Relatable is built on a foundation of inclusion, community and representation. We believe the last ‘acceptable’ form of discrimination is that of weight and we are working hard to challenge the stigma and bust the myths. Here we open up the conversation; we need to change the narrative and bring about change.
To explore, at once, both the shiny surface and the murky underworld of the Body Positivity movement is to well and truly fall down the proverbial. There are countless opinions, academic studies, historical references, expert viewpoints and media articles spanning its breadth. It is overwhelming. When I first began the research for this series, it was impossible to find a ‘one-stop-shop’ overlay of the movement in its entirety; honestly, I found the whole exercise emotionally exhausting. This, of course, is not uncommon when trying to unpack such a complex issue. As women all over the world will tell you, it’s a gargantuan task to navigate the weight-debate labyrinth and emerge unscathed.
It is with some hesitation, then, that I throw myself willingly into Wonderland. But here at Relatable, we’ve made it our mission to pull apart the constructs that determine the status quo and challenge them. Why do we accept fat-phobia and discrimination in Australia? Who is feeding us the ‘facts’ on obesity and weight-related health issues (and are they right)? Is the current Body Positivity movement going to lead us to a size-inclusive nirvana and how do we ensure the narrative isn’t failing some people? Most importantly, how do we bring about authentic change to the lives of those so intensely impacted by the flaws of our social system?
The significance of living large
“Fat, we are told, is ugly; it’s self-indulgent and therefore, immoral.”
Author Llewellyn Louderback wrote these words in his essay, More People Should Be Fat, in 1967. It was a revolutionary piece of writing at the time; an examination and personal statement on what he believed was a war on fatness in America, which had begun to take on a life of its own. He talked emotionally about the discrimination of people of a certain size (including himself and his wife), lamenting that we “are prisoners of a culture that worships thinness.”
Half a century later, the war rages on.
U.S. Director of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA), Marilyn Wann, says “when fat people experience oppression, we experience it alone and our first reaction is not to fight back, our reaction is to give money to fat-hate industries (Weight Watchers, stomach amputation, etc). Instead of demanding self-respect, we seek approval from our oppressors.”
In order to better understand these experiences, we need to determine what society constitutes as ‘fat’. According to a number of studies, Australia (like the US) is in the throes of an obesity epidemic, with 67% of adults considered overweight, and 1 in 4 children bordering on obese. Health experts will say this fatness ‘occurs’ when a person hits a Body Mass Index of 25 (overweight) or even worse, 30+ (obese). In many circles, you immediately become fat once your thighs rub and your upper arms wobble. If you ask my former boss, she’ll tell you fatness strikes as soon as you’re unable to fit into a size 8.
“I suspect most people would define fatness as an image; perhaps a rounder face, soft tummy rolls; or any protruding body part that isn’t smooth or flat. Opinions are endless and heavily subjective, with almost everyone – forgive the pun – weighing in.”
So for the sake of this series, I’ll give you a very personal image of fatness and we can use it as a benchmark. I am a size 16-18, probably the heaviest I have ever been in my 38 years. I carry my weight across my middle and chest, and my upper arms cry out for the larger blood pressure arm band when visiting the doctor. I would undoubtedly be referred to as overweight by the health industry and have certainly been size-excluded by some of my once-favourite fashion brands – Witchery, Country Road and Seed, to name a few. I have not measured my exact BMI, but suspect I’d be over 30, which would classify me as obese. Those closest to me would scoff at that, which is where both the word ‘obese’ and the sole use of BMI as its determinant, can be dangerous.
Regardless, I am viewed as fat. I am the woman bombarded by countless weight loss programs thanks to Facebook targeted advertising. I am the woman who now prefers to shop online than in a bricks-and-mortar store. I am the woman who awkwardly dips her jaw forward in photos, to avoid the double (triple?!) chin. And I am the woman who relentlessly compares herself to the size standard delivered by mainstream media.
And I am far from alone.
Body positivity: the peaks and the pitfalls
Broadly speaking, the Body Positivity movement – in its current, contemporary form – has been gaining significant traction since 2012, particularly (and unsurprisingly) in the world of social media. Anti-fat discrimination commentators, Instagram influencers and self-love advocates have been enjoying what feels like a watershed moment, spruiking self-acceptance and denouncing fat shaming and those who support it.
