If you’re an internet-engrossed millennial, you’ve probably come in contact with the “All Bodies are Beautiful” movement by now. If you’re like most people, you’ve probably gobbled it up just like any other push for acceptance and political correctness in society. Tweets, Facebook posts, and trending articles have been demanding complete “fat acceptance” and nothing less. While these pleas may appear altruistic on the surface, once you strip away the positive-sounding slogans and feel-good rally cries to “love your body” and “flaunt what you got,” the campaign crumbles in light of what it truly stands for which is our society’s unshakable vanity and utter neglect of health and wellness.
The movement insists that all fashion lines employ just as many fat models as any other body type and that the entertainment industry grants more roles to fat actors that aren’t the typical Paul Blart, Melissa McCarthy kind of “fat” roles. While these propositions are harmless, I find the philosophies behind them disconcerting. Perhaps part of the reason most people aren’t typically attracted to an overweight body is because they subconsciously prefer to be with someone who has energy, cares for themselves, and is not consumed by lethargy. Perhaps it is for these same reasons that marketers tend to use models who aren’t overweight. I don’t believe they are horrible human beings for doing so. It is a legitimate marketing decision that succeeds in subconsciously giving their clothing more appeal.
Perhaps we are forgetting the fact that obesity is a medical disorder. It is not something to be praised and rallied for. Should we mistreat and belittle people for having it? Of course not. No more than you would mistreat or belittle someone for having leukemia or diabetes. It’s definitely not something to be celebrated. It’s something we as a country should be deliberately fighting against, considering that one in three adult Americans are currently suffering from it. Even for those who may not fall into the “obese” category but still have a lot of excess fat in the wrong places, this fat is still taking years off their lives and robbing them of a lot of the energy and vigor they could be experiencing without it.
We need to look only as far as any European country to realize that we have a unique problem. My German friend, upon eating a remarkably greasy, butter-drenched cookie exclaimed “I feel like I’m holding America in my hands right now! People in Germany would never eat this. I would be judged hardcore there.” So perhaps a little peer pressure and judgment is what our society lacks when it comes to food. We can’t blame the fast food joints because those exist almost everywhere else too. The only difference is that people eat them less often. We can only blame ourselves. We need to reform our food culture from the inside out, but it’s difficult to do that when everyone is too busy rallying for “fat acceptance,” and “loving your body.” However, “loving your body” should mean taking care of it. It should not mean treating it like trash and then demanding to get a modeling career with it (and blaming society when you don’t).
Just as much as this movement dismisses all regard for health and wellness, it also reveals our culture’s insane vanity. Why are we more worried about overweight people being perceived as “beautiful” than about them taking care of themselves? To tell someone they are beautiful is one of the shallowest compliments you can give. The fact that we are campaigning for something to be considered beautiful is absolutely ridiculous, and truly unveils the superficiality of our society. I thought Derek Zoolander had already established for us that there is more to life than being really ridiculously good looking. Yet here we are acting as if not getting all body types represented in the modeling industry will be the end of the world. Well, earth to Matilda: health is more important than beauty. So why do we continue to value beauty over health? What does that say about us as a society?
Society’s problem does not lie in being discriminate towards fat people. It lies in being completely negligent toward health and obsessive toward vanity. We seek change in all the wrong places. So instead of worrying about what body type is being represented on the next Vogue cover, worry about taking care of your body, filling it with the right foods, and challenging it with frequent exercise. Actions speak louder than words, so instead of posting a picture in your bra and talking about how you love your body, try showing that you love it by respecting and caring for it. Of course, you should love your body no matter what shape or size you are. However, that doesn't mean you have to accept your current body type if it is going to be detrimental to your well-being.
