I think fat people deserve respect, and for some reason that has become like a controversial statement.
I see so much hate for fat people every day,
and I see people internalize those messages and hate themselves.
And that fucking sucks.
Your weight shouldn't be a reason for people to mock you or harass you or make fun of you.
It's just your weight, and it's none of their business.
And the argument I often hear right after that is, "Well, if we live in the same country,
my insurance costs are higher if they're unhealthy!
So it's my business!"
But that's just a massive misunderstanding of the way that health and weight interact,
and how much authority you have over other people's health just because they share
your insurance provider.
Because, for one, being fat doesn't automatically make you unhealthy.
There are plenty of fat people who exercise and eat well and just exist at a slightly
higher weight than other people.
But also, there are plenty of skinny people who have health problems who don't receive
anywhere near the amount of hate that fat people receive.
People who smoke have an increased risk for certain diseases.
People who binge drink have an increased risk for certain diseases.
But smokers and binge drinkers aren't nearly mocked to anywhere near the degree that fat people are.
In fact, binge drinking is usually joked about and often encouraged in our society, while
at the same time people make fun of fat people under the guise of it being about "health".
And regardless, you as an individual don't get to decide who is acceptably healthy to
share an insurance provider with you.
If you're in the US, you probably have private health insurance, in which case it's your
insurer's job to assess the health risks of every patient and charge them accordingly.
Insurance companies obviously have their own extensive problems, and our healthcare system
is a mess, but it's not your job to call up every other person who uses your health
insurance provider and ensure that they meet your specific standards of care so that you
can get the lowest rates possible.
That's just ridiculous.
And it's not like you're perfect either.
You're telling me you've never done anything unhealthy?
You're telling me you workout every day and eat super healthy and never engage in
any kind of risky behaviors that could wind up with you needing medical treatment?
Even speeding while you're driving carries with it an increased risk for a car accident,
which could mean huge medical bills, but nobody is out here shaming everyone who speeds.
And if you live in a country where you have a national health care system, a similar situation comes up.
You can't force everyone to be perfectly healthy.
You certainly aren't perfectly healthy.
And trying to force everyone to follow the exact same exercise and diet is not
only completely unrealistic but also just a pretty fundamental violation of their rights.
You can't claim you want to live in a free country with the ability to do what you want,
and say that you want to dictate how other people live their lives.
Plus, making fun of people for their weight doesn't even help them lose weight.
That's been proven over and over again by different studies.
If your goal is to mock someone into losing weight, it won't happen.
And putting all of that aside, I don't think it's too much to ask that you just have
a base level of respect for people -- regardless of their weight.
Remember that everyone you encounter is a complete human being with thoughts and feelings
-- fat people included.
It wouldn't kill you to be slightly more considerate of people's feelings and to
try to have more compassion for people.
You could live your life trying to offend everyone and being as rude as you possibly
can, or you could graduate from middle school and try to actually be a decent person with
some sort of sense of morality.
And remember that weight gain and weight loss aren't nearly as simple as people like to think.
Calories in minus calories out does not determine your weight.
Everyone has different basal metabolic rates, and they can fluctuate throughout your life.
In fact, people's metabolism slows down when they start exercising, meaning that even
if you restrict your calories in and begin exercising, the changes in your metabolism
could mean that you don't lose any weight, or you lose it at a much slower rate than
someone with a higher metabolism.
Plus, in the longterm, natural variations in metabolism between individuals mean that
some people are simply healthy weighing more or less than other people.
Metabolism is really forgotten when we talk about weight.
So much of weight loss and weight gain is dependant on metabolic rates, but those can
vary wildly between individuals and are affected by a host of factors that we don't fully understand right now.
People with slower metabolic rates are not lazier than people with faster metabolic rates,
they just have different bodies.
Someone's weight is in no way a reflection of their willpower.
All the willpower in the world can't force your metabolic rate to change.
So weight loss or gain can be easier or harder depending on who you are.
And it's important to recognize that so you don't think that just because you're
skinny that everyone else should be able to be skinny too.
People are different. Bodies are different.
Let people live their lives and mind your own business.
And even if you hate someone, find other things to make fun of them for than their weight.
I realize it's an easy insult to go for, but when you do that, you're telling all
fat people what you really think of them.
If you dislike someone, I'm sure you can find ways to insult them without involving
their weight, since their weight shouldn't be the reason you hate them.
When you mock someone's weight, you're perpetuating the idea that being fat is bad
and that people should be mocked for it -- even if you only do it to people you dislike for other reasons.
And don't forget that sometimes weight loss happens for really traumatic or unhealthy reasons.
Rapid weight loss can be extremely bad for your health, if you go on a fad diet or something,
and that kind of weight loss is never sustainable.
Plus, many people who struggle with eating disorders also struggle with being called
"beautiful" when they're not eating and not doing well, while being mocked for
being fat when they're actually eating and taking care of themselves.
You don't know someone's backstory, you don't know what they're dealing with,
you don't know everything about their health, so don't pretend you do.
So yeah, I don't know, just be nice to people?
Show fat people respect, and show people respect whether they're healthy or not.
Respect shouldn't be dependant on weight or health.
I just wanna live in a world where fat people don't hate themselves for their size.
I want people to be able to feel confident and worthy of love even if they're fat.
I'm going to list some amazing fat activists in the description below who I highly recommend
you check out and follow.
I'll also put some links to studies down there and some articles for further reading.
If you're fat, I hope you realize that you're worthy of love and respect.
You're beautiful, you're great, and the fatphobes of the world don't deserve you.
I love you all -- and thanks so much for watching.
I'll see you next time.
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