So good! Thank you for expressing this so well. Everybody is entitled to intentionally lose weight. Nobody is obligated to, and so many of these conversations contribute to the fatphobic idea that there is such an obligation, for the sake of health, morality, or sheer bodily conformity. Blah
This particular part got me tearing up: "It doesn’t mean you can’t confidently make the choice to lose weight for yourself, of course — it just means that you don’t have to use your platform to undermine the idea that existing in a fatphobic society is, in fact, the problem." It is so frustrating that these influencers don't see that it's not about you losing weight, it's about how you're shitting on fat people. Thank you for writing this.
I love this so much! Thank you for a very well articulated response to how I have been feeling. I have been torn... one influencer I have followed for years suddenly lost a bunch of weight and has not said a word about why or how. Part of me thinks that after being so body positive for so many years and building her platform on that, she owes an explanation, and then the other part of my brain is like "she doesnt owe anyone an explanation." This post put me more solidly in the she doesnt owe anyone an explanation as to why category.
Well said. I'm luckily protected from watching influencers doing this to some degree since I've fallen off insta and tiktok but i did sign on insta after awhile and immediately see a fat influencer i've followed doing a before and after video.... wild. wild stuff!!
I’m looking up your teen vogue piece right after I send this comment! I can’t agree more with this. I don’t care what people do with their bodies but it is a little disheartening to see influencers and celebs who used to be so vocal about body positivity and being a public example of a larger size person who defies stereotypes suddenly lose weight and claim it’s for health (and maybe it is) but then they go above and beyond and start becoming super thin, and taking all these selfies showing how thin they are now, and it’s so insidious. I unfollowed a certain insta famous baker bc she was claiming she needed to lose weight (she’s quite small and thin) and then tried to say losing that weight just gave her so much energy and made her feel so much better and I was like, you have young fans who are going go see your before pics where you are already thin and think there’s something wrong with them. Ugh.
Thank you so much for sharing - you did such a fantastic job of explaining the difference between personal choices and encouraging/standing by fat discrimination. I hope that people can seek the nuance in the conversation rather than feeling like they have to reject body acceptance in order to explore comfort in their own body.
So good! Thank you for expressing this so well. Everybody is entitled to intentionally lose weight. Nobody is obligated to, and so many of these conversations contribute to the fatphobic idea that there is such an obligation, for the sake of health, morality, or sheer bodily conformity. Blah
Ugh THANK YOU, this was extremely necessary. Now how do we cc like 5 influencers I know off the top of my head who need to read this?
This particular part got me tearing up: "It doesn’t mean you can’t confidently make the choice to lose weight for yourself, of course — it just means that you don’t have to use your platform to undermine the idea that existing in a fatphobic society is, in fact, the problem." It is so frustrating that these influencers don't see that it's not about you losing weight, it's about how you're shitting on fat people. Thank you for writing this.
Yes. Yes. Yes. *yelling intensifies* YESSS!!!!!!
I love this so much! Thank you for a very well articulated response to how I have been feeling. I have been torn... one influencer I have followed for years suddenly lost a bunch of weight and has not said a word about why or how. Part of me thinks that after being so body positive for so many years and building her platform on that, she owes an explanation, and then the other part of my brain is like "she doesnt owe anyone an explanation." This post put me more solidly in the she doesnt owe anyone an explanation as to why category.
All. Of. This. So good!!
This is SO GOOD. Thank you! Encouragements to continue publicly posting these strongly worded letters you so eloquently compose.
Well said. I'm luckily protected from watching influencers doing this to some degree since I've fallen off insta and tiktok but i did sign on insta after awhile and immediately see a fat influencer i've followed doing a before and after video.... wild. wild stuff!!
Look forward to everything you write and this was no different. THANK YOU for saying all of the things that have been knocking around inside of me.
YEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS
I’m looking up your teen vogue piece right after I send this comment! I can’t agree more with this. I don’t care what people do with their bodies but it is a little disheartening to see influencers and celebs who used to be so vocal about body positivity and being a public example of a larger size person who defies stereotypes suddenly lose weight and claim it’s for health (and maybe it is) but then they go above and beyond and start becoming super thin, and taking all these selfies showing how thin they are now, and it’s so insidious. I unfollowed a certain insta famous baker bc she was claiming she needed to lose weight (she’s quite small and thin) and then tried to say losing that weight just gave her so much energy and made her feel so much better and I was like, you have young fans who are going go see your before pics where you are already thin and think there’s something wrong with them. Ugh.
Thank you so much for sharing - you did such a fantastic job of explaining the difference between personal choices and encouraging/standing by fat discrimination. I hope that people can seek the nuance in the conversation rather than feeling like they have to reject body acceptance in order to explore comfort in their own body.
So good!! But now I really want to know who these influencers are
THAT KICKER!!!!
OH MY GOD THANK YOU FOR SAYING THIS
So well written as always! I am grateful for your voice!