Why Fat Acceptance Is Dead Wrong

It should be obvious — but here goes

If the title of this article is triggering because you believe the author doesn’t understand what it’s like to be overweight, let me put that notion to rest.

I was the proverbial fat kid.

Not only do I know intimately what it’s like to be fat, but I was overweight during my formative years, so the fat kid in my psyche remains to this day.

Let me be clear. Calling an individual insulting names is not okay.

However, we should all be shaming fat acceptance — a separate issue that deserves much scrutiny.

Fat acceptance is delusional, ignorant, and potentially deadly.

We don’t accept smoking, illicit drug use, or heavy drinking as a healthy lifestyle, so there’s no reason to accept obesity.

Not accepting it as a permanent condition doesn’t mean we are “shaming” it by default. There’s plenty of room between acceptance and shame to address the epidemic.

Obesity is the leading cause of heart disease, the number one health issue in the United States, and because it’s preventable, as well as treatable, that should be…