themselves. We need to break out the socio-normative chains that are wrapped around us and call fat what it is. Instead of tip-toeing around the question like Chandler Bing from Friends, we need someone to be loud and confident in naming the fat oppression which continues to exist in our society.

What the Impacts of an "Ideal Body Type" Has Done to Society

What the Impacts of an “Ideal Body Type” Has Done to Society

By Gabrielle Sadej

              Have you ever walked into a mall to be met with large posters of beautiful, young, slim women, that typically cover the span of the wall? When did this become normal and where did this start? What if the models weren’t thin bodies, but rather heavier bodies? Another question that goes along with this discussion is when did we start to assume that being healthy was connected to being thin? Recently, Victoria’s Secret, which is one of the largest women’s wear companies, decided that they weren’t going to host their annual Fashion Show. This is a bold and important move for them as they, as well as other companies, fashion and even TV stations like Disney and Nickelodeon are guilty of this. I want to explore the impact of “ideal bodies,” they’re impact on society and how we determine what a healthy versus unhealthy body looks like.

              Besides all the times people bear witness to these types of posters in malls, to all the times we’ve seen it in our social media feeds and our TV screens, there is a lasting impression on people, especially women. In a recent reading, a student who goes to Ohio University shared her thoughts after watching the show. Not only was it something that would never be seen in her home country, but it also left her questioning her own body and the ideal body type. Others have noted how they should diet to look like those Victoria Secrets models, even if it means going on unhealthy and dangerous diets. But what does this all mean? It means that these shows are hurting young women and making them believe that their bodies aren’t “good enough.” As a global community it is important to realize that there will never be just one ideal body type and more importantly, there shouldn’t be just one “ideal” body.

              Growing up I didn’t have as much exposed to “ideal” bodies, but when I would see them, I felt a certain type of pressure to fit those standards. Whether it was watching a Disney movie, or walking through a mall with posters plastered on walls of thin, beautiful, tan, young women, I felt an urge to look like them. Once I got to high school, I realized that you didn’t need to look a certain way to feel confident or beautiful in your body and that it didn’t matter what size you wore. It wasn’t until my friends and learning self-love did, I come to realize that. Today, there are many young girls who are exposed to “ideal bodies” from much younger ages. I’m curious to know when these ideas and thoughts of an ideal body came to be and why they are pushed on people, especially women and bodies that don’t fit the norm. There are many accounts on social media to follow, such as we.definebeauty on Instagram. This group is a collective of people who want to change what “beauty” and “ideal” looks like by sharing their own stories and experiences, however, many girls don’t know these accounts exist because they aren’t looking for them. Why? I wish I knew.

      When taking a step back, there is one thing that I’d like to point out about society. We’ve come to a common theme that a healthy body is one that is slim, young, tan, and beautiful because of superficial features. What if I told you that every model out there, whether they are a Victoria Secret’s Angel or a model for random companies and brands, go on extremely dangerous diets to reach the “ideal” weight and shape for shows? I recently learned that many models not only take on these extreme diets, but they also work out to a point where it becomes dangerous, and all for what exactly? Why is it that we, as a society and larger collective, have decided that fat bodies are unhealthy, lazy and are constantly being told to try diets? Why is it that people aren’t asking if it’s truly healthy to be on a VS models diet, but will tell a heavier person to try one? There are numerous people who are heavier and are healthy, no complications or risks because of their weight, yet they are constantly told to try different things. These are just some ideas and things to think about as we continue to examine fat or thin bodies, healthy and unhealthy bodies, and how society handles them. 

             

Sources to Check Out:

https://woub.org/2017/12/18/victorias-secret-fashion-show-effects-womens-body-image/

we.definebeauty Instagram https://www.instagram.com/we.definebeauty/?hl=en

The Newest Cancel Culture Victim: the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

Just three days ago, it was announced that the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show would be cancelled this year. While I am truly devastated that I will not be able to participate in my favorite past time (in other words, watching the show from my couch in sweats, eating chips, and feeling bad about myself), I think there is an activist victory at hand. The demise of the fashion show may be a consequence of former chief marketing officer Ed Razek stating that there is "no room" for plus sized models on their runway. The brands revenue is declining, and as a result, Victoria's Secret had to make a change.

