Who the Body Acceptance Movement Should Really Be About

[Sophiaaaaaa]

Quite frankly, I'm starting to find these 'fat acceptance' 'thin acceptance' movements a bit irritating.

I'm not hating! Not a hater. If a woman is overweight, or underweight, I shouldn't judge. None of us should. Maybe that overweight woman has a condition where it's hard for her to lose weight (under active thyroid?) maybe her paramount is her children, who she spends all her time with instead of paying the expensive fees at the gym and wasting her family time preparing salads for herself. Maybe that thin woman has an oversize thyroid (know a woman who eats normally and looks supermodel skinny) or maybe, quite simply she has a high metabolic rate. So yeah, I don't judge,

but what does piss me off is when I see woman tediously always commenting on their bodies, it almost comes to the point that they think they deserve special treatment because they are too fat or they starve themselves. Just type in 'thinspo quotes' and 'fat acceptance' into Google and you'll see what I mean.

i just find it so stupid and selfish that these woman are acting like they suffer hell everyday, just because they are too fat or thin. I'm tired of seeing kids starving in some counties and adults in others spending ridiculous and unhealthy amounts on food, and as a result of that costing the economy more on their compulsory food restriction drips. I'm sick of woman starving themselves (I'm not talking about anorexia, or any mental illnesses, just woman being silly and hurting their bodies to get thin) whilst some people would do anything just to get a decent meal everyday.

And finally, I'm sick of people claiming that they suffer the most shit in society because of the condition of their body, something which can easily be changed if they put in the effort. Being fat to the point of you hurting your body shouldn't be accepted, hell, if self harming is a serious issue then eating yourself to epdeath sould also be, same with diet obsessed woman.

So less talk about that, here are some pictures of people who REALLY deserve to be part of the body acceptance movement, people who are brave and have no choice to change what their bodies look like.

1) The ex soldier who lost one or more limbs

2) The breast cancer survivor

3) The seriously sick child whos body matures so quickly she'll die before she reaches 15

4) The man without a face

5) The couple with dwarfism

6) The mother who's slowly becoming completely paralyzed

7) The children who don't even have a chance to eat

So that's seven examples of brave people, who face bullying and humiliation for a physical problem they can't do anything about, it looks ridiculous when the 'Body acceptance movement" is just about people who have no control or respect for their bodies. I'm not hating, if you are overweight then try and help yourself, visit your GP for advice in losing weight. If your severely underweight, for the reason of wanting to look good then same goes to you. It makes me sad to think that people have to suffer because of their bodies, especially when they can change.

[pineappleshortcare]

img2.timeinc.net/.../lizzie-velasquez-01-800.jpg

Lizzie Velasquez!

I do think there's more to being very obese than simply gluttony, though. A lot of times it started with childhood abuse (especially sexual) - so instead of tearing people down, we should build them up to be healthy. Not to say that overweight is ideal, but that their body doesn't define them and that they deserve to treat themselves with care and positive attention.

[Sophiaaaaaa]

I'm actually a big fan of Lizzie, she is a gorgeous person. Tbankyou for your opinion! And yes, I don't agree with the aggressive protestors against obsesity, I hope my take didn't represent them because I just wanted to raise awareness that being obese is not the worst sort if body you can have 😀

[pineappleshortcare]

I agree - we should lift up everyone in their struggles to be their best.

[Waffles731]

Great take

[hazoplmeught]

Who its for lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFRVgAVJAtQ

Some of those mentions are kinda mean. I mean dwarfism, the guy with no arms and legs doesn't need it cause he is confident and has a wife and kids. He doesn't need remorse cause he is fine. Lost limbs kinda messed up to, well all of them about bad situations cause you are impling they are ugly and need a movement to feel better

[EllieLexis513]

Body acceptance applies to everyone. You don't have to have a medical deformity to be uncomfortable with you body. It applies to everyone on the spectrum because it's ultimately about loving yourself for being who you are. It doesn't apply to just some people.

[Sophiaaaaaa]

I agree

[Mustachekitteh]

Agree 100% and it is dumb for the skinny and fat acceptance thing. Those people can actually work on fixing that if they truly wanted to do it.

The ones you listed can't fix it due to either it will never be possible or technology just isn't good enough to help them.

[Sophiaaaaaa]

Thank you for your opinion 💗 And yes, I totally agree

[crimsonqueen]

I consider some of these to be more extreme than the others. For instance, the breast cancer survivor looks less extreme then the starving African children. Does that mean we shouldn't talk about her because her situation isn't as bad as theirs?

The point is things can always get worse. And a lot of these people wouldn't really benefit from body positivity... it's not gonna kill your cancer or put food on your plate.

What you should instead encourage is that we not only love ourselves, not only love one another, but help one another. Go the extra mile. I volunteer at the SPCA and for the elderly and it's not enough but it's something. And I believe everyone should love themselves and others.

Talk is cheap without actions to back it up.

