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1/31/2008

News

FAT POWER!
A local blogger wants you to know that big can be beautiful

By Deanna Sheffield

Marianne Kirby is fat. Not a bit chunky, not pleasantly plump, but fat. Or, to use a more precise term, morbidly obese. Her five-foot, four-inch frame tips the scales at 319 pounds. And she’s OK with that.

Last year she posed nude as a calendar pinup to benefit a cancer charity. That experience further convinced her that her ample curves were worth embracing.

Kirby is part of what’s called the fat power movement – overweight people who denounce dieting, believe the alleged obesity epidemic is more hype than reality, and who work to protect fatties from discrimination and teasing. A recently laid off writer and editor, Kirby manages the widely read, Orlando-based blog
www.therotund.com, which she started in April 2006 to promote fat acceptance.

Leading the fat power charge is the 12,000-member National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, which pushes for size-related legislation and more obesity research. Interestingly, the NAAFA began in 1969 as a social group for chubby chasers, but has since evolved into a civil rights organization.

Kirby and other fat acceptance advocates insist that the body mass index test, which measures your fat level based on your height and weight, is crap and only serves the financial interests of the health insurance industry since it can be used to deny some health care procedures, such as transplants, to those who are overweight according to that scale. (It doesn’t factor in body fat or excess muscle; by those standards half of the National Basketball Association is overweight or obese.) They frown on weight loss surgery and diet drugs.

In fact, Kirby refuses to discuss weight loss on her blog, instead touting the notion of “healthy eating at every size,” or the idea that being healthy isn’t synonymous with losing weight.

Still, she says, she has nothing against dieters. “People who want to diet can still participate in fat acceptance as long as they know we’re not going to congratulate them,” Kirby says. “That’s not one of our topics. When you’re trying to lose weight, that’s the opposite of fat acceptance.”

But Kirby and her fat power allies are losing ground throughout the world. Parents have lost custody of their fat kids because of their weight. Such was the case in California, where a mother who lost custody of her 140-pound, 6-year-old son in December. Every state in the country except Michigan allows companies to fire employees because of their weight. New Zealand has integrated body mass index into its immigration requirements and declines to admit people it deems fat into the country until they slim down to avoid overburdening the health care industry. Health insurance companies and politicians blame the overweight for skyrocketing health care costs.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that obesity leads to an array of illnesses from stroke and diabetes to heart attacks and sleep apnea. Nationally, 33 percent of the population is considered overweight, according to the CDC. In 2006, U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona said the country’s obesity epidemic would dwarf the threat of terrorism, memorably stating: “Obesity is the terror within.”

The fat power movement doesn’t buy it. They say weight is not an accurate barometer of health, and they claim that obesity has never been proven the primary cause of such ailments as diabetes.

Buffington admits the body mass index test has flaws. The test isn’t appropriate for pregnant women or athletes, but she says it works for the general population.

Kirby disagrees. “No one is advocating eating cheese burgers all the time,” she says. “But we can’t go to the doctor and assume we will receive adequate health care and not be painted by the medical health care’s perception of fat. We deserve to be treated the same.”

But, she says, they’re not. For example, a week prior to our interview Kirby visited her doctor, only to be told that she should “make a head of broccoli last one week” – meaning she should embark on a near-starvation diet of only healthy foods – even though the doctor also told her that, overall, she’s in good health.

“You can’t watch TV without seeing diet ads or watch news without seeing ways for us to change the way we eat.” says Peggy Howell, NAAFA spokeswoman. “The climate in general is very fat-oppressive.”

Chicago-area blogger Paul McAleer, who has maintained www.bigfatblog.com since 2000, echoes that sentiment. His site, which draws about 65,000 visitors per month, is dedicated to fat-related news and commentary, such as disputes over whether or not fat people should pay for more than one airline seat, and the recent controversy surrounding former South Dakota state Rep. Ted Klaudt, who was recently convicted of raping his two foster daughters.

(In an interview with the Associated Press, Klaudt’s lawyer suggested that the ex-congressman’s obesity – he weighs 600 pounds – was partially to blame, because “when you’re his size you do your best to fit in. He really hasn’t been able to develop normally when we’re talking about sexual relationships or sexual desires.”)

McAleer wants states and cities to pass anti-discrimination laws; besides Michigan, Washington, D.C, San Francisco and Santa Cruz have done so.

The fat acceptance movement extends beyond such political activism. Some sites encourage fat people to embrace their bodies as beautiful, sexual things. Elsewhere on the web, plus-size pay and dating sites are plentiful. Closer to home, a retreat for up to 200 BBW (or big, beautiful women) is planned in Bradenton next month by a Michigan woman who hosts several BBW events.

