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BEING FAT IS NO MORE A SHAME

A new rule that forbids discrimination based on a person’s weight has made weight discrimination unlawful in New York. Along with colour, gender, age, religion, and sexual orientation, the law now includes height and weight as traits that are shielded from discrimination and it will apply to employment, housing and access to public accommodations.

What a city council hearing on being fat

At a City Council hearing earlier this year, New Yorkers gave testimony about experiencing weight-based discrimination. A student at New York University said that desks in classrooms were too small for her A Metropolitan Opera soprano said that she had experienced body shaming and pressure to develop an eating disorder. Such incidents of fat shaming have increased as a result of the incorrect notion that excessive body fat is brought on by consuming too many calories and not exercising enough, which gives society a justification to hold obese people responsible.

Over 40% of American adults are now considered obese, and obesity rates have increased over the last two decades in the country. However, stigmatizing obese people for their weight, also known as sizeism, will only make their psychological distress worse, just like other forms of bias and discrimination.

Sizeism is the leading cause of bullying among children and is a reality that adults experience at work, in the doctor’s office, in love relationships, and in educational environments. The stigma around overweight is negatively impacting people’s mental and physical health, as well as lowering their quality of life. To comprehend the innate prejudices formed in our thoughts, we can use an example. Let’s say that when we observe an obese woman eating cake, we condemn her for making poor decisions and could even find her behavior repulsive. A thin man eating cake may inspire admiration or even envy in us.

Therefore, the way forward for a better society is to replace this bias with curiosity. Numerous major chronic disorders, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver, depression, and even some types of cancer, are associated with obesity, which is a hormonal imbalance. Additionally, there is a hereditary component, which could contribute to the explanation of why certain individuals do not develop obesity. While there are various strategies to lose weight, many of them are considered unsustainable because they demand a level of superhuman willpower which is not necessary for those individuals with a healthy metabolism. Examples include heavy exercise, severe calorie restriction, or a strict no-fat diet. These harsh tactics can also exacerbate underlying psychological and metabolic problems, making shedding pounds harder with each effort.

People are struggling for being FAT

Many people who struggle with obesity feel discouraged and despairing as a result of the unreliable, unscientific food recommendations and detrimental, unsustainable weight loss advice. We’ve been taught all of our lives to be afraid of eating gratifying, nutrient-dense complete foods like red meat and eggs, which are almost entirely carbohydrate-free, addictive-free, and naturally kind to our insulin signalling system. Instead, regardless of our metabolic status, public health authorities have urged us to consume flours, cereals, juices and non-fat dairy products that raise insulin and/or blood sugar levels. Insulin increases in sensitive people turn on fat storage, turn off fat burning, cause the production of stress hormones, and increase appetite, leading to a vicious cycle of craves and weight gain.

Since around the 1960s, New York City has been the epicenter of fat activism. The body acceptance movement and self-described fat activists have worked to lessen the shame and prejudice associated with being overweight. The legislation is a significant step towards reducing fat shaming and is an important aspect of a rising national movement to address weight discrimination.

You must be wondering how this law would effect change, so please allow me to explain. This law will transform people’s attitudes and society perceptions by requiring them to act without discrimination through the legal system. The regulation would increase awareness of the issue and force businesses to reconsider any discrimination against heavier persons. Weight discrimination is already illegal in Michigan, Washington State, and some cities like Washington, D.C.

These steps by lawmakers raise awareness of ideas like body positivity and help in reducing the societal stigma around body weight hence being fat is no more a shame and constructive efforts are put for the same.