The phrase "riots not diets" encapsulates a powerful message within the fat liberation movement, challenging societal norms and advocating for radical acceptance and systemic change. It signifies a shift from individualistic approaches to weight management toward collective action against fatphobia and the oppressive structures that perpetuate it. This article explores the origins and evolution of this concept, its connection to queer theory and social justice, and its implications for how we understand health, activism, and embodiment.
The Genesis of Fat Liberation in the UK
The fat liberation movement in the UK gained significant momentum in the late 20th century, culminating in events like the National Fat Women's Conference (NFWC) of 1989. Groups like the London Fat Women's Group (LFWG) played a crucial role in challenging systemic anti-fatness and creating spaces for fat individuals to connect and organize. This activism, however, has often been overlooked in mainstream queer and feminist histories.
Reframing Fatness as a Queer Disruption
Fat liberation, viewed through a queer theoretical lens, disrupts heteronormativity and challenges the privileging of normative identities. Elena Levy-Navarro argues that queering history involves discovering alternative relationships between the past and the present, allowing for the development of histories that complicate dominant discourses. Examining fat liberation histories as alternative histories creates a framework within which hegemonic ideas about fat are disrupted, or queered.
Challenging the Mutable Body Trope
One of the reasons fat histories have been omitted from mainstream narratives is the perception of the fat body as mutable and temporary. Fat people are often seen as not having histories because they are perceived as having no futures, their lives deemed not worth living. The dominant rhetoric of the "obesity epidemic" frames the futures of fat people as contingent on weight loss, relegating fat bodies to an obese "before" state, only worthy of a future or a past if they become thin. This attitude shapes public policy and treatment of fat people, reinforcing stigma and oppression.
Health at Every Size (HAES)®: A Paradigm Shift
The Health at Every Size (HAES) approach, co-founded by psychologist and fat activist Deb Burgard, represents a paradigm shift in how we understand health and well-being. HAES emphasizes health promotion and weight-neutral care, focusing on behaviors that support well-being for people of all sizes, without making weight loss the primary goal.
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Why HAES and Weight Management Can't Co-Exist
HAES fundamentally clashes with weight management because the latter inherently reinforces weight stigma and the idea that fatness is inherently unhealthy. HAES recognizes that health is multifaceted and influenced by various factors beyond weight, including social determinants of health, access to resources, and experiences of discrimination.
The Social-Justice Roots of HAES
HAES is rooted in social justice, recognizing that weight stigma intersects with other forms of oppression, such as racism, sexism, ableism, and classism. Addressing weight stigma requires dismantling these intersecting systems of oppression and creating a more equitable society for all.
Weight Stigma: A Social Determinant of Health
Weight stigma itself can be a significant determinant of health, contributing to chronic stress, mental health issues, and avoidance of healthcare. Studies have shown that weight cycling and exposure to stigma, rather than weight itself, may be the cause of health concerns in higher-weight people.
Fundamental Attribution Bias in Weight Research
Fundamental attribution bias, the tendency to attribute negative outcomes to individual failings rather than systemic factors, often influences weight stigma research. This bias can lead researchers to overlook the impact of social determinants of health and perpetuate harmful stereotypes about fat people.
Deconstructing the "Obesity Epidemic" Narrative
The narrative of the "obesity epidemic" has been used to justify weight-loss interventions and policies that often perpetuate weight stigma and discrimination. Understanding the history and politics of this narrative is crucial for challenging anti-fat bias.
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Questioning Research on Weight and Health
When evaluating research on weight and health, it is essential to consider several critical factors:
- Potential Bias: Could the authors' pre-existing beliefs about fat influence their interpretation of the data? Are there alternative explanations for the findings that consider factors like weight cycling or exposure to stigma?
- Longitudinal Scope: Does the research span a long enough period to capture the entire relevant phenomenon, including potential weight regain in weight loss studies?
- Participant Attrition: Does the follow-up period actually capture most of the people, or is there significant attrition that could bias the results? How was missing data handled?
- Operational Definitions: How are the outcomes operationally defined, and could there be selection biases in that definition? Do the measures used to capture outcomes actually work for the studied population?
- Generalizability: Are the findings being generalized beyond the data? If the study involves a specific group of people seeking help, can the results be applied to fat people in general?
- Control Groups: If the study uses a "matched control" group, does the control group accurately represent fat people in general, or could it bias the results?
The Politics of Scientific Research
It's vital to recognize the politics inherent in scientific research. Funding sources, researcher biases, and societal pressures can all influence the questions asked, the methods used, and the interpretation of results. The research justice movement seeks to address these biases and promote more equitable and inclusive research practices.
Anti-Diet Activism: Reclaiming Agency and Challenging Oppression
Anti-diet activism challenges the diet industry and its harmful effects on individuals and society. It promotes body acceptance, intuitive eating, and a focus on overall well-being rather than weight loss.
The Anti Diet Riot Club: A Community of Resistance
The Anti Diet Riot Club, founded by Becky Young, provides a space for people to connect, share their experiences, and challenge diet culture. The club hosts support groups, workshops, and events that empower people to reject dieting and embrace body acceptance.
Diet Culture as a System of Oppression
Diet culture intersects with capitalism and other forms of oppression, perpetuating harmful stereotypes and reinforcing societal hierarchies. It profits from people's insecurities and promotes unrealistic beauty standards.
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Unconditional Permission to Eat: A Path to Freedom
Unconditional permission to eat is a core principle of intuitive eating, allowing individuals to eat what they want, when they want, without guilt or restriction. This can lead to freedom from obsessive thoughts about food and a more balanced relationship with eating.
Anger as a Tool for Recovery and Activism
Anger can be a powerful tool for recovery and activism, helping individuals to recognize and challenge the injustices of diet culture and fatphobia.
Navigating Food Shaming and Fearmongering in Food Justice Spaces
Activism related to food can sometimes inadvertently perpetuate restrictive eating and shame-based language. It's important to promote food access and environmental sustainability without resorting to diet culture or demonizing certain foods.
Individual Behavior vs. Social Determinants of Health
While individual behaviors can contribute to health, social determinants of health play a much more significant role. Addressing systemic issues like poverty, food insecurity, and discrimination is crucial for improving public health.
The Importance of Inclusive Language
Using inclusive and respectful language is essential when discussing body size and health. Avoid using terms like "overw*ght" and "obse," which are often stigmatizing and inaccurate. Consider using terms like "people in larger bodies" or simply "fat people" when appropriate.
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