Today, more than one-third of Americans are obese. Junk food like McDonald’s is cheaper than healthy food like fresh fruits and veggies and no one exercises as much as they should. “Love Your Body” campaigns are prevalent in retailers across the country, which is a great thing. We need to show that everyone’s bodies are unique and just because you don’t look like a Victoria’s Secret angel, that doesn’t mean that you aren’t beautiful. But we need to stop glorifying obesity and telling people that it is okay to be obese, because it’s not.
Obesity causes a large amount of health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, joint and bone problems, and many more. In the health industry, billions of dollars are spent caring for obese people and their multitude of health problems caused by their obesity. Now, I understand that yes, some people can’t help their obesity. Hypothyroidism, Polycystic ovarian syndrome, and Cushing’s syndrome are various endocrine diseases that upset the body’s hormones and cause obesity. But these people make up a small minority of the large amount of people in this country who are obese. For the people not in this small minority, the main causes of obesity are overeating, overeating of junk foods, and lack of exercise.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the “Love Your Body” campaigns and I love how they show that people with all body types are beautiful, which they are. Everyone is built differently and everyone should love their bodies, but it isn’t okay to be so obese that you’re extremely unhealthy.
The “thin privilege” movement states that it isn’t fair that obese people have to buy two plane tickets because they’re so large they can’t fit into one seat. It also states that it isn’t fair that thin girls can go into a store and find clothes that they like without having to get them tailored or custom-made to be larger. The definition of “thin” here isn’t very clear, but to me, it sounds like “thin privilege” applies to anyone who isn’t morbidly obese.
Our society makes a lot of accommodations for obese people. Amusement park rides have special seats made for people with larger bodies. There are special stretchers made for obese people because they won’t fit on the regular ones. My dad, who is an EMT, once had to carry a 350 pound woman down four flights of stairs on the special stretcher after she complained of chest pain and because her apartment didn’t have an elevator. Obesity puts an undue burden on our society, and we need to get it fixed.
I know that fat-shaming is definitely a thing and it is something that shouldn’t be condoned, but we also shouldn’t be condoning staying obese to the point of being unhealthy. We need to draw the line between loving your body and knowing when you need to lose a few pounds for the sake of your health. Everyone deserves to love their body, but crying “thin privilege” won’t solve anything. We need to start promoting healthier lifestyles for everyone so that obesity is no longer an issue. There will always be outliers in any population, and weight is no exception.
