Bad fat and all that

I agree with a lot of the sentiment expressed by tasha fierce, about how we often fall into the trap of justifying fatness on the grounds that we have healthful habits.

It's important to say that although I reject the healthist approach, I appreciate the fact that those in FA that are into it, have essentially asserted their truth. Fat people have different habits.

A while back I said that there are basically two types, those who are into healthism, those who aren't. Some are fat some aren't. Those fat people who are into healthism have more in common with thin people who are into it, ditto the others are more bon viveurs. They like to live their idea of living well.

So it's important that all types of experience are reflected in FA, I daresay, it's made connections with some to know that activity levels, diet's-as in what you eat- vary amongst fat people, as others. Rather than allowing people to hold on to cherished nonsense of fat people are not among us, there are no fat vegetarians/vegans/dieters, healthists etc.

Perhaps it's better to see certain approaches dominating as stepping stones, phases that need to be gone through in the process of living and learning. and now a point is being reached where the dominance of that approach or even the approach itself, has outlived it's usefulness in terms of being the lead, or seeming to be the only approach to putting FA out there.

I'd go further than those who call themselves bad fatties. The good/ bad fatty thing doesn't and has never made sense to me, because the latter, although purporting to reject the former, actually does it by shoring up the premise, that there is something good about eating the healthist way.

I actually don't feel that way, and my experiences with it have been a living education on exactly why I feel this way. Calling yourself a bad fatty is a bit like being an ex Christian, and describing yourself as a fornicator. If you're having sex outside marriage, technically, according to those dictates, you are. However, if you've rejected Christianity, why would you define yourself this way, as if it had any validity?

It's one thing to be amused by the idea, but that's not what this is, in order to call yourself a bad fatty, you need to believe that you can or should be a good fatty, so end up buying into that which judges you a bad fatty or thinny in the first place. Plenty of thin/ slim people feel the same, they say things like " I know I should eat x and not eat y, but y tastes so good!" Possibly followed with something like "I'll probably die next week of a heart attack and it'll serve me right!!!"

Bad fatty validates the underlying premise of healthism, more than it disagrees with it

If you do not wish to be judged as a bad fatty, think more about the construct itself, if you cannot let it go, because it seems right to you, then at least re-frame the way you see being in transition/ moving towards goodness.