Fat acceptance is the very opposite of what Dr. Pretlow and thousands of other healthcare providers strive to promote, the kind of normal, healthy-weight fitness that is deemed preferable for so many reasons. How can fat acceptance be good? But the precise and literal opposite of acceptance is rejection, and that is out of the question.
An adolescent struggling with extra poundage in addition to 99 other problems can’t be rejected. An obese baby who has no say in what he or she eats, or when, certainly can’t be rejected. Even with adults, who presumably possess agency and could, in theory, be fit if they really wanted to, should not be rejected, because it never leads to anything good.
But if the alternative is to buy into fat acceptance, what is the answer? Childhood Obesity News has approached this question from a number of angles and teased out quite a few nuances.
There are the large, general, basic matters, examined in “The Fit and Fat Debate,” Part 1 and Part 2.
One post catalogues some of the many varieties of fat acceptance and another checklists the pros and cons of the philosophy.
We also look at how fit, or at least non-obese, people react to the obesity of their fellow humans, and why.
There is much to be said about the national characteristics of fat acceptance, and about what such a laissez faire attitude might imply for the future of the entire planet.
There is, and should be, an ongoing dialogue on the place of size acceptance in the pubic consciousness. Is it really a civil rights issue?
What should be done, who should do it, and who should be allowed to say what?
One of the heaviest questions is, how much weight should be given to the opinions and recommendations of celebrities?
When people who are not medical professionals have a voice, how much credence should anyone place in their contributions?
There is more to be said on this vital topic, but we leave it here for now. Your responses and feedback are welcome!
Image by Jason Eppink