... FAT as in obese, overweight or XXXL. In my reflecting, I realized how much I enjoyed this
course.
This course examines body weight, shape and size and an area of human difference subject to privilege and discrimination that intersects with other systems of oppression based on gender, race class, age, sexual orientation and ability’. I took the course as an opportunity to better understand the population I wanted to work with for my dissertation. Little did I know, there was abundant and compelling research on ‘fat’ people. I wanted to share with you all a fantastic journal that promotes a healthy life at any size.... even fat. Here is the link .......
http://www.bulimia.com/client/client_pages/HAESprotected/HAES20-1.pdf
here are more articles from the journal
http://www.bulimia.com/client/client_pages/haespdfs.cfm
Here is my take on the course and part of what I have been working on today - you are forewarned this is a rough draft.
I
have come to learn that fat bias is deeply ingrained in our culture and simply
having a conversation about it is challenging. Several students in the course blatantly stated that fat
people were disgusting and bones were sexy. Like most students in the course, I
initially believed the traditional health paradigm* that weight equals health.
Simply put, the skinnier you are the healthier you are. Most people would agree
with this because of the bombardment of ‘weight loss’ promotion and the “War on
Obesity” campaign. This class challenged the mainstream mentality about fat
people. We looked at cultural and personal biases and questioned them. This
class broadened my spectrum and challenged me to view life from another
perspective. Several professional and personal aspects of my life were
influenced from this course.
Personally,
I regularly weighed myself and based my worth on weight. I had been told my
entire life that ‘if you are not
within this BMI range, then you are overweight, that is unhealthy and you are
bad’. Looking back, it was emotionally exhausting to get on and off the scale,
while holding my breath and thinking, “will I be healthy today?”. Even though I
exercised regularly and ate fresh fruits and vegetables, the answer was always
no. I finally decided to get off this emotional roller coaster and base my
health on the healthy activities I did every day. I have not weighed myself for
almost a year while the byproduct of this behavior is my emotional and physical
health has never been better. I
feel more encouraged to exercise with the knowledge that I am doing this for my
health, not for a number. This
also seeped into my job as a fitness trainer.
In
my professional life, as a personal trainer I work with a variety of body types
where the main goal is weight loss. I have now shifted my training style to place
the focus to overall health. I now tell my clients that I do not want to weight
them. They are always shocked and simultaneously relieved that I don’t want
them to get on a scale or even take their measurements. When they ask why, I say that their
worth is not based on the scale and as long as they are being active I can’t
ask for more. Needless to say, I have a long waiting list for new clients and
have never seen so many physical and emotional improvements.
Lastly, my professional academic career has been greatly impacted. I never quite understood the emotional stress that fat people are subject to. As a student studying apparel design, sport and exercise psychology and women’s studies I have come to understand the physical and emotional challenges fat men and women face in our culture.
Lastly, my professional academic career has been greatly impacted. I never quite understood the emotional stress that fat people are subject to. As a student studying apparel design, sport and exercise psychology and women’s studies I have come to understand the physical and emotional challenges fat men and women face in our culture.
The
psychological aspects of the course meshed very well with my field of study. I
never quite understood the emotional stress that fat people are subject
to. As a student studying apparel
design, sport and exercise psychology and women’s studies I have come to
understand the physical and emotional challenges fat men and women face in our
culture.
One
of the most challenging parts of this course was that I had to look at some of
my personal biases. Biases towards myself and others were surprising. I never
knew there was such a concept as ‘thin privilege’. Every college student should
challenge the mainstream thoughts and broaden their education through this
course.