Those things, and the fat power movement itself, revolve around a central theme: “You have to make a personal resolution to be OK with who you are,” Kirby says.

dsheffield@orlandoweekly.com

Comments on this story:

On 2/4/2008 9:24:35 AM, Miriam Heddy said:

Dr. Cynthia Buffington, a Florida Hospital Celebration obesity specialist, says nothing could be farther from the truth. “That’s totally, totally not true,” she says. “It’s definitely a major cause for many leading causes of death. Studies have shown that the more obese an individual is, the higher the morbidity risk and the higher the risk for death. It’s an exponential relationship.” Wow, Ms. Sheffield, that's a really impressive "expert" soundbite you've stuck into the middle of an otherwise fairly thoughtful article. First, you describe a movement of which I'm a part and call it "fat power"--a term I've never heard anyone within the movement use. Then you follow it with a medical "expert" (who works in a for-profit environment and therefore clearly has nothing to gain from stating her position that "nothing could be farther from the truth"). Clearly, this Dr. Buffy the Fat Slayer you quote should know if it's "totally, totally not true," especially if she understands the relationship between causality and correlation. And any doctor who says that fat is a "definitely a major cause for many leading causes of death" clearly knows something we do not about the evidence. You might have done a bit more independent research and looked at what the CDC has to say, or looked at Junkfoodscience.blogspot.com, which offers a very good survey of the quite contentious field of obesity research. Instead, you took the familiar journalistic approach, which is to pit a very articulate spokeswoman against a doctor who offers no counter-evidence and who has very little to say that speaks to the arguments that Ms. Kirby is making here and on her blog.

On 2/5/2008 4:36:25 PM, jdc111 said:

On 2/5/2008 4:58:54 PM, jdc111 said:

I, too, believe the BMI to be inaccurate for some people. Some, not all. The BMI is, overall, a fairly good indication of a person's fat percentage. I also believe that there is a great deal of prejudice against bigger people. I know that certain people are genetically predisposed to obesity and they can't help it anymore than a very tall person can help being very tall. But I also know that many people are bigger because of the foods they consume and their sedentary lifestyle. True, you can eat whatever you want. It is your body. But I don't have to accept you. I don't have to accept alchoholics and drug addicts anymore than I have to accept extreme overeaters. There's the rub. How to tell the difference between genetics and poor food and lifestyle choices? I don't know, either, so both the overeater and I are part of the problem. To Ms. Heddy, above, let's look, as you suggested, at what the CDC has to say about obesity: These increasing rates raise concern because of their implications for Americans’ health. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of many diseases and health conditions, including the following: * Hypertension * Dyslipidemia (for example, high total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides) * Type 2 diabetes * Coronary heart disease * Stroke * Gallbladder disease * Osteoarthritis * Sleep apnea and respiratory problems * Some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon) I see a definite problem, both with obesity and people's attitudes toward it. Is acceptance the solution? Is making everyone go on diets? Banning obese people from restaurants? This is just the beginning of both problems. I think the discussion must go forward.

On 2/5/2008 8:21:08 PM, CaptainWes said:

Gahh! Oh my poor eyes. There is not enough eye bleach in the world to fix that. Shutup, stop whining, for god sakes put down the donuts, and get your fat ass off the couch and exercise. That is just shameful.

On 2/16/2008 11:53:40 AM, tntrailertrash said:

LOL. Actually, the rub lies in that you DO INDEED have to accept fat people, drug addicts, whoever else you deem "lower" on the totem poll of life- because they're your fellow humans. The only reason people bitch and moan about whether or not it's "nature" or "nurture" that causes people to be fat is this: Fat People are pretty much the only people left in our culture that it's ok to openly humiliate and insult. And for those who harbor low-self esteem (take a hint "get off your ass and put down the donuts"-guy) but relatively high privilege, well. That's a "right" they'll cling to to their graves! LOL. You ugly, ignorant white men really can be funny sometimes.

