Friday, December 27, 2013

Banning fat talk

With obesity on the rise across the West, it will surprise no one that one of the most urgent political matters to arise is the possibility that someone might refer to a woman's adiposity and thereby inflict feelbad:
A minister has called for an end to so-called 'fat talk', including terms such as muffin tops, bingo wings and cankles. Scottish MP Jo Swinson believes the 'body shaming' language damages people's confidence and wants women and children to ban the terms from everyday conversation.

The equalities minister said: 'It's depressingly commonplace to hear women - and even young girls and children - insulting their own bodies. 'Muffin tops, thunder thighs, cankles - fat talk and body shaming too easily become a habit and an expectation.'
This is particularly a problem when the party that inflicted the feelbad is the woman herself. I tend to doubt it will shock anyone to discover that Jo Swinson is a bit of a chubsterfiercely real herself.

Surely we can all agree that every woman has the government guaranteed right to not feel bad or be held accountable, no matter what she says or does. I thereby encourage everyone to henceforth refer to women of a larger persuasion as "fiercely real". It should take about nine months for that to land on the banned list as well.

15 comments:

Brenda said...

Possibly "Fiercely Real" with real short hair?

Random said...

Empowered hair.

Fiercely Real with Empowered hair.

Black Poison Soul said...

How preciously twee of them. I'd post that comment on the article, however they've stopped accepting comments.

I did post it on the ABC article that was similar, though.

Bob said...

HAHAHAH "Fiercely Real", I could really see them using that as well, thinking it's somehow a positive term.

They stopped Doctors of all people, telling fat people that they're fat in the UK: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2463073/Dont-nasty-fat-people-NICE-tells-doctors-respect-obese-patients.html

Apparently must "Show respect" to obese patients. Of course then the doctor will be in trouble when they die of any one of the fat related problems they'll have.

Anonymous said...

I think a nation with an "equalities minister" has worse problems than "fat shaming."

rycamor said...

We are fast moving so far beyond this that within a couple years' time thin-shaming will be common. It's already starting.

LibertyPortraits said...

I know people are already fairly sensitive and accommodating to the obese here in North America, but from what I've gathered people are a lot more open about shaming the overweight in Europe. Vox, would you say that fat shaming more aggressive in Europe toward their own nationals with weight problems (I know that it's well known Europeans like to shame fat North Americans, but I'm unsure how they approach it in their own country)?

Sensei said...

My friends in East Asia (where in at least Chinese culture public fat-shaming is used as a very common greeting for someone you haven't seen in a while) might actually refuse to believe this article could be serious...

The CronoLink said...

Thunder thighs is fat talk? I always thought it referred to gym-fit, sexy thighs

Natalie said...

"Thunder thighs" are what you hear when your mom is petite and you inherit the curvier genes. Curvy isn't a euphemism in this case either. My mom has a very petite frame, but all her daughters somehow (mercifully!) actually ended up with hips and a nice bust line. And then she worried about our weight incessantly because we naturally weighed 5-10lbs more than she did. That sort of "fat shaming" needs to die in a fire. However that's not the point here, so nobody throw tomatoes this way :) Fat is fat and generally unattractive.

Bob said...

I thought "Thunder thighs" is when legs / thighs are like tree trunks, rather than nice and slender.

Nothing to do with curvy hips and bust. Seen many a girl with nice curvy hips, but without gigantic, jelly tree thighs.

Worrying about weight alone is silly though, tis the proportion that counts.

Natalie said...

Well, plenty of girls with muscular legs hear it too. It's not about "jelly." It's just part of the genetic lottery. In my experience women with generally curvier frames often have larger legs. The women who have long, slender legs, ample busts, and a great waist to hip ratio we call swimsuit models :D

Retrenched said...

Nice to see women getting in touch with their inner totalitarians.

Of course, totalitarianism in women is actually a feature, not a bug, because it's a character trait that really comes in handy when managing households full of small children. When governing a supposedly free people, not so much.

Stg58/Animal Mother said...

Thunder thighs equal huge fat legs, not the variety found on Crossfit junkies.

Patriarchie Bunker said...
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