When I began my journey towards self acceptance and self esteem, the term body positivity was not something I’d heard before. In fact, when I first heard of a movement in this realm at all it was called Fat Acceptance (Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_acceptance_movement). Something about those two words together felt radical and oh so right. Fat acceptance for me means to not only accept my own glorious fat body, but to further the idea that fat people should be treated equally, like any other human person. It is a movement based on autonomy. Plain and simple. Yet in recent years I have seen it taken over entirely (it seems) by “body positivity” and touted and the “It” thing to be and to use as a platform to tell people how they should live their lives and feel about themselves.

I’ve seen countless celebrities and fashion/style/brand bloggers use body positivity as a way to approach the same topics that have been discussed in fat acceptance for decades, but now on mainstream and social media. This isn’t necessarily a negative thing, but I do think it’s a huge compromise. Fat acceptance is self explanatory, IMO. Body positivity is more, I dunno, hands across america feeling. It looks alright on paper but it just doesn’t do anything but provide lip service and assign faux-authority to anyone with a glimmer of spotlight or a virtual soapbox on which to speak. Fat acceptance doesn’t have a leader or spokesperson. Body positivity has far too many.

It forgets the fatties! Seriously! Body positivity sounds all-inclusive, “Have a body? Come on in!” but that’s not the reality of it. The moment you use the word fat as a self-assigned identifier, you get a thousand comments of “You have fat, you are not fat.” but No actually I AM FAT AND FUCK YOU! I feel it erases identities that were hard fought and won in a lot of ways. It waters down the struggle fat people face in their everyday lives. Yes, all bodies should be treated equally, but they should also have absolute autonomy over their bodies. Body positivity lends itself oh-too easily to the “good fatty” archetype.

Fat acceptance has room for everyone, because fat can be intersectional with just about anything. Body positivity almost forces the idea that bodies should always been seen in a positive light. But what if you’re not wanting to love your body right now? What if you aren’t on the whole love yourself always trolley? What if you have a broken or sick body? Body positivity doesn’t represent what my fat body must go through in order to get proper healthcare and medical treatment. For me that is a major sticking point. It’s not just about all bodies, but it is about fat people in fat bodies being discriminated against in just about every aspect of their lives.

Yes, body positivity sounds like it includes everyone, but it just doesn’t. It seems more and more obvious each day (at least to me) that it really only includes smaller fats, average and below average sized folks, and typically younger than age 30. We get it! Millennials have things to say, too. Everyone has an opinion on the internet, obviously myself included, but it is becoming the norm for opinions to overtake history and facts and this is a dangerous thing! Fat acceptance has a history based in feminism and the LGBTQ* community and equal rights. Many have laid their lives on the line for the equal treatment of fat bodies.

Body positivity has room for fat people, but only up to a certain point. It’s mostly unspoken, but it definitely feels to me that body positive spaces do not want anyone over a size 24 to be included. And heaven forbid you point out that your size limits your access to everyday things like clothing, transportation and jobs! None of that sounds positive! But that is the truth. It is my truth. It is still perfectly legal to discriminate against fat bodies (in all but one state, Michigan, and two counties in California). It is no coincidence that it is harder to get a job in a fat body, let alone get equal pay and/or recognition for our work.

While progress towards equality has been made, the pace of that progress leaves many hopeless and impatient. I understand the attraction of body positivity as I have also in the past code switched to encompass and invite “all” but I no longer feel that broader intention to be honest. While I do think intentions matter, they don’t do a whole lot to help actual people. Body positivity feels a lot like the fat kid trying to fit in. And we all know that as long as you’re “trying” you can be seen as “the good fatty” and thus accepted on a contingent basis.

FUCK THAT! My fat body isn’t “trying” to fit into anything! My fat body doesn’t owe anyone a damned thing! Fat acceptance is about everyone doing whatever the hell they want without asking for opinions or permissions! It excludes no one because anyone can be for fat acceptance, regardless of size or shape. There is no attitude requirement, no need for proof of your worthiness, no affirmations or instagram challenges to deem you more of a fatty or body haver. Nope! Fat acceptance is a come as you are movement. It may be more known for specific acts of radical activism, but that isn’t something expected of anyone. There is no “good” or “bad” fatty and there is no right or wrong way to live in a fat body. Fat people have always existed and they always will.

Follow the money! Before you take anyone saying anything seriously, follow the money trail. (This blog is entirely self funded and receives no money from sponsors or other entities. You are welcome to donate to the operational costs it incurs annually, but no profits or gains have ever been made here.) Who benefits from this message? Who paid for this? Who’s sponsoring it? It’s hard to take anything to heart these days when the American Medical Association is funded by the Beef and Dairy Council (two things that are supposed to be killing us, right?). Everyone would rather point the giant cultural finger of blame on something, but no one is willing to simply accept people as they are. And to me that is what it’s all about…acceptance. Until fat people are treated equally, there is only so much that body positivity can do.

Rad Fatty Love,
<3
S

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