If someone of the fat acceptance microcosm become skinny, for whatever reason, you guys are still cool with them as long as they remain with the same values, right?

Asked by

jatb

Well, it gets complicated.

Some FAs are like, “hey, whatever, your body,” with maybe a “hey, you doing ok? Not sick or anything? OK, good, wanted to make sure it wasn’t something drastic like cancer. If it is, I’m here for you.”

Some FAs have no problem with incidental weightloss, that often happens as people age or switch this or that around or drop something from their diet, or a medication, that they had a bad reaction to, or they suddenly found their perfect form of exercise, or whatever, and it leads to the person losing a bunch of weight… Like I said, that, they’re ok with. But they may be less ok with intentional weightloss efforts, may see it as inherently body-negative — something a person certainly has a right to do, because body autonomy, but that the person has abandoned fat acceptance.

And, unfortunately, there are some FAs who will genuinely rag on anybody for losing weight. A friend of mine discovered that she was intolerant to some specific thing, cut it out of her diet completely, found she had more energy for the cycling she loved, and has dropped a pretty significant … and then been sneered at for it, in person, by a fairly large name in FA circles (whom I will not name). It does, unfortunately, happen.

Not all fat activists and fat acceptance folks hold the same opinion. Me, I’m in the second camp. I’m always… disappointed … in fat acceptance folk who intentionally attempt weight loss. It’s not my business, really, as it’s their body, but it makes me sad. And they still can’t do diet talk in front of me. But if it’s incidental, as it was with my friend, then hey, whatever, glad they’re feeling better, or if they are sick, then how can I help. That’s all I can say, really.

-mg

Yeah, this is me. I unintentionally gained some thin privilege this fall winter, and though I’m still the same badass I am aware that I have more privilege now. Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m shopping for straight sizes or anything, but becoming a smaller fat does come with (unearned) advantages like having more and cheaper options for clothing, not getting (too) bothered on flights and public transport, and stuff like that.

I really don’t care what you do with your body, as long as your head are heart are in the right place. While I find intentional weight loss specious — since it’s more often than not chasing after thin privilege, which in turn reinforces thin privilege and fat discrimination — at the end of the day it’s your body. Just don’t be a dick. It’s not hard. (no pun!)

-ATL

I just want to echo was MG and ATL wrote. I’m more interested in people having the right to personal autonomy. That includes fat and thin people.

-FBP