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What is wrong with fat shaming?

Why is it OK to look down on or try to correct alcoholics, druggies, gambling addicts and so on but fat shaming is a no no? Stuffing your face with ****y food 24/7 is not only bad for your own health but it also affects society as a whole in many ways (healthcare costs etc).

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There's nothing wrong with telling someone kindly they have a weight problem but if I went up to someone and called them a fat **** or whatever, I feel like that's the kind of thing that damages people psychologically... a bit of respect goes a long way. They're still a person, even if they do have a problem.
Reply 2
Original post by jamieTT
Why is it OK to look down on or try to correct alcoholics, druggies, gambling addicts and so on but fat shaming is a no no? Stuffing your face with ****y food 24/7 is not only bad for your own health but it also affects society as a whole in many ways (healthcare costs etc).

Who said it's okay to look down on alcoholics, "druggies" and gambling addicts? They need help, not abuse. Same with overweight people. It's not okay to look down on anyone. It is however okay to politely let someone know they need to change things *if* it's your business (ie you're related to them or good friends with them etc).
There's a difference between being a bit fat and being obese.

I'm sick of seeing people thinking they can instruct others on how to run their lives. If they want to get fat and stuff their face all day, then let them. It's only acceptable to start getting your knickers in a twist if it legitimately starts affecting you personally.
Reply 4
Mainly because you might be ashamed of their weight problem valuing appearance more, but they could be excelling at another facet such as being an incredible musician, writer, they could be really interesting or funny, smash you at Eggheads, etc.
I'm not attacking you, I value health quite a lot and appearance more than I would like to; but you know, 'never judge a book by its cover'
Reply 5
Original post by Maid Marian
There's a difference between being a bit fat and being obese.

I'm sick of seeing people thinking they can instruct others on how to run their lives. If they want to get fat and stuff their face all day, then let them. It's only acceptable to start getting your knickers in a twist if it legitimately starts affecting you personally.



Original post by jamieTT


What an excellent addition to the discussion :congrats: You clearly know how to back up your arguments.
Why is "because you'll look like an ********" never a good enough reason to not do something?
I agree with OP.

People should be 'fat-shamed' because what you eat is a choice.

And bad choices deserve to influenced towards good choices.
Reply 9
There are loads of reasons, one though can be because not all fat people sit around eating crappy food 24/7? I'm on the smaller end of obese (going by BMI) and that's only 'cause I've been on a diet for the past 9 months barely eating anything. Yet you think all fat people just sit around lazily eating fast food and costing the NHS loads? There's a difference between morbidly obese unable to walk and needed healthcare and just 'fat'. I know loads of fat people, and I don't think any of them actually cause any strain to the NHS or anything (which from experience, on here tends to be the main reason people claim obesity is bad).

If they are really bad to the point where it's massively damaging their health, then be concerned and offer to help them, isn't that what people do to alcoholics drug abusers etc? They go to therapy, they aren't shamed. Okay they're looked down upon but I think only people who have a problem should actually even be compared to them. Most fat people don't have a problem, they just were either raised that way (raised by fat people eating large portions to became fat as they grew up) or eat a bit more and it just builds up over time. Same with thin people, not all of them have anorexia, many are just naturally slim or maybe don't eat enough/eat enough but burn it off quickly, yet they don't get shamed the way fat people do. (Really thin people get shamed though, I will admit, but the slightly underweight ones don't, unlike even overweight people who are immediately judged as lazy people who always eat).

It's so annoying people thinking that ALL fat people just sit around eating all the time, they really don't from what I've experienced.
Original post by Okkefac
There are loads of reasons, one though can be because not all fat people sit around eating crappy food 24/7? I'm on the smaller end of obese (going by BMI) and that's only 'cause I've been on a diet for the past 9 months barely eating anything. Yet you think all fat people just sit around lazily eating fast food and costing the NHS loads? There's a difference between morbidly obese unable to walk and needed healthcare and just 'fat'. I know loads of fat people, and I don't think any of them actually cause any strain to the NHS or anything (which from experience, on here tends to be the main reason people claim obesity is bad).

If they are really bad to the point where it's massively damaging their health, then be concerned and offer to help them, isn't that what people do to alcoholics drug abusers etc? They go to therapy, they aren't shamed. Okay they're looked down upon but I think only people who have a problem should actually even be compared to them. Most fat people don't have a problem, they just were either raised that way (raised by fat people eating large portions to became fat as they grew up) or eat a bit more and it just builds up over time. Same with thin people, not all of them have anorexia, many are just naturally slim or maybe don't eat enough/eat enough but burn it off quickly, yet they don't get shamed the way fat people do. (Really thin people get shamed though, I will admit, but the slightly underweight ones don't, unlike even overweight people who are immediately judged as lazy people who always eat).

It's so annoying people thinking that ALL fat people just sit around eating all the time, they really don't from what I've experienced.


They eat too much, that's the sole reason they are fat. Quite simple
Original post by jamieTT
Why is it OK to look down on or try to correct alcoholics, druggies, gambling addicts and so on but fat shaming is a no no? Stuffing your face with ****y food 24/7 is not only bad for your own health but it also affects society as a whole in many ways (healthcare costs etc).


