“Fatism is an ‘ism’ like any other, but our culture turns a blind eye toward that particular version of separatism. Perhaps it is our fear of our own frailties and humanity that makes us want to turn the other gaunt cheek away from the fat we see. If we move away from it, we don’t have to look at these complexities within ourselves. Perhaps it’s easier to label a fat person with qualities we don’t like in ourselves than to want to find out more about what their vulnerabilities are and what makes them tick. … So for the love of being part of this larger conversation around addressing the pop-culture-sanctioned-fatism, next time we see someone who is yo-yo dieting and has a tortured relationship with food and their body, rather than make fun of them, I beseech us all to pause and offer a little curiosity for what lurks underneath, and, if appropriate, maybe even move toward it.”
– Alanis Morissette has written a really smart and compelling piece for iVillage about the “double-edged ‘butter knife’ of weight perception” in America and her own struggles with it. This is just a snippet but the whole piece is worth a read! [iVillage]
