Why Fat Activism Is Stupid

A woman weighs 400 pounds. She posts a video. She is healthy, she says. Her doctor is fatphobic, she says. The BMI is a tool of oppression, she says. Her followers applaud. Her followers are also obese. They are also convinced they are healthy. They are not. Obesity increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and at least thirteen types of cancer. The body positivity movement has convinced them otherwise.In this episode, I examine the dangerous stupidity of fat activism. The activists who claim that weight has no bearing on health are lying. The activists who claim that diet and exercise are ineffective are lying. The activists who claim that obesity is not a risk factor for severe COVID outcomes are lying. The COVID pandemic provided a natural experiment. The data was clear. Obese patients were more likely to be hospitalized, more likely to need ventilators, and more likely to die.The episode explores the difference between fat acceptance and health denialism. You can love your body and still want to change it. You can accept yourself as you are and still work to improve your health. The two are not contradictory. Fat activism has convinced millions that they are. The result is a generation of people who are dying of preventable diseases because they have been told that wanting to be healthy is fatphobic.Turn down the lights, put on your headphones, and press play because fat activism is not just stupid. It is deadly.