What fat acceptance and eating disorder treatment have to do with one another
Posted Aug 24 2008 8:04pm
There is a growing (ha!) movement toward Fat Acceptance in the blogosphere and in the real world. It is parallel to a movement in nutritional circles called " Health at Every Size ."
What has this movement and philosophy to do with treatment of anorexia and bulimia? After all, much of the message to eating disorder patients is "we won't let you get fat."
The fact is, recovery from an eating disorder involves Fat Acceptance regardless of the actual size and dimensions of the person. Our society has, like a boa constrictor, made 98% of the population feel "fat." We are told we have control of our weight, in defiance of our DNA, even though healthy weight ranges are as genetic as shoe size and height. We are not all going to be healthy at size 8, or 18 - we vary. And that is a beautiful, good thing that we've lost sight of.
The ease, or difficulty, of acceptance isn't really different based on what we look like to others, or what we weigh.
We need to stop fighting with our loved ones with the argument "you aren't fat." We need to accept that being healthy may not feel good or normal for a while, and you won't look like a Barbie Doll. We also must stop giving the message that self-loathing and self-injury is okay if you really ARE fat.
There is a growing (ha!) movement toward Fat Acceptance in the blogosphere and in the real world. It is parallel to a movement in nutritional circles called " Health at Every Size ."
What has this movement and philosophy to do with treatment of anorexia and bulimia? After all, much of the message to eating disorder patients is "we won't let you get fat."
The fact is, recovery from an eating disorder involves Fat Acceptance regardless of the actual size and dimensions of the person. Our society has, like a boa constrictor, made 98% of the population feel "fat." We are told we have control of our weight, in defiance of our DNA, even though healthy weight ranges are as genetic as shoe size and height. We are not all going to be healthy at size 8, or 18 - we vary. And that is a beautiful, good thing that we've lost sight of.
The ease, or difficulty, of acceptance isn't really different based on what we look like to others, or what we weigh.
We need to stop fighting with our loved ones with the argument "you aren't fat." We need to accept that being healthy may not feel good or normal for a while, and you won't look like a Barbie Doll. We also must stop giving the message that self-loathing and self-injury is okay if you really ARE fat.