The issue portrayed in the article “America’s War on the Overweight” written by Kate Dailey and Abby Ellin has been considered a controversial subject for many years now and deserves a closer look on attitudes displayed towards people with excess weight. The authors argue that people should have more compassion towards those for whom losing weight is a challenge.
However, losing weight might demand patience and resilience. They claim that the compassion for people struggling to lose weight has to do “with the psychological phenomenon known as the fundamental attribution error, a basic belief that whatever problems befall us personally are the result of difficult circumstances, while the same problems in other people are the result of their bad choices.” (Dailey and Ellin 551). According to the article written by Sydney Bell “Why fat matters” the writer discusses the issues of why overweight people are not accepted by the society and that, most of the time, these people are unlawfully judged not according to their individuality but based on their looks. She raises two emergent issues today. The first concern is a discharge of the fat stigma as a serious issue when compared to others, and the second is the idea that the obesity is the outcome of individual selections and conduct.
She states that these two issues have led people to think biased and “dichotomy has blinded us to both the reality of natural body diversity and to the oppression faced by larger people.” (Bell 15). The viewing of the people should not be biased according to the standards of the society, rather, she argues that those minority groups that were once oppressed should be accepted with more respect. Furthermore, Bell says that fat people have insecurities about their bodies and mentioning their problem to the doctors makes them feel even more anxious not only about their bodies but also it might raise a question regarding their character’s strength. According to Bell “fear of judgment keeps many fat people from accessing health care, and those who do visit a doctor are often simply diagnosed as obese, with other potential causes and health concerns – and more holistic approaches – ignored.” (Bell 15). Those people who struggle with excess weight feel as they would be punished for their obesity and that negative thoughts could lead them to more depression resulting in even fewer restrictions to watch for themselves concerning their diet.
Fatness is also not praised by the workforce. There have been evidences by researchers that those women who are overweight are more likely to be segregated to get a lower paying job compared to average women and men with no such health issues. In 2014 report by Jennifer Shinall, professor at Tennessee’s Vanderbilt University discovers that women considered to be overweight “are more likely to work in lower-paying and more physically demanding jobs; less likely to get higher-wage positions”. (Shinall 15). Those segregations are more likely to occur in a more competitive environment.
Many young women seek to find reliable and stable jobs but unfortunately, due to the segregation towards their weight it could become impossible to find a job that satisfies the workers’ needs and meets their expectations. On the contrary, some companies tend to hire more fit citizens. In my opinion, fat bias does not deserve its popularity as it holds today. As much as fat bias brings more harm than benefit to the society, the same could be applied to defending of people with weight.
For many years of studying and research, scientists’ goal was to persuade people to watch for their well-being because excessive fat may result in health issues. Dailey and Ellin argue that obesity in some people may be a state of genes. Although it might be true I feel that a person can change his state if he pleases. Exercises proved that any excess fat could be eliminated with a wish of a person’s intention to fight against it. I agree that some people with excess weight might live a lot healthier life but some techniques might be useless with a lack of motivation that could serve as a disadvantage. Likewise, Dailey’s and Ellin’s statement that in this country “the fat self is the “bad self,” the epitome of greed, gluttony and sloth”.
(Dailey, Ellen 551) sounds oppressive. I do not see people with these issues to be representatives of these attributes, on the other hand, most people I met who admitted having a difficulty to overcome their body are more outgoing, funny and caring. For instance, take those actors that play roles in the comedies. There are also some people who strongly oppose against a healthy lifestyle because they feel comfortable in their body.
Nevertheless, if a person feels happy in his own body, why bother him about his health? we should respect his view on what he perceives as healthy. After all, every person knows what works better for his own body, and he is the one to make decisions and deal with the consequences. Some people may have psychological needs that have to be met in order to feel motivated to accomplish something valuable. A little inspiration and support from friends might be somewhat useful rather than a compulsion to begin eating healthy. At the end, they might choose to cultivate their own strive and realization to make some changes to get the kind of job they wish for.
Effort plays the most important role. Some people may not even have the opportunity to lose weight, and we should not be those to judge them for their eating habits. No doubt, people who strive for a change will put the necessary amount of effort to achieve a healthy lifestyle. In my opinion, to reduce fat bias, one should make a progress and show the determination to accomplish his goals.
Except the fact that he feels happy in his own skin.