Due to the success of social movement against the discrimination of Victoria's Secret, fat activism should look to the current "cancel culture" movement to propel their actions moving forward.

Image Source: a meme for cancel culture

"Cancel culture" is a millennial movement, but don't let that deter your interest in it. Used in its best form, cancel culture can be a way of social justice to expose the wrongdoings of people and hold them accountable for their actions, especially when the law may not do so. The prime example of cancel culture at its finest is R.Kelly. R. Kelly has faced various charges of sexual assault against women throughout his career. Since it appears as if the judicial system has delayed justice, society has taken matters into their own hands. Kelly's concerts have been cancelled and many radio or streaming services have refused to play his music on air. While Kelly waits to have his "official" judgement, the media has made their decision. For the Victoria's Secret former chief marketing officer, his mistake was his discrimination against plus sized models. This lack of inclusion really turned off the consumers from buying from the company. In other words, Victoria's Secret was cancelled.  

There are some drawbacks of "cancel culture" that should be noted. At times, cancel culture can move past forgiveness. People are flawed and make mistakes, and sometimes the media may capitalize too much on every wrong move. Charlotte Cooper, a fat activist, writes about this judgement in Fat Activism. She cites the example of people who have had gastric band surgery and their shunning from the activist community, even though they have had experiences with being fat. Thus, for cancel culture to be optimal, there must be room for communication. Instead of just tweeting "cancelled" at the next ignorant comment you see, maybe take the second to educate the person on the topic.

In the context of fat activism, what needs to be cancelled is the societal ideals on body type rather than people on a personal basis. This may lead to a bit of a confusion, because cancel culture roots from social media and it's not like society has a twitter handle.

The true question: who exactly is cancelled?

This is where I believe fat activism can borrow from cancel culture and make it their own. The cancellation is not directed at a who, but actually a what. The cancelling can start on a personal basis before it reaches the streets, which entails every person stops buying into the ideal body type. Essentially, only do things that will make you happy. So, if going to the gym is what makes you happy, then go. But if eating chocolate on your couch makes you happier? Then do that. There is no direct path to happiness, so don't let big businesses lead you to believe that having the "ideal body type" is what will make you happy. Speaking of big business, they're next. We must cancel the big businesses that are selling us this "ideal body type". Take note from what we did to Victoria's Secret. It's as simple as not letting a business trick you into believing that their product is what you need, despite having morally corrupt business models. There are so many options out there for good bras (or we just don't wear them altogether, but that's a discussion for another blog).

And eventually, we take over the world! Not really, but the hope is that, by cancelling those who discriminate based on body type, we can come together as an accepting society. It won't be easy, but we must hold one another to a higher standard. 

Fat and Healthy

“I don’t have a problem with fat. I have a problem with unhealthy.”

“If you are fat, then you must be unhealthy, and that’s why fat is so bad.”

“This whole thing about body positivity is wrong because if you are fat, you are unhealthy and doing damage to your body.” 

We have all heard these phrases, or something similar to them. Perhaps we have even used them ourselves. Society has developed a fear of fat. And while it may seem centered around the health consequences of being overweight, it isn’t. It is about perceptions and monitoring behavior. We have a fear of not looking a certain way or not subscribing to a particular lifestyle. We preach body positivity, but in the same sentence also promote the use of “slimming teas” or other fad diets. Fat scares us, so we hid behind it and ridicule it by saying that it is inherently unhealthy to make ourselves more comfortable. But fat doesn’t always mean unhealthy, and it is our job to reject false information and check ourselves so that we challenge narratives. 

Jenner says "Got my @SkinnyMintCom such a great natural detox
tea program for this summer," Jenner's caption states.
"I need to get healthy again! Who's joining me?"

