“You’re beautiful the way you are” and “it’s not dangerous to be overweight as long as you exercise” are two examples of nonsense that fitness influencers sometimes spew.
If you’re fat yourself, don’t listen to people who try to make you think it’s normal. You are actually suffering from a medical condition that can lead to major negative health effects for you.
Obesity is an independent risk factor and there are several risk factors for a variety of diseases. Men of normal weight, regardless of activity level, have a lower risk of dying prematurely, even when compared to those who exercise a lot but are also severely overweight.
Of course, exercising is better than not exercising, whether overweight or not, but the benefits of good fitness diminish the more overweight you are.
In a large study from Umeå University, which looked at 1.3 million Swedish men, the researchers saw that there was no noticeable effect of good fitness among those who were most overweight.
The problem with trying to get this information out is that you don’t want to engage in “fat shaming” because it only has the opposite effect. You never have to tell anyone it’s overweight. The person in question is guaranteed to already know about it.
Pointing it out only risks creating anxiety that can lead to more eating. On the other hand, it would be good if the media could stop normalizing something as dangerous as being overweight, in the same way that once upon a time we stopped using smiling, cigarette-smoking cowboys for advertising purposes.
Sure, people who are morbidly obese might want to see pictures of people who look like them, but what about thin models? After all, there is a broad consensus that these should not be allowed to appear in advertising as it can communicate an unhealthy ideal. When should we start thinking like that about obesity?
Don’t let influencers fool you. You are not beautiful because you are overweight. Being overweight has nothing to do with your beauty or human worth. It’s just a stage that you can get out of if you decide to.
I have tried to touch on this topic without offending anyone, but in the world’s most easily offended country, that is basically impossible.
So go ahead, discuss in small groups.
Leave a Reply