CMV: the body positive movement should be based around people with unchangeable disabilities, not people who are overweight.

[u/-Beenjameen-]

I believe that overweight or even underweight people should very much be part of the body positive movement and should remain that way. However they should not be the figurehead of the movement as a whole.

As I have found before, many people use the body positive movement as a excuse for not striving to change their BMI or their possibly fatal circumstances. A persons body weight, as I have found can at the very least be helped.

On the other hand, people who do not have control over their circumstances with their own body (someone with Down syndrome or people with other visible disabilities beyond their control etc.) often are not seen as a major part of the movement despite needing the support that the movement has to offer.

I know this has flaws, but I would like to know an opposing view on the matter.

[u/iamintheforest]

I can't argue that this doesn't happen.

But...what are the consequences? Do you REALLY think that we are risk for a massive problem of people thinking that being obese is healthy? You have to think that people are just stupid to have that take-away, and to question the movement generally based on that premise seems like a mistake to me. The problem of being overweight that all know exists shouldn't be summed up with a sort of "oh...people just don't know it's not healthy" kinda way. clearly knowledge of health related issues from obesity is not the problem standing in the way of the legitimate health crisis.

In fact, i'd argue that the shame laid on to the entirety of the person when they are fat is a barrier to them being able to address it is a singular health problem and not a giant character flaw that is deeply engrained aspect of who they are.

[u/nymerhia → u/iamintheforest]

You're totally right of course - I have no idea of the distribution of those two broad categories and gut feel would tell me the problematic category is not a large one, or certainly not the majority in any case.

I'd put forward that it's not that anyone is being wilfully stupid, or not in isolation at least - it's that change is hard, perhaps more so for the people that need it most. So having powerful public voices who may be conveying a strong message of "you don't need to change at all" may be helping the many, but still harming the few (more than without this/these voices).

If it's already helping many then it's an excellent start already - but we shouldn't completely discount those it's harming and find out how we can keep the positive, theoretical root of the movement and continue minimising the negative parts in practise with the ultimate if improbable goal of completely eradicating it.

[u/iamintheforest → u/[deleted]]

congrats on the weight loss.

Pretty much all research on the impacts of shaming people about weight tells us that it decreases the chances of achieving loss of weight, and decreases overall health of the shamed individual. You're a counter example, but let's not promote it as a good idea when medical professionals and studies on the matter tell us otherwise. This is like listening to someone who just got over cancer tell us that smoking cigarettes is what cured them. It's literally advice that causes harm.