firecat

I distrust most conversations about who gets to be in [whatever] camp and who doesn't, and what's the "real" way of doing something and what isn't. Mostly I think they cause more harm than good. So I feel uncomfortable with the comments I'm going to make, but I'm going to make them anyway.

http://www.ficklefingeroffat.com/ is a new blog by a person who was a famous spokesperson for fat acceptance. The person is now blogging about her attempts to lose weight. This has caused some controversy at

shapelyprose and among some other fat-acceptance bloggers.

There are various takes on the subject, and I'm not going to list them all here. I'm going to discuss just one of them that came up in a friend's locked post. It was said that size-acceptance is about "live and let live," and suggested that it was hypocritical for size-acceptance advocates to criticize "a personal decision."

My comment was:

Thing is, it's not just "a personal decision" when it's undertaken in a public blog by a famous spokesperson for fat-acceptance.

The person has every right to do what they are doing, but writing a blog about their deliberate weight loss attempts discredits them as a spokesperson for fat-acceptance, in my mind.

therotund put it better here (emphasis mine):

A lot of the comments I have seen, both here and at Shapely Prose, seem to want to define Fat Activism as doing whatever the hell you want to do with your body. But that isn’t Fat Activism. That is body autonomy, which is a component of Fat Activism.

and

Does this mean [people who are dieting] cannot work toward changing social perceptions of fat people? No. But if you are a fat person who is publicly dieting, that is going to inform your message and reinforce the idea that fat people can and should lose weight by just trying hard enough. Does this mean you cannot appreciate and love other fat people? No. But it does send a message of “fat is okay for you but not for me” which kind of undermines the message of acceptance.

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From:

pir-anha.livejournal.com

but just because something feels all kinds of wrong FOR ME doesn't mean i think the same thing is wrong for others. i don't ever think that way. i am a unique and special snowflake, you see? the rest of you are likely completely different from me. :)

traditional marriage is wrong for me; it seems to work fine for millions of others.
BDSM is wrong for me, but more power to ya if it turns your crank.
taking a daily shower is wrong for me, but if you feel you need one, or two, go right ahead.
eating food that gives me gas is wrong for me, but i am happy you can eat it without distending your bowels painfully.
my body feels all kinds of wrong when i weigh more than ~200 lbs, but if yours doesn't, yay! note that i actually weigh quite a bit more than 200 lbs now, and don't even know how much more, and that i am not attempting to lose weight at this time -- this is just my accumulated wisdom over the years. note also that at 200 lbs with my height and bone structure i'm still considered plenty fat by anyone who sorts people like that, so it's not like i'd be escaping censure if i managed to lose the extra poundage. i have no, zip, zero, zilch problems with people who weigh much more (or much less); i don't think there is anything wrong with them per se. i don't consider people's weight an issue that's any of my business, and i don't think about it unless it gets brought up in a discussion like this. no, i am not a fat activist (beyond supporting measures to stop discrimination), but i am fat accepting.

p.s. please nobody argue with me that it's not the weight. trust that i've heard it all, and that i know myself better than you. i don't feel "uncomfortable in my skin" (well, i do, but that's because i have gender dysphoria *wry grin*; the weight isn't the issue).

that said, i don't think somebody who is trying to lose weight by dieting can remain a very public spokesperson for fat acceptance. not in this climate. it's gonna feel like a betrayal. i don't even know who it is, but man, i feel sorry for the crap she's gonna get.