Body Positive

The whole thing with "Body Positive" really needs to stop. Nobody should be bullied or shamed about their weight/health, however it is NOT bullying or "shaming", to be HONEST about someone's weight/health.

Guess what? I'm overweight. I'm not "plus size", or "differently shaped". I'm just fucking fat. That is an objective fact. There certainly are cases where it's case by case, "are you really overweight or not". But generally speaking, if an honest DOCTOR would tell you you're overweight, and need to lose weight to be healthier? Then you're overweight, IE fat.

"Beauty", on the other hand, is NOT objective. It is incredibly subjective, hence "In the Eye of the Beholder". If I say someone or something is beautiful, I don't mean it in some vague, non-existent universal sense. I mean I personally find that person or thing to be beautiful. Me. Period. If some girl genuinely finds me handsome, that means SHE thinks I'm "Beautiful". That does not, in any sense, make me OBJECTIVELY "Beautiful", because there is no such thing.

So we need to stop with this "Everyone is beautiful" message. In all honesty, it is more delusional, and harmful, than telling people that they could stand to lose some weight. Beauty is subjective. SOMEONE might find you beautiful. It doesn't mean you're objectively beautiful, to anyone and everyone, and shame on anyone who doesn't think so. I'm quite certain a LOT of people (IE most people on the planet) would not find ME to be "Beautiful", and you know what? That's okay. It's understandable. Because I'm NOT objectively "Beautiful", because there is no such thing.

HEALTH, however, that IS 100% objective. Health is not a matter of "how you feel". It's a matter of "according to medical science, are you healthy or not". A fat person, is fat, and generally speaking, unhealthy, period. You don't even have to BE fat, to STILL be unhealthy. I know plenty of skinny people who are also out of shape. If you get winded just walking up a moderate flight of stairs, or walking up a hill, or taking out the trash? Then you're out of shape. That means, objectively, that you're NOT healthy. And you should be taking steps to fix that, IF you want to live longer and have a better quality of life.

So again, I am 100% against bullying. As someone who suffered bullying as a kid and as a teen, I know what it's like, and it sucks. It is not called for, and can be very damaging to a person. However, pumping people up with this "you're beautiful no matter what you look like" mantra, is ALSO damaging. Why? Because it's not realistic, or practical. For one thing, it is only feeding into the ridiculous societal obsession with looks. It is telling people they LOOK beautiful, no matter how they LOOK. It's completely image-centric, and THAT is unhealthy. But again, NO ONE is objectively beautiful. There is no single person that is "the most beautiful person on the planet", because there are still going to be many people who simply don't find that person to be beautiful. Beauty is subjective. Health is not.

And that includes mental health. If you want to make someone feel better about themselves, why not bring up children to feel good about the PERSON they are, and not pump them full of image-centric narcissism? That is no good for anyone. It isn't healthy, or productive, to have someone be obsessed with their image, regardless of looks. But worse, how someone views themself, should not be focused first and foremost on their physical appearance. By telling someone "you're beautiful no matter how you look", you're telling them that the most important thing ABOUT them is their looks. And that couldn't be further from the truth.

Beauty is subjective. Even if you're young, with a "hot bod", and a "perfect face", you are NOT going to be "Beautiful" to every single person on the planet. And you shouldn't want to be. Someone out there, is going to think you're "Beautiful", and if they do, then hold onto them, because that's special. But this desire to be OBJECTIVELY "Beautiful", which is impossible, is vain, it's unrealistic, and it's psychologically unhealthy.

But continuing this fallacy that "Big is Beautiful", is a cruel disservice to anyone, and everyone. Telling someone it's OK to be overweight and unhealthy, and STAY overweight and unhealthy, is not doing them any good. Significantly overweight people almost always, with few exceptions, do NOT live to ripe old ages, and almost without exception, suffer more and more negative health problems as they get older. Why is that? Because the human body, just like pretty much any animal, was not built or meant to carry so much excess weight. Obesity, in humans, as in animals, leads to limited mobility, health problems, and ultimately, shorter lifespans. That is simply Nature. A body was meant to carry a specific range of weight, and anything over that, especially SIGNIFICANTLY over that, is not conducive to good health. Hence the term OVER-weight.

And the truth is, America most especially has a serious problem with obesity, for a variety of reasons. And yes, some people do genuinely have have health issues that CONTRIBUTE to being overweight, which they can't help. That is typically rare, and even in those cases, there are still things those individuals can do to manage their weight and be in better shape and health. Enforcing in people the idea that it's OK to be overweight and unhealthy, is not going to help reverse this trend, in fact it will only make it worse over time. As people become so obsessed and focused on the LOOKS part of the equation, as if somehow staying fat is some kind of protest against "body shaming", they will summarily ignore the HEALTH part of the equation, and thus will be singing "Big is Beautiful" all the way to an early grave.

If someone were to point out that I am fat, I'd be perturbed, but I wouldn't deny it, or argue the point. I am. I am overweight, and out of shape. I am NOT in optimal shape or health, and need to get back on track to GETTING that way, as I once was almost two years ago now. Now if someone were trying to SHAME me for being fat, thus BULLYING me about my weight, thus insulting me and hurting my feelings, that's them being as asshole, and thus fuck them. BUT, that still wouldn't change the objective FACT, that I AM fat, and need to lose weight and get in better health. I CARE about people's feelings, for sure, but I care about HONESTY above anything else, and I care about being HONEST, far above and beyond worrying about hurting someone's feelings. Feelings can be mended. At some point, health cannot be.

So I'll shut up about this now, as I know I tend to "Rant". But I'd like to think I usually make well reasoned, thought out points, as I certainly do give a lot of thought to a great many subjects. Most views or stances or beliefs I hold or espouse, come from a typically informed and thought out place. That doesn't mean I'm infallibly right about everything. But it DOES mean chances are strong that I've given the matter a lot of thought BEFORE "reaching what I'm preaching",if you get me. But the point remains: "Big does not objectively equal Beautiful". SOMEONE may find you "Beautiful", in THEIR eyes, and you should WANT that kind of person. But you should also want people to love you for the PERSON you are, NOT your looks. Food for thought.