Tag Archive for "fat-shaming"

Posts Tagged fat-shaming

Southwest tells another person they are ‘too fat to fly.’

I recently traveled to Panama for a much needed vacation and on my way back, my friend and I were sitting next to each other in seats neither one of us could comfortably fit in. I was hanging off my seat into the aisle (which of course led to the stewardess constantly going ‘EXCUSE me’) and my friend actually had sore arms from having to hold them up so as not to infringe on her neighbors space. We were too big for our seats and it made the ride mildly humiliating, uncomfortable and frankly, annoying.

And we got off relatively unscathed. No one made a direct fuss about our size, probably because we can pass as “average” and if asked people ...

I recently traveled to Panama for a much needed vacation and on my way back, my friend and I were sitting next to each other in seats neither one of us could comfortably fit in. I was ...

By Jos Truitt • 13 years ago

Why BMI is bogus

I sure am glad we’ve got a news organization like NPR in this country (ahem, hear that Congress?). NPR’s “math guy” Keith Devlin went on Weekend Edition Saturday to completely rip the body mass index, or BMI, a measure used in the U.S. to tell people they’re fat and unhealthy and should generally feel bad about themselves (what, that last part’s not what BMI’s supposed to be doing? Because I see a hell of a lot more fat shaming than anything else).

Devlin’s put together an amusing and enlightening list of 10 reasons why the BMI is bad science and bad policy. A little taste:

8. It makes the more cynical members of society suspect that the medical ...

By Vanessa • 13 years ago

Last Night’s The Biggest Loser: Gender Warfare Is The Least of Your Problems, Honey

This is a guest post by Tristin Aaron, Director of Communications for the Center for Health, Media and Policy at Hunter College. You can find the full post at the Center’s blog.

On last night’s episode of NBC’s hit show “The Biggest Loser,” trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels were extremely disappointed in the terrible results their clients achieved the week before. “I want to see numbers on that scale that represent what Jillian and I are all about!” Bob exclaimed, yelling out into the gym, “I’m thinking I want to hurt someone I haven’t been able to hurt for a long time.” Contestants had trained at Camp Pendleton, the famed Marine training ground, and ...

This is a guest post by Tristin Aaron, Director of Communications for the Center for Health, Media and Policy at Hunter College. You can find the full post at the Center’s ...

By Jos Truitt • 13 years ago

New York’s disgusting anti-soda ad

The New York City health department has put together an ad campaign saying that, “Drinking 1 can of soda a day can make you 10 pounds fatter a year.” Here’s a gross, insulting video if you can bring yourself to watch it:

Not only is this ad fatphobic and insulting (it both says being fat is bad and that we’re already fat and soda is making us fatter), apparently it’s more about pushing an agenda than sharing medical facts. According to the New York Times, the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Thomas A. Farley, pushed for the ad even though scientists protested it was factually inaccurate or at least misleading. There’s a bunch of science geekery in the article, but basically ...

By Vanessa • 13 years ago

Marie Claire piece questions whether “fatties” on TV are offensive

Yes, this was the actual headline, and this was an actual piece by a mainstream women’s magazine. Maura Kelley questions whether the show, Mike & Molly (which is about a couple who meet at an Overeaters Anonymous group) and others with overweight actors is too offensive for viewers:

My initial response was: Hmm, being overweight is one thing — those people are downright obese! And while I think our country’s obsession with physical perfection is unhealthy, I also think it’s at least equally crazy, albeit in the other direction, to be implicitly promoting obesity! Yes, anorexia is sick, but at least some slim models are simply naturally skinny. No one who is as ...

Yes, this was the actual headline, and this was an actual piece by a mainstream women’s magazine. Maura Kelley questions whether the show, Mike & Molly (which is about a couple who meet ...