The Patriot Post® · Fat Is the New Black

Early January is a tetchy month for the “anti-fatphobia” crew. Because of the holidays and the inevitable indulgent habits associated with the season, New Year resolutions often include getting back on a healthy weight and exercise regimen. These health resolutions are proclaimed everywhere on social media and often times in the office.

The after-holiday push to get more healthy is, however, apparently deeply triggering for “anti-fatphobia” activists. They are upset that their coworkers, family, and friends are working out and eating more healthily. They see other people’s choice to get healthy as fatphobia (after all, people only work out so they don’t look fat, right?). To them, it is a personal comment on their own weight, and there should be rules against fat-shaming, especially at work.

To the “anti-fatphobic” proponents, this race to the treadmill is just as harmful as saying that you enjoy listening to rap in the presence of a black individual. In other words, your fit privilege is showing.

Because these activists believe their victimhood is paramount, many have claimed “anti-fatphobia” should be included in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) agenda in the workplace. According to them, people sharing health goals or bringing healthy food for lunch should be shamed for making others feel bad.

First off, it’s ultimately the person who is triggered by others wanting to stay in shape who is bigoted. Other people are allowed to want to be healthy, stay in shape, and enjoy exerting their healthy bodies without these loony toons calling them names and making rules to bully them into hiding their healthy lifestyle.

Here is another hard truth: There is not a person alive who doesn’t struggle with keeping up with a healthy lifestyle. It takes discipline and sacrifice, but the payoffs are tremendous. People who stick with good, balanced food and regular exercise know firsthand the benefits the disciplined healthy lifestyle has had for them physically and mentally. It should be celebrated and shared.

However, “body positive” activists are upset because they don’t want to feel bad about their own lifestyle choices and seem to resent other people’s successes as perpetuating a harmful stereotype.

“Body positivity” isn’t unlike the gender identity activists. They don’t want to feel bad about their choices, so they are working very hard to make sure that everyone else affirms them, no matter how wrong or depraved that is. “Anti-fatphobic” activists are autonomous individualists at heart who want to justify their lifestyle and politically correct think-speak on the rest of the population.

“Body positive” activists also seek to claim another card in the victimhood deck by calling people who get healthy racists … because apparently being fit is a white characteristic? Tell that to all the amazing black athletes out there.

Like many of the other radical left-wing movements, they want everyone to just accept their assertions and their “science,” ignore centuries of wisdom, and comply so they don’t feel bad. Disagreement, particularly with the premise that “fat isn’t a good indicator of poor health,” would make one a bigoted, fatphobic person in their book — unless you’re an activist yourself, in which case you get a pass.

Sadly for them, they are only as much a victim as they allow themselves to be. That is true on the healthy choices front and also on the mental health front. Being offended by other people choosing to eat well and exercise and going all authoritarian in the workplace by demanding DEI accommodations is insanity.

They need some thicker skin.