The full title of the work is “Unpacking Fatphobia, Weight Discrimination, and Their Deadly Repercussions.” When we see the word “useful,” the question that naturally comes to mind is, “Who can benefit from this information?”
The answer would include any parent, teacher, student, news columnist, speaker at a club or organization function, or really anyone who is interested in helping others understand what is going on with the societal attitude toward overweight and obese Americans. The document itself mentions what might, in this day and age, be the most useful aspect of knowing some things about this touchy subject: “to help content creators spread evidence-based health information on social media.”
In any such context, by the way, it is also useful to mention that the author of the post, article, or speech is offering educational information, which is not to be mistaken for actual medical advice. If needed, that aspect should of course be followed up on by consultation with an appropriate medical professional.
Especially for the family
A parent, for instance, might want to address some particular aspect of obesity, to help their child to understand why there is concern about that child’s own habits and inclinations.
Or — and we hope this never comes up, but it might — a mom or dad might overhear their child mocking some obese person, and find a non-confrontational way to gently help create understanding of the circumstances that could have led to that unfortunate person’s weight problem. This might also present an opportunity to make some points about how their own family can take responsibility for assuring that none of its members will, one day, be the butt of someone else’s humor, meanness, or scorn.
For those who are already convinced and don’t even need to hear any more details or reasons, but are anxious to get right to it, here is the address.
Down to it
The first section emphasizes how weight-based bias is actually a problem that affects everyone. But the main way in which it affects obese people is that it’s worse than wrong; it’s useless — because it does not help anyone become healthier. That’s right, criticism actually confers no health benefits, but actively worsens the health and wellbeing of its targets. Here is the succinct but definitive quotation on that topic:
Experiencing weight discrimination harms people’s physical and mental health, reduces their engagement in healthy activities, like exercising, and ironically increases the likelihood that they will gain weight.
The document goes on to explain what numerous studies have confirmed: that discrimination merely increases people’s stress levels and has an overall tendency to cause a decrease in the quality of their healthcare.
If the health of such an individual is a true concern, critics should be aware that “it is impossible to tell how ‘healthy’ someone is just from looking at them.” We are reminded that if our true wish is to deal only in respectful, supportive dialogue, we should remind our communities to “ask people what terminology they prefer and use their preferred language in conversations.”
Another section of the document contains the astonishing information that, in all but one American state (Michigan), it is actually legal to discriminate against a person based on his or her weight.
And so…
What sorts of actions can a conscientious individual take to improve the situation? Several are suggested. The compilers go on to discuss the topics of blame and shame, a pair of words that will by now be very familiar to readers of Childhood Obesity News. That section delves into quite a bit of detail about the many insidious ways in which harmful attitudes can affect people and relationships.
Additionally, there are all kinds of mental gymnastics and emotional traps involved in how different types of people address these topics. For instance,
Seeing others lose weight may bring up feelings of betrayal in people who see weight loss as a decision to abandon a political fight.
Once a person begins to seriously look into this matter, it becomes apparent that there is much more to it than meets the eye. The authors mention the need to examine and reflect upon “the complexity of how our weight and health are politicized.” It is also useful to examine how an ostensible concern about people’s weight may be inextricably entwined, in one way or another, with the ubiquitous factor known as the profit motive.
But wait, there is more…
Also on offer are some interesting statistics. If the mental health of the population is a concern, we can reflect on the increased risk of mood disorders and anxiety disorders experienced by people who are regarded as overweight. For those who feel targeted by it, weight discrimination can even lead to an earlier death than they would otherwise have experienced.
Reliance on the old but not yet replaced BMI standard can harm large numbers of people by causing them to be misclassified. And here is an interesting statistic:
18 out of the top 25 teen TV shows displayed characters being teased for their weight.
As attentive and sensitive to public opinion as entertainment media producers are known to be, it seems like this would be a relatively easy and potentially rewarding area in which to invest critical energy.
This guide also provides a handy starter list of media resources including documentary films, podcasts, brochures, websites and reports for further self-education, and ideas about how to help our entire society experience a much-needed shift in attitude.
Your responses and feedback are welcome!
Source: “Unpacking Fatphobia, Weight Discrimination, and Their Deadly Repercussions,” Harvard.edu
Image: Used under the Pixabay Content License
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