We often tend to make assumptions simply on how someone looks. But appearances can be deceiving. For example, it is impossible to look at some and know if they only ate vegetables or if they only ate Kit-Kats that day. Consider eating disorders. People that have bulimia may appear to be at a healthy weight when in actuality they may have incredibly poor health. The consequences of eating disorders on both mental and physical health are great but often easily concealed. Thus, looking at a person cannot tell you the truth of their health and well-being. It is impossible to tell someone’s habits only by appearance. 

It is argued that fat causes high blood pressure and high cholesterol, among other things. But these things are not exclusive to people with are medically classified as overweight or obese. A study done in 2016, which followed participants for an average of 19 years, found that unfit lean people were twice as likely to get diabetes as fit people who were overweight. Studies have also found that one-third to three-quarters of people who are medically classified as obese are actually metabolically healthy. These people didn’t show any signs of elevated blood pressure, insulin resistance, or high cholesterol. In contrast, about one-fourth of non-overweight people are classified as “the lean unhealthy” because of their poor health habits.

Health is about the habits you have and the actions you take. It isn’t about weight. Take Football defensive end, David Carter. Carter weighs 300 pounds. If you saw him on the street during his football career and didn’t know he was an athlete, you would assume that he is overweight and carries too much body fat. However, he is incredibly high performing. And that is because of his habits and actions. Carter follows a plant-based diet, and research has supported that this diet is much better for health than diets that contain animal products. His diet allows him more energy and overall higher body efficiency. But, you wouldn’t look at him and think that he is a picture of health. In fact, if you didn’t know anything about him or his choices and career, you would call him fat. This is the same case for strongman and former bodybuilder, Patrik Baboumian, and the list goes on.

David Carter

Even after hearing these things, it seems that people always go back to “if they are fat, then they have more weight on their joints, and that is inherently unhealthy.” While that could be true, there are worse effects if someone is continuously monitoring themselves and has poor mental health. If a person always feels that they have to fix their weight and monitor their behavior, they may develop low self-esteem, depression, or a negative self-perception. Poor mental health has been found to impact physical health negatively. In some cases, people can develop diabetes and heart disease. This means that regardless of weight, if people are unhappy, they can develop the same problems that are associated with being fat. In all, if a person constantly feels that they have to monitor themselves, they may be impacting their mental health negatively and thus making impacting their physical health negatively, no matter their size. 

Being fat is not a descriptor of health. Health is individual and dependent on so many different factors. It is not weight dependent. We use health as a way to control narratives and people’s behavior. We use it as a crutch to hide behind what makes us uncomfortable. It is our job to reject false information and social narratives that support the fear of fat.

You Should Lose Weight

You Should Lose Weight

How many times have you walked into the doctor and had your height and weight taken? I am sure that this has happened almost every time the doctor must be visited, whether for a routine checkup, a vaccination, or for a wellness check. Imagine being a young girl and walking into the doctor to discuss a cold that will not go away, they check her height and weight, recording it in their chart. So far, everything is fine. It is now time to meet with the nurse; she walks through the persisting symptoms and records vitals. The doctor will be in shortly. While waiting for the doctor, excitement takes over as hope enters the room. The hope that relief will arrive soon. Contrarily, after the visit more dread an anxiousness is felt than before the visit with the doctor. Take a minute to think about why that might be.

Source: twitter.com

If you guessed that the doctor made a comment about this girl’s weight, you would be correct. Not only did she tell her that her cold would just have to run its course, she also told her that she has gained weight since her last appointment, about a year ago, and that she should work with her to figure out why she gained the weight in the first place and how to shed the weight back off. Immediately, the girl begins to feel embarrassed and upset, telling her that she knows and that she has been working on it even though subconsciously knows that she is still a healthy weight. As an outsider, I wish the doctor realized that lower weight does not equal health, really, I wish that most people realized this as does the girl being shamed.