[Sophiaaaaaa]

It's funny you said that, my mother works at a cancer hospital and I volunteer their sometimes, thanks for your comment though 😊

[crimsonqueen]

I didn't mean to imply YOU specifically. I meant people who promote body positivity in general

[HikerDude]

So you judge one group for their problems, but not the other? That's a very arbitrary and illogical approach to this issue. One could just as easily say that the starving people should have been more diligent about stockpiling food, or that the breast cancer survivor shouldn't have smoked three packs of cigarettes a day for 20 years. Point being, it's a slippery slope when you apply this kind of arbitrary standard to what's acceptable and what isn't.

The fact is, everyone has his own internal standard of what he likes and doesn't, and that's personal prerogative. But you would be more honest if you simply stated that *you* find Group A acceptable and not Group B, rather than trying to claim that Group A is morally worthy, while Group B is morally repugnant. There is no universal standard in this case, and it's silly to claim there is one.

[Sophiaaaaaa]

1) I clearly stated that I wasn't judging the people themselves in bold, it was the first thing I wrote
2) it's pretty offensive and insensitive for you today that people would let their family starve if they had any choice not to
3) breast cancer is not caused by any dangerous substance, it's mostly determined by genes, not environmental factors, your talking about lung cancer
4) Being obese as a result of you over eating or being underweight as a result of you going on dangerous diets shouldn't be overlooked as a 'choice' these people need help otherwise they will live very horrible short lives
5) the whole point of this take is to raise awareness of people suffering physical damage which was not caused by a conscious choice they made, people being obsessed is no longer really seen as socially acceptable, due to all the expenses (health, transport, benefits) and the damage it is doing to that person
amd finally, I think it's wrong for people to advertise unhealthy lifestyle choices.

[Sophiaaaaaa]

Thanks for the comment and advice though, I hope I didn't offend you

[HikerDude]

I just want you to realize that this kind of moralizing is dangerous, especially when you don't know the circumstances of another person's life. Do you think all fat people are really just lazy, horrible people who refuse to exercise? No, they're not by any stretch of reality. Do you really think that all cancer survivors are blameless in their disease? No, many cancer patients made lifestyle choices that contributed to their condition.

So you see, it's a slippery slope to say that one is good and the other bad, because you don't know the why or how of their lives. And to be frank, as a minority, I would think you'd be more sensitive about judging people by their appearance, given that people have used bullshit moralistic 'reasons' to justify discrimination against minorities for years.

[Sophiaaaaaa]

Yeah, I'm sorry. I've obviously offended you. The examples above are not just cancer patients, none of them are. The woman pictured survived breast cancer, a disease which mainly occurs due to inherited genes, not unhealthy lifestyle choices. And other examples represent those who can't do anything about their appearance other than accept it. Whereas if a person was severely obese, they could lose the weight and put it in due to their own bad decisions, not all fat people are lazy, my uncles medically obese, he has a heart if gold but is seventy and has no wife or children. He struggles everyday and tells us (the kids of the family) to never let ourselves get to the stage he is, because now he is constantly going to hospital and can't do anything about his health as a result of being obsese., I'm sorry again

[HikerDude]

No, that's not true. Most cancers have a HUGE lifestyle component. Study more about the topic and you'll find that out. And obesity is often a symptom of larger issues, like orthopedic issues, pituitary dysfunction, or diabetes. Just to play devil's advocate, I could find potential personal responsibility with other 'worthy' group you've cited here. The soldier who lost a leg may have been negligent in not following the SOP for perimeter security or ordnance disposal. Maybe the man without a face should get reconstructive surgery rather than complaining about getting mocked. And maybe the mother who is becoming paralyzed was irresponsible for having a child when a simple genetic screening could have told her she had this condition.

Again, the point is that judging others by their appearance is never a good idea. Even if you think you know what's going on, you really don't, because you aren't in their shoes. So, the best policy is just to reserve judgment. That's part of maturity.

[Sophiaaaaaa]

I was just talking about breast cancer. Sorry again and I will try harder next time

[HikerDude]

Look, all I'm trying to say is that it's dangerous to say that skinny or fat people don't deserve acceptance because they have earned their scorn by their own poor choices. Have they? Did the person with Hashimoto's disease choose to be unable to lose weight? Did the bulimic girl choose to have an eating disorder? No, who would? We could all look better or more attractive or whatever, but that shouldn't matter in whether we're accepted.

I certainly don't promote obesity because it's so unhealthy and destructive for people's lives. I'm the biggest advocate of health and fitness there is, being that I'm an aspiring triathlete. But it's not my place to say that a fat person is less than me because I'm fit and he's fat.

[FL1ppY]

Hey it's me, just a small note that breastcancer is only partially caused by genes. People with certain genes have a higher chance of having broken cells, but in the end, cancer is close to always caused by radiation, it can be alpha, beta and gamma radiation, there is radiation everywhere, even in your body. It is purely being unlucky when a cell gets hit in it's weak spot by a certain kind of radiation, but genes can increase the chance for this to happen.

Anyways, good post and just ignore this guy. :) 👏

[Intraluminal]

Great point by point response.

