What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat

I feel like this is a really really important book. Everyone really needs to read this. There are so many kinds of biases in the world and they're all basically bullshit, and anti-fat bias is an easy one to hold because it's almost always couched in “concern for your health”. Once you look even a little bit closer though, the health excuse falls away. There are so many incredibly unhealthy and dangerous ways to lose weight, that are much worse for your health than living at a certain weight, that could potentially kill you or certainly shorten your life, and fat people are recommended these things BY DOCTORS. How could it be more healthy to live at a certain weight deemed “unhealthy” than to take medication that fucks up your liver? Or your kidneys? Or living on fewer calories than your body needs to maintain proper functioning? Or messing up your metabolism? Honestly, if the “it's for your own health” people went after behaviours instead of bodies I probably still wouldn't love it but at least it would make sense. Wanna tell people who eat pizza every day or never exercise that they're going to die earlier? I mean, rude, and shaming people isn't a helpful tactic, but at least you're going after a behaviour. Being fat in and of itself is not indicative of a person's health or activity level or diet. Assuming that all fat people must eat junk food and never exercise IS BIAS. Not believing fat people who tell you that they're eating well and exercising and just aren't losing weight IS BIAS. Weight is much more complicated than “calories in, calories out” and even if it wasn't, fat people are people and just want to live their damn lives without total strangers busting in to be concerned about their health.