I often hear people say that they disagree with Size Acceptance – meaning that either they want to try to manipulate their body size, or they support other people in trying to manipulate their body size. While our personal practice of Size Acceptance is certainly a part of it, that’s not actually the main point of Size Acceptance.
Size Acceptance is a civil rights movement that asserts that fat people have the right to exist in fat bodies (regardless of why we are fat, what the so-called “consequences” of being fat might be, or if we could become thin,) without shame, stigma, bullying, or oppression. Size Acceptance says that the rights to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and basic human respect are NOT size dependent.
You either agree with that, or you are wrong. Those are the only two choices. Now, that doesn’t mean that you have to practice Size Acceptance for your own body. People are allowed to do whatever they want with their own bodies – try to manipulate their size, amputate their stomach, whatever. To be clear, making the choice to be involved in diet culture doesn’t happen in a vacuum and the idea that fat people can/should lose weight is harmful to fat people, and thus, so is the decision to engage in diet culture. But that doesn’t mean that people can’t still do it.
Size Acceptance doesn’t require someone to stop trying to manipulate their size, keep their digestive system intact, take a pass on swallowing a deadly balloon, decline dangerous diet drugs that could kill them, or abandon their internalized oppression (though if they do choose to participate in diet culture then they aren’t practicing Size Acceptance in their own lives and they, rightly, will not be welcome in many Size Acceptance spaces.)
When it comes to Size Acceptance, you don’t have to practice it for yourself, but you do have to practice it towards others.
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Book and Dance Class Sale! I’m on a journey to complete an IRONMAN triathlon, and I’m having a sale on all my books, DVDs, and digital downloads to help pay for it. You get books and dance classes, I get spandex clothes and bike parts. Everybody wins! If you want, you can check it out here!
Book Me! I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!
I’m training for an IRONMAN! You can follow my journey at www.IronFat.com
If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to check out this post.