For the majority of her life, she was an athlete. She worked hard on the field, on the track, and in the classroom, excelling in everything she did so far in life. Up until this point, she has played soccer and participated in track for as many years as she has been able to, not to mention that she is in the top of her class, giving her all to her studies as well. While all of these things are important to most, somehow everyone seems to forget them when they notice that she has a few extra pounds hanging around. She is in no way obese; she wouldn’t even consider herself to be overweight. She is just right in her eyes and her families, so why would the doctor think that it was okay to put her down over a few extra pounds? She is a growing girl, after all. She is in the middle of another growth spurt, probably one of her last, but as she continues to grow taller and exercises as she usually does, the weight will proportion itself accordingly, even if it doesn’t, who cares? Right? The doctor doesn’t seem to think so because of an arbitrary value, a body mass index calculation (BMI). Due to this, the doctor decided to tell her that she needs to watch her weight and get back on track.

Source: brittanyguerin.com

           

Health is a holistic term, though this idea is lost when it is claimed that thin is healthy and fat is unhealthy. Health has to do with many aspects of life other than just physical health. Health is different in different cultures and in individuals, leading to differences in the idea of what health is. If health is holistic, then we must include spiritual, mental, and social health alongside physical health. We must move away from our fat phobic culture. Instead of basing this girl’s health solely on her weight, we need to look into her life and capture all parts of her that add to her health. We must celebrate the differences in body size, not shame it. Moving towards a fat friendly, holistic health loving society will squash the idea that there was ever an obesity epidemic and prove that health is more than just a number. In doing this, girls like the one in this blog will be able to grow up to love their body, not be shamed into changing it.

Expanding the Forever 21-Atkins Diet Bar Question

Forever 21, since its founding in 1984, has been one of the most popular fashion retailers among teenagers and young adults, all seeking stylish clothing at a low, budget conscientious price. I have been shopping at Forever 21 for years because, frankly, it's cheap -  it's what both I and my bank account (bracing for student loan impact) like best. Ask just about any college student, they likely will say the same in shopping on a budget.

However, shoppers globally were shocked to hear of the trendy company seeking and filing for bankruptcy just recently in September 2019. Citing bankruptcy protections as an "important and necessary step to secure the future of our company, which will enable us to reorganize our business and reposition Forever 21", executive vice president Linda Chang is portraying that she, and the company as a whole, are confident in not just surviving but thriving into the future. 



Maybe this is just me, but I'd be a bit more nervous if I were you, Linda.

Sure, Forever 21 has a lot to work against - the sheer number of other clothing stores to compete against alone, like Zara, H&M, TopShop, and so on, is enough to make anyone nervous. And to their credit, Forever 21 has tried a bunch of different ideas to move forward from the pack, but many of these have been met with backlash. Exhibit A - the Atkins Diet Bar controversy.

Atkins Nutritionals was established in 1998, and its goal is to promote weight loss and low carb diets to its customers. There have been anxieties about the effectiveness and safety of the diets Atkins promotes as early as 2003, worrying that it does not perpetuate consistent weight loss and promotes heart disease.



So... what the hell does Atkins have to do with Forever 21? This past summer, Forever 21 decided to place Atkins lemon flavored diet bars into their online orders for a brief period of time for an e-commerce promotion between the two companies. This is a relatively common and accepted practice between companies, but sending diet bars to a female audience between ages 18 and 24 without any forethought was certainly not the most forward thinking move. The retail company was met with significant backlash for the bars, clad with promises to "satisfy your hunger", claiming that it is "fat phobic."

This is not the first time that Forever 21 has been criticized for promoting unrealistic body standards and neglecting plus-sized customers, but the company truly and clearly has become out of touch with the times. The attempts to celebrate bodies within the same space not only end with the plus-sized section being shoved into the tiny corner of the store or a stark difference in options online, but then these attempts are supplemented with attempts to relate to the target audience - and apparently that means diet bars?



While this post certainly is not condoning anything within this situation, Charlotte Cooper discusses how the protests against these situations allows an influence of the market in her 2016 book Fat Activism: A Radical Social Movement. According to Cooper, "capitalism has become an acceptable tool for activists, not only in fatshion but also in terms of weight loss" (p. 174). Countless potential customers can access Forever 21, the internet, and news outlets within our culture - and that's the point. Along with that, they likely have access to social media and blogs to then put their thoughts to paper (or screen). Therefore, countless people have heard about or participated in the discourse revolving around the Atkins-Forever 21 controversy. The more women voice their opinions, the more the community expands - and the more companies will listen. Otherwise, they end up filing for bankruptcy. Let's hope that H&M and Zara are taking notes.