[archiz]

Finally...
I was just thinking the same thing lately.
All the influence of the media makes you criticize your figure on and off.
But then I think what am I complaining about when others can t walk, be independant, are in pain, can t see etc...
Then I feel stupid haha

[DarkHumorRUs]

Okay stop trying to make ugly people attractive. It's not going to happen.
s.yimg.com/.../...back-thursday-640x480.jpg.cf.jpg

[Luci92]

Great take :)
I really appreciate you stepping away from the whole 'fat vs skinny' body acceptance and encompassed broader things.

Only thing I have to say though is that body acceptance, at least for me, is about defending people that are being bullied/negatively commented on, because no-one deserves that. But it should also encompass accepting when you need to make urgent lifestyle changes etc.

[EnglishArtsteacher]

I agree with this "MyTake" for the most part! There are much worse examples out there.

However, some people are naturally underweight (Like my six year old niece who eats all the time), and some people are naturally over (like a guy I know who exercises, and still can't lose weight).

[TheDevilInside]

I feel like those two categories of people are of different levels. Survivors of lost limbs and cancer, and Nick Vujivick, they're awesome as fuck. They don't need your pity nor do they need people to right for them. They are strong and they know they are precious just the way they are.

The people who are into all this thinspo or fat acceptance thing are just immature jerks and bitches. You can't compare amoebas with humans. You just can't.

[vishna]

I don't think accepting the person with a physical condition that alters their face/body, someone who was attacked, or someone who is thin/overweight are mutually exclusive.

To accept one, you don't have to make the other seem less important. Pain is pain. Though I do obviously see, the more extreme the condition, the more that person has probably experienced alienation.

[popsickle]

Body acceptance shouldn't exclude any kinda body. It's about defending bodies that are bullied. Period.

No one deserves to be bullied for their physical appearance. It's not like they committed a crime. Your take has good intentions but you're partially fueling the bullying. It's not for you to decide who deserves acceptance. People spend far too much time shaming people for their struggles that got outta hand rather than helping them... idunno why.

[takumii]

Agree, well said.
Almost every fat person likes to claim they have an eating disorder. And I am sitting there thinking how hard can it be to stop shoving food in your mouth every 20 minutes.

[somebodysaycheese]

Lol. Binge eating and emotional eatings are eating disorders.

[onthelist]

3 is so sad.. U should watch "life according to sam" its super sad but that kid is seriously too such and innocent soul. Great take totally aggree. The acceptence movement is honestly just leading to more overweight women because society tells them its fine not to care about you body and thus -health.

[Bandit74]

I agree.

Of all the things that can result in people judging you or labeling you as unnatractive, being fat is caused by your own actions and mostly within your power to change.

I have much more sympathy for people who are deemed unnatractive due to things that are out of their control.

[confusedapplepie]

i mean you're kind of right but it still is important for chubby people to not hate their body. (and im not talking about sick obese people who eat 15 pizzas a day)
also you make it look like all you gotta do is say bibbidi bobbidi boo and your body is perfect and healthy but truth is its not. its hard, okay. self discipline is nothing you can learn overnight and you can't shame people for having other priorities.

[somebodysaycheese]

That is exactly what the movement is or was about. Then it went to making it about people getting angry that fat people stopped hiding so people wouldn't be offended by their presence. Really. If you see body acceptance campaigns you will see everything you have listed even though what does a starving child have to do with body acceptance?

[Mustachekitteh]

I think the starving kids was pointing out how some first world people will go on crash diets and starve themselves on purpose. Then the kids in the pictures aren't doing it on purpose and sadly aren't able to get the food that they need.

[Keepcalm89]

The guy who's born without arms and legs his name is Nick Vujicic. He's an awesome speaker who motivates people to live life to the fullest and has inspired me many times, once they showed one video of him in my music school and by the end there was not a dry eye anywhere.. very moving

[meatballs21]

... what do starving children have to do with body acceptance?

[Sophiaaaaaa]

Sorry, it's unclear but I mensioned them at the end because it generally has to do with people disrespecting their bodies. Some girls go on dangerous diets, others eat themselves to death. It's just saying that some kids don't have a choice to eat basically 🦁

[meatballs21]

Gotcha, thanks!

[Anonymous]

I think people with ugly faces should be judged. As someone whose weight fluctuates a lot, I don't judge peoples bodies. I've been fat, and now I am really thin and I get people making comments. I feel like this post is shaming fat women anyway even if you say you're not. I'm also tired of it just revolving around women too. Men of all body types get insecure too, but we always just focus on women, and it just makes women even more insecure about their bodies.

[Sophiaaaaaa]

"I think people with ugly faces should be judged"? Either a typo or your contradicting yourself. I said before that no one should be judged for their weight, but as part of the idea of equity, other people suffering serious physical contiditions should be the ones having their own acceptance movement. I think fat acceptance is just as bonkers as if a movement called drug acceptance, or self harm acceptance, or eating yourself to death acceptance. By over eating your hurting yourself and it shouldn't be overlooked