Dove released an ad about an overweight woman who has always loved herself but not her body, per se. The commercial is long, but I watched the entire thing because the message it gives needs to be heard in today's society. By the conclusion of the video, the ad viewers learn how the woman came to love herself in a new way and the way she feels about the dance team she founded called "Fat Girls Dance." And I particularly love the title because many people will hear that and immediately go, "Well that's insensitive" or want to say, "Don't call them fat," but that's exactly it. The word "fat" has such negative connotation that everyone wants to avoid putting both their name and the word in the same sentence. This needs to change. Because just as some are skinny, some are fat, and there is nothing wrong with acknowledging the truth.
Now, that obviously doesn't mean go around calling everyone fat and purposefully being rude about it. It simply means that people need to learn to be more accepting of themselves and their bodies no matter its shape or size. The woman in the Dove commercial felt confident and has always loved herself, but that love grew when she had the gumption to create her dance group and be bold with it. My primary takeaway from the video is that the word "fat" should no longer be censored. It shouldn't be treated like a bad word, an insult, or a demeaning adjective, but instead as a word that describes a beautiful human being who happens to be overweight.
The media's portrayal of fat people is so degrading that there are people who begin to hate themselves for not looking like the celebrities they see on TV every day. This is because, in most shows and movies, the fat kid is always the one with few or no friends, never stops eating, doesn't get the girl in the end and is almost always a side character rather than the main character. And when you finally do find a show with a fat person as the lead, it's usually a comedy in which the person isn't to be taken seriously.
Go to the store and count how many magazines have skinny women on the covers versus the number of magazines with plus sized models. You'll notice a big difference. This is in no way saying that skinny people don't deserve to be in the media. It just means that there should be more of a balanced feature of models/celebrities of various weights rather than just one small beauty standard that everyone is expected to follow.
When a guy or girl looks in the mirror and disappointingly declares that they are fat, they usually get the rushed response of "No, you're not fat," despite being obese or overweight. The problem with this is that it enforces the negativity behind being fat. Instead of lying to someone when you both know the real answer, why not say something like: "Yes, and there is nothing wrong with that," or "That doesn't make you any less beautiful or any less of a person." When I discuss this with others, I am often countered with the argument that it's not good to be overweight because it's unhealthy and causes health risks like diabetes, so it's good that being fat is looked down upon. While it is true that obesity isn't healthy and that it is important to take care of ourselves, that does not mean you shouldn't love yourself.
Everyone should feel comfortable in their own skin and be respectful of all body types. Being "fat" does not have to be an insult or regarded as disgusting. It is merely one of the many characteristics that make up a person who is just as deserving of love as the next.