Google Body Positive influencers and media outlets such as Instyle.com, Insider & Mamamia have pioneers ‘to follow’ at the ready; Megan Jayne Crabbe, Tess Holliday, Ashley Graham, Bryony Gordon, the list goes on. These women are doing some wonderful work in the ‘BoPo’ space; representing a staggering number of everyday women who have been historically shamed simply for not being thin enough. And yet, we have some hurdles here. Who gets to determine, and subsequently promote, these influencers and perhaps more significantly, who is being erased from the narrative as a result? And is Body Positivity doing enough, as a movement, to knock out the discrimination that lurks around every corner?
American writer and activist Virgie Tovar would tell you no, it certainly is not. As author of You Have The Right to Remain Fat, founder of Babecamp and certified Influential Feminist, her work on fat discrimination is a tour de force; she’s a veritable Queen in these circles. She has been trailblazing in her crusade to deconstruct & dissolve fatphobia and in her video for Nylon, explains the very important distinction between the Body Positivity movement and the concept of Fat Activism. According to Tovar, Body Positivity has become synonymous with the warm and fuzziness of ‘loving yourself’, and sadly in its simplest form, reduces its significance to a hashtag. Fat activism is more action-oriented. It presents clear, political demands to call out fat discrimination and pushes for systemic, collective change (more on this in Part II).
Australian fat activist Nicole McDermid, AKA @theembodiedfatactivist is very specific on this point, “We cannot, and will not end fat oppression by subscribing to the cookie cutter, white washed, diluted, “self-love” version of body positivity.” And she’s right. Body Positivity, by its very nature, is supposed to celebrate bodies of all types – not just plus-sized figures. Bodies of colour, queer bodies, trans bodies, disabled bodies, small bodies and so on. It was created to counteract the current version of conventional attractiveness, by allowing all sorts to be ‘seen’ and celebrated.
‘Body Positivity’ has gotten lost in an Instagram world of pretty white women; rallying cries of ‘love yourself’, all the while watering down the original message.
That’s not to say the Body Positivity revolution should be sidelined or dismissed; credit where credit’s due. In terms of its broader societal stance on self-worth, body acceptance and celebration of the individual, it has well and truly opened up the conversation. Recent times have produced a number of awesome, public examples; Nike’s plus-size mannequins in their London flagship store, Gillette’s advert promoting their Venus product using larger model Anna O’Brien, and size inclusive clothing brand Universal Standard partnering with major European designer Rodarte to produce a high-end collection up to a US size 38-40 (4XL). Getty Images has partnered with Dove and GirlGaze and developed a library of stock images like never before. Under the name Project #ShowUs, the database houses thousands of ‘real woman’ photographs – every race, shape, sexuality and age and those with disabilities (we’ve used a bunch in this series).
“Size inclusive clothing brand Universal Standard partnering with major European designer Rodarte to produce a high-end collection up to a US size 38-40 (4XL).”
So where do we go from here? Fatness isn’t going away; and nor should it. But perhaps the discrimination and prejudice can move on. Body Positivity, even with its flaws, has sparked an important conversation and helped women across the globe gain confidence in themselves. Now we need to do better and embrace fat activism and intersectionality. We need to hold companies, brands, the health industry and individuals accountable for shaming all types of women in larger bodies. To be mindful of the ‘facts’ they’re using as weapons in this war.
I need to not be looked up and down in the doctor’s surgery; where the answer to all my ailments is two words: lose weight. I need my friend, told that she couldn’t fall pregnant without bariatric surgery, and then still couldn’t fall pregnant after the surgery, to have experts willing to explore every possible cause – not just assume it’s fat-related. I need employers’ unconscious bias to be challenged, to prevent them from not hiring an intelligent and qualified woman, based purely on her size. I need media websites to stop fear-mongering by publishing unsubstantiated claims about plus-size women.
I need to not feel ‘less than’ because I am oftentimes considered ‘more than’.
