A Critique on Fat Acceptance

â€Å"Fat Acceptance: A Basic Primer† by the Vancouver-based author Cynara Geissler is a remonstration against the relentless pursuit of conforming to the socially approved body structure by paining one’s body and soul (3). Appearing in Geez Magazine for the first time this essay germinates new energy in the fat-acceptance movement in 21 st century. The author in this essay heavily protests against food moralizing and idealizing a certain parameter for body dimension. It has been an important issue indeed in the contemporary world, where everything including human body is being precariously rhapsodized under the influence of glamour industry. The author precisely points out the perils of blindly following the ideal of a thin body pleasing to the eyes of society and presents her argument on how this vain pursuit has been affecting the overall physical and mental health of the people. Geissler happens to be a staunch supporter of fat acceptance movement since she herself has experienced the consequences of hazardous dieting due to the plight of mind body shaming caused to her. She describes how people crossing the limit of size and weight dictated by the fashion magazines or movies become victims of society’s pre-conceived notions. They are often termed as â€Å"lazy, undisciplined, incapable and out of control† for no good reason (Geissler 2). Ironically, this adverse pressure comes from the health and diet industry itself who oblivion of the fact that health is to be fit and strong and not conforming to a particular body shape consistently tends to criticize the term fat. This has made the stigma of fat so ingrained in the minds of people that they forget to be tolerant of even normal sized people, â€Å"The West, especially the U.S., operates under gendered ideas of beauty that emphasize thinness as the ideal body type† (Williams 15). Apart from people in the society, this obsession also works in the persons who look at themselves with the eyes of established norms and start condemning their own body. Thus begins the relentless process of dieting and losing of weight without caring about the very idea of health. This compelling pressure comes from the very circle of â€Å"misinformed friends, relatives and health care professionals† who try to fit the non-conforming people into the size boxes which glamour industry has created over the years (Clair et al. 230). Sometimes this vain pursuit results in deadly consequence to the body or if not that leaves the mind in a dispirited state. The inevitable reaction that they develop for their body is self-denigration and an intense revulsion for their own self, which arise out of the rejection they face in their social existence (Bombak 15). This increases an inclination to the falsely advertised solutions claiming to fix one’s body; undoubtedly, this busines s trend capitalizing on the degrading approach to human body is harmful beyond imagination. The fat acceptance movement has, therefore, immense importance in this context since it primarily teaches people to be tolerant of all body sizes and weight as well as rejects all myths that make people suffer in the name of diet. The movement, which includes all successful professionals from different fields, questions about â€Å"efficacy of shame as a motivational tool†; quoting Allison it can be said â€Å"that suffering does not ennoble; it destroys†. It shatters not only the necessity of the compelling act of repentance in food and working habits but denies the efficacy of self-sacrifice to achieve the self-styled success of possessing a ‘perfect’ body (Geissler 2). We can fairly agree to the idea of accepting fat because undoubtedly it is a noble initiative. Fat shaming does not really do anything positive for one’s body rather only builds up hostility and aversion between the obese person and the rest of the society. By the virtue of the move ment, people have relearned to live their life without being worried about the social fixity- â€Å"thinner is better†. It entitles body autonomy to a person and reaffirms the fact that the concept of health is not necessarily affixed to any specific size or weight. In addition, fat acceptance endows a person with all the gratification about oneself and grants access to an enjoyable life. Probably the most important reason for agreeing to Geissler’s idea of fat acceptance is that it formulates acceptance to ‘Health at Every Size’ (Geissler 3). Besides, the movement has always emphasized liberty in the choice of food, personal presentation and physical activity that gives forth the need of that person and mere imitation of body shaming views. While we can agree to the most part of Geissler’s views, there remains some domains in her essay that are likely to catch objections. She takes body autonomy to another level where she has almost denied the necessity of having healthy food at times. According to her experience, having healthy food and working out has been a punishment whereas it cannot be denied that these things are intrinsic to a fit and healthy body. The autonomy of food may catalyze the peril of obesity but surprisingly the author evades such a significant relevant issue in this context. On the other hand, the idea of ‘Health at Every Size’ seems to be very vague in the essay. While it proclaims that, having anorexia cannot be considered as a sign of health and that it is damage for the body, it continues to maintain the idea of an extremely obese person being capable of leading an active life despite the diseased physical condition. In fact, both the extreme poles of weight scale are equally dangerous and the essay has missed to profess this vital medical truth. Apart from this, food addiction often leads to serious medical problems, which the fat acceptant people either consciously or unconsciously do not admit. Thinking that one’s own body is his or her own business and the person can feed it to any extent is entirely a misconception for it really cannot be approved to feed oneself to ill health. This is especially applicable to the rapidly increasing child obesity problem all over the world and the major cause aggravating the problem is the arbitrary food habit among children. It should not be that the fat acceptance movement carries any wrong message to them making them ailing and sedentary. The movement of fat liberation, therefore, must not give opportunity to people to be unapologetic and remain gratified despite their excess weight. Having discussed all the aspects of the essay, both that have been explored and those of the possible approaches that have been missed by the author it can be concluded that approving fat is not the goal but accepting the fat ones as equal is. The author successfully holds up the idea that it is high time the fat people accept their body image in a positive light instead of constantly living in the shadow of a fat-fearing culture. The concept of ‘Health at Every Size’ necessarily involves spontaneous yet conscious eating while regulating weight at the same time. Therefore, while acknowledging the words of Geissler, it can be stated that there is nothing indecent and degrading in a fat body that should be associated with shame and subjected to agonizing diet and excruciating physical exercise. Rather, as the author conveys, fat acceptance is that one revolutionary idea that advocates tolerance, size acceptance, equality for all body types, weight neutrality and most signi ficantly body positivity. Bombak, Andrea E. "The Contribution Of Applied Social Sciences To Obesity Stigma-Related Public Health Approaches". 2014. Clair, Matthew, Caitlin Daniel, and Michà ¨le Lamont. "Destigmatization and health: Cultural constructions and the long-term reduction of stigma."  Social Science & Medicine  165 (2016): 223-232. Geissler, Cynara. "Fat Acceptance: A Basic Primer". Geezmagazine.Org, 2010, https://geezmagazine.org/magazine/article/fat-acceptance-a-basic-primer/. Williams, Apryl A. "Fat People of Color: Emergent Intersectional Discourse Online."  Social Sciences  6.1 (2017): 15.