F*ck the Nutrisystem

Source: Pinterest

Why are we so worried about the after photo?

Because capitalist society has stopped almost everyone from being comfortable in their bodies; and this is especially true for fat people.

The diet industry is an incredible example of this. Dieting programs and television series capitalize on the objectification of people's bodies from a position of power with no real intention of breaking the cycle. Based on a standardized attractiveness (having everything to do with looks) enmeshed in systematic oppression (capitalism, patriarchy, racism, etc..) fatphobia has taken hold as an industry in of itself.

Worrying about fat stems from the medicalization of the term despite that, based on those systematic positions, it is really more of a political term. Healthism becomes a proxy for talking about fat. BMI is how we speak medically about fat even though many findings point to its inaccuracy. For example, diseases found to be associated with higher BMI also are found among lower BMI. Additionally, studies between higher BMI causing ill health do not consider other factors that have huge impacts on this relationship including physical activity, nutrition, sleep, access to care, etc (Burgard 2009). I will use myself as an example. By simply inputting my height and weight, and clicking compute, I am labeled as overweight. I would typically not identify in this way, but a system I am taught to have my best interest in mind does it for me. As someone exposed to fat activism and weight-based stigma I am enraged that the voice of those with real oppressive experiences are silenced by a population forced to claim a title unfit for them. Thankfully I know I can refuse these titles, but for those of whom feel they cannot because of the way society strips value from their bodies in space, capitalization continues.

These ingrained ideologies allows for the exploitation of fat bodies to be a successful (albeit problematic) business model. When it comes to unhappiness, consumers will buy it, so therefore companies sell it. The NBC hit “The Biggest Loser” and Nutrisystems “Five Day Weight Loss Kit” do an incredible job of defining health as the outcome of lower weight in the moment rather than by the daily life one lives to achieve a sustainable quality of life. In a clip titled “The Autopsy Room Wake-Up Call” the doctor individually calls out the contestants and shames them for the choices they have decided to make. Rather than acknowledge big business and capitalism create a system where it is easier to access sugar-laden food and drink than healthy options, these people are left thinking, quote, “I am leading myself down a dark road that could self-destruct.” These systems place all the blame on the individual and offer no constructive way to escape it. Nutrisystem, on the other hand, claims to give you the way out. “Lose up to 7 pounds in two weeks” or have a fast fix with the five day weight loss kit. What could be more unsustainable than a five-day-fix that will do nothing but result in feelings of ineffectiveness as a cycle of loss, gain, shaming and disappointment are perpetuated?

Source: Nutrisystem, Inc.

The fact that health is much more holistic is lost when one equates fat bodies to unhealthy and thinner ones to healthy. Health includes mental, social, spiritual, as well as physical well being and all of those can look different for different people. That is the glory of individuality. A campaign, “Health at Every Size”, gets away from the ideology that weight loss automatically has to do with enhancing one's health. It de-emphasizes weight with the goal of making healthy practices a lifelong investment so people of every size can learn to value their bodies and prevent body neglect and abuse (Burgard 2009).

Perpetuating the ideologies of fatphobia through relentless weight loss programs and television series just continues to keep fat individuals from being in the world. It reduces their purpose for living in this society to 1- being consumers for a multi-billion dollar industry more worried about keeping its followers unsuccessful and therefore involved and 2- objects of entertainment for a sad audience avoiding their own decision to sit on a couch and pity or mock fat people based solely on the fact that their bodies do not look like that. Two scenarios that sound much more toxic and unhealthy to me than some body fat.

Rather than worry about what we could be, or what we “should” be, lets celebrate living now. Because as Bugard (2009) says, “people take better care of the body that they accept and love now than one that they are punishing for being the source of their ill treatment at the hands of other people.”

References
Burgard, D. (2009). What is “health at every size”. The fat studies reader, 42-53.