On 2/18/2008 5:16:30 PM, jdc111 said:

You are wrong, tntrailertrash. I absolutely don't have to accept anybody I don't want to. That is my right as a human. I make up my own mind. I choose to accept a person based not on the fact that I "DO INDEED have to accept" people "because they're [my] fellow humans," but to accept them based on the kind of person they are and the respect they must earn from me. Granted, I will automatically give a person respect for the shear fact that they exist, but what they do with my respect from that point forward is their choice and, yes, subject to my own standards. I refuse to accept anyone because they say I have to. I don't have to accept and respect an alcoholic anymore than I have to accept and respect a person with no control over what they eat. I do not deem them “lower” than me, but as someone who is not in control. Yes, the alcoholic and drug addict need help. So does the overeater. If they don’t want that help then they lose my respect and my acceptance. Okay, so they're human. So what. Are you gonna tell me next that they're "one of God's creatures?" You have confused semantics with specifics. You’re so blinded with anger that you can’t see I was actually attempting to move the discussion forward. In my eyes, you’re comments and insults are no different than the blatant idiocy of CaptainWes above. You have done nothing to add to this conversation.

On 2/18/2008 8:19:52 PM, kn407 said:

On 2/18/2008 8:21:31 PM, kn407 said:

I find it highly ironic that tntrailertrash felt it appropriate to comment on what she believes the other commenters look like, "ugly white men." Isn't that missing the point? Isn't that in direct opposition to what you're trying to do w/ your "movement" - get people to accept others, regardless of how they look? I don't think you can really compare yourselves to other groups that might be discriminated against - the bottom line is that you have a choice, others don’t. I've known people who come from obese families and have overcome the "obese gene" - it's simply a matter of want. You either want to be healthy and active or you want to take the easy way out and continue to eat whatever you want and not have to responsibility for your health. I don't care how comfortable you are with how you look - if you're not comfortable walking up a couple flights of stairs, then there's clearly something wrong. I don’t believe anyone should be discriminated against because of their weight or anything else. But I’m not really sure that it would healthy for us as a culture and a community to simply accept obesity as normal – overeating and poor eating habits are serious issues in this country and to collectively say “this is okay, it’s totally normal, and healthy” would be just as bad as saying that becoming severely thin is normal and healthy, or otherwise good. The day that I meet an obese person that eats appropriate portions of nutritious foods and works out 3-5 times a week (as recommended by the CDC) – and is still obese – will be the day that I totally accept it and unavoidable. I’m sorry, but I just don’t think it exists. And just to avoid a barrage of comments, I’m not talking about anyone who’s clearly not obese. I’m not talking about someone who’s pleasantly plump, or even has a bit of a Buddha belly going on. And I’m definitely not talking about someone who’s clearly not overweight, but falls into that obese BMI category. I’m aware of the fact that those measurements are sometimes off. But I think you’re fooling yourself if you look like Marianne Kirby and you don’t think your weight is going to affect your overall health.

On 3/9/2008 10:41:30 PM, yorik said:

(finally, this page works!)I'm obese, and I have diabetes, lympadema, impotence, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea. (Oh, and I haven't got laid in years.) Being obese is not in any way healthy. If people battle for fat acceptance so they don't have to deal with health issues, then they are deluding themselves. At one time I was "surprisingly healthy" as my doctor put it, but eventually all these issues caught up with me and they will catch up with these people too.

On 1/26/2010 12:09:21 AM, Anonymous said:

why are people so invested in the tyranny of slimness? in fearing & loathing other peoples' (and, notably and in not unrelated ways, THEIR OWN) bodies? What are you gaining from the perpetuation of this narrow, dangerous beauty ideal and its attainment as evidence of moral superiority? it's simultaneously sadistic and masochistic (and not in the good ways wink) and it hurts everyone who has a body...oh, no wait it benefits lots of people: from corporations that market weight-loss products to plastic surgeons to all the other shleppers of self-loathing and "self-improvement"... who turn our insecurities and inadequacies into pure profit! Why are we so invested in these practices of policing, disciplining, and punishing each others' and our own bodies? I mean just because the entire culture conspires to instill such beliefs & practices in us from day 1, why should we so blindly conform to these expectations? think for yourself. love your body. And if you can't, well at least stop judging every one else's.

On 1/26/2010 12:11:25 AM, Anonymous said:

"The Only thing that anyone can reliably diagnose...by looking at a Fat person, is their own level of stereotype and prejudice"

On 1/27/2010 9:55:49 PM, Anonymous said:

"Why are we so invested in these practices of policing, disciplining, and punishing each others' and our own bodies?" - Staying healthy is not punishing our bodies. It is respecting our bodies. It is the respect and focus and discipline required of being alive. Those who do not have that? Eventually pay for it with poor poor health, a variety of ailments, inability to physically function properly, early death, and a stigma all their lives. You tell me then. Is staying healthy worth it perhaps? Methinks thou doth protest WAY too much poster.

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