A lot of people are fat because of stress along with just eating too much.
Fat shaming is bullying.
Bullying leads to stress.
Stress leads to comfort eating.
Comfort eating leads to weight gain.
It's a vicious circle.
Bullying someone in an attempt to help them is useless in the vast majority of cases. Chances are, they already know they're fat, they don't like it and they really do want to change so reminding them isn't going to help. What they need is help to deal with the mental and emotional side of things. Telling someone to eat less is easy but if you don't fix the deeper psychological issue then they'll just put that weight right back on again later.
Original post by Okkefac
There are loads of reasons, one though can be because not all fat people sit around eating crappy food 24/7? I'm on the smaller end of obese (going by BMI) and that's only 'cause I've been on a diet for the past 9 months barely eating anything. Yet you think all fat people just sit around lazily eating fast food and costing the NHS loads? There's a difference between morbidly obese unable to walk and needed healthcare and just 'fat'. I know loads of fat people, and I don't think any of them actually cause any strain to the NHS or anything (which from experience, on here tends to be the main reason people claim obesity is bad).

If they are really bad to the point where it's massively damaging their health, then be concerned and offer to help them, isn't that what people do to alcoholics drug abusers etc? They go to therapy, they aren't shamed. Okay they're looked down upon but I think only people who have a problem should actually even be compared to them. Most fat people don't have a problem, they just were either raised that way (raised by fat people eating large portions to became fat as they grew up) or eat a bit more and it just builds up over time. Same with thin people, not all of them have anorexia, many are just naturally slim or maybe don't eat enough/eat enough but burn it off quickly, yet they don't get shamed the way fat people do. (Really thin people get shamed though, I will admit, but the slightly underweight ones don't, unlike even overweight people who are immediately judged as lazy people who always eat).

It's so annoying people thinking that ALL fat people just sit around eating all the time, they really don't from what I've experienced.


Body doesn't work like that.

You gain weight, you require more calories to maintain your current bodyweight, and hence to gain further weight you need to be eating even more food.

It's all about portion control and calorie counting.

Fat people don't have to be fat, they choose to be.
What happens if you play footy and your friends fitness has started affecting your teams games and costing you points in your trivial 5aside league.


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Original post by tehforum
Body doesn't work like that.

You gain weight, you require more calories to maintain your current bodyweight, and hence to gain further weight you need to be eating even more food.

It's all about portion control and calorie counting.

Fat people don't have to be fat, they choose to be.


Just because someone's fat doesn't mean they're gaining weight!!
OP NEVER said that the fat people who are shamed need to be gaining weight to be shamed, what if they've lost loads of weight? Do they need to be fat shamed?

Obviously they needed to eat more food at some point but it doesn't mean that they are currently, should we really be judged that harshly being called lazy and greedy just because of some past decisions?
Original post by jamieTT
Why is it OK to look down on or try to correct alcoholics, druggies, gambling addicts and so on but fat shaming is a no no? Stuffing your face with ****y food 24/7 is not only bad for your own health but it also affects society as a whole in many ways (healthcare costs etc).


Quite simply, because people generally are idiots and don't understand the mechanisms behind these disorders. It isn't right to poke fun at any of these people.

The way that eating has been conceptualised is of moral choice which can be made - whereas addicts are often disdained due to the kinds of people who often get into the situation of addiction.

The media frames addiction as something that can only happen to degenerates... which isn't always the case - used to be many MD's that were addicted to the medicines that they had access to.
Original post by bertstare
They eat too much, that's the sole reason they are fat. Quite simple


I eat 1000 calories a day, are you really suggesting that's too much? Hey, I can go down to 500 or so, I guess. Hm, maybe I should then.

You are ignoring the possibility that someone maybe someone who couldn't walk they were so fat has spent years and years losing weight, and finally is able to participate in an active life, but are still fat. They may be fat but they had achieved loads, do they really deserve to be critisised because they're not slim? When in comparison to before they had done amazing by losing that much weight.
Original post by Okkefac
I eat 1000 calories a day, are you really suggesting that's too much? Hey, I can go down to 500 or so, I guess. Hm, maybe I should then.

You are ignoring the possibility that someone maybe someone who couldn't walk they were so fat has spent years and years losing weight, and finally is able to participate in an active life, but are still fat. They may be fat but they had achieved loads, do they really deserve to be critisised because they're not slim? When in comparison to before they had done amazing by losing that much weight.


Are you losing weight at 1000 calories at say 1lb a week?
Original post by Okkefac
I eat 1000 calories a day, are you really suggesting that's too much? Hey, I can go down to 500 or so, I guess. Hm, maybe I should then.

You are ignoring the possibility that someone maybe someone who couldn't walk they were so fat has spent years and years losing weight, and finally is able to participate in an active life, but are still fat. They may be fat but they had achieved loads, do they really deserve to be critisised because they're not slim? When in comparison to before they had done amazing by losing that much weight.


You aren't eating 1000 calories and still not losing weight, if that's what you are suggesting. Unless you have a serious problem with your thyroid, in which case you need to go to your doc. Otherwise you are simply underestimating how much you eat and overestimating how active you are
Original post by jamieTT
Why is it OK to look down on or try to correct alcoholics, druggies, gambling addicts and so on but fat shaming is a no no? Stuffing your face with ****y food 24/7 is not only bad for your own health but it also affects society as a whole in many ways (healthcare costs etc).

"Fat shaming" is just being an ******* for no reason really, the people are obviously aware they have a weight problem and it's not your job to go around making them miserable about it. The thing that I can't stand though is where people act like there's nothing wrong with being fat and that people should be comfortable in their own skin instead of losing the weight- if you're a grown adult there's no excuse for being morbidly obese (unless you have some sort of medical condition) and it's stupid that people are climbing on board this sort of 'fat pride' train where fat people are told that it's okay to not care about your health and body and to just be comfortable how you are.

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