The diet industry has been feeding us a barrage of misleading narratives about body weight for ages. From sensationalist news segments depicting anonymous, overweight figures to the incessant stream of advertising for profit-driven weight loss programs, society is being misled about what it means to be fat. This disconnect from reality has detrimental effects on our collective mental health.
We’ve been conditioned to think that being plus-size equates to worthlessness in every aspect of life. Diet culture insists that being fat is a surefire path to poor health and that if you’re not striving to shed those extra pounds, you’re not living your best life. If weight loss doesn’t happen, the blame is squarely placed on your shoulders.
As a young person, I absorbed the media’s portrayal of overweight individuals as lazy and unhealthy. I distanced myself from anyone with extra weight, obsessively worked to stay thin, and even fell into a cycle of unhealthy behaviors. After years of grappling with an eating disorder and the shame that accompanied it, I finally realized that my beliefs about fat bodies were fundamentally flawed. Having recovered and embraced my own health in a plus-size body, it’s time to debunk the top six myths about being fat.
1. Your BMI is the Definitive Measure of Health
For years, I treated my BMI as an unassailable truth. Despite being on the lower end of the scale, I was still encouraged to lose more weight. Then, after two pregnancies, my BMI rose significantly, landing me in the “medically obese” category. Here’s the kicker: the BMI is a flawed metric created by a mathematician, Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet, who designed it to assess populations, not individuals. It doesn’t accurately reflect the health of diverse body types. When your doctor starts talking about your BMI, it might be worth telling them about its dubious origins.
2. Obesity is an Epidemic
Growing up, I feared “catching fat” just like I feared horror movies. The term “epidemic” implies contagiousness, which simply isn’t true. Research indicates that a significant number of people classified as “obese” are actually metabolically healthy, showing no signs of health issues. Living joyfully in a larger body doesn’t promote obesity; rather, it reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of health that equates happiness with body size.
3. Thinness Equals Health
How often have we believed that being thin translates to being healthy? I resorted to extreme measures to maintain a slim body, but studies reveal that unfit thin individuals can be at higher risk for health issues compared to fit plus-size individuals. Health is multifaceted, encompassing mental, emotional, and physical well-being. We need to broaden our perspective beyond a narrow focus on weight.
4. Fat People Shouldn’t Have Children
In my experience, my pregnancies were healthy despite substantial weight gain. I faced scrutiny about my size, but my health metrics were excellent. Many plus-size women successfully carry pregnancies to term, while thin individuals can encounter complications. The stigma surrounding pregnancy and weight needs to be challenged.
5. Being Fat Harms Your Children
Criticizing your own body in front of children can have more negative effects than simply existing in a fat body. Studies show that societal pressure to conform to thin ideals contributes significantly to body image issues in children. Rather than focusing on body weight, we should encourage self-love and acceptance to prevent the cycle of conditional love.
6. The Health Risks of Fatness are Overstated
Like many, I was led to believe that a larger body comes with a host of health problems. However, the reality is more nuanced. Research indicates that many plus-size individuals are healthy and active. Focusing solely on weight can obscure the broader picture of health, which includes mental and emotional factors as well.
In summary, it’s crucial to debunk these myths and shift the narrative around plus-size bodies. Everyone deserves to feel good about themselves, regardless of size, and health should never be a prerequisite for happiness. For more insights on this topic, check out our other blog posts at Home Insemination Kit and resources on pregnancy at Women’s Health.
Keyphrase: debunking myths about plus-size health
Tags: [“home insemination kit” “home insemination syringe” “self insemination”]