The Evil Side of Fat Activism

A fat activist films herself screaming at a doctor who suggested she lose weight. She posts the video online. Thousands applaud her courage. The doctor receives death threats. The patient's cholesterol is 300. She is 32 years old.In this episode, I uncover the toxic underbelly of the fat acceptance movement. The noble goal of ending weight-based discrimination has been hijacked by activists who shame doctors for giving medical advice, attack researchers for publishing obesity data, and bully anyone who suggests that carrying excess weight has health consequences. The movement has shifted from love your body to ignore your doctor. From acceptance to denialism.The consequences are deadly. Patients who avoid medical care because they fear fat shaming are less likely to receive cancer screenings, cardiac care, or diabetes treatment. Parents who reject their pediatrician's advice about childhood obesity are setting their children up for a lifetime of disease. The activists who scream at doctors are not fighting oppression. They are enabling preventable death.Turn down the lights, put on your headphones, and press play because the evil side of fat activism is not in the intentions. It is in the outcomes.