In the latest edition of What are fat people angry about today? , a UK fitness writer has sparked outrage after claiming she wouldn’t work with anyone who was severely overweight as it shows a “troubled mind”.
The fitness journalist wrote the following article titled "Why You Should Never Work With Fat People":
I appreciate I’m likely opening myself for a tirade of abuse but with the hopes of inspiring some positive change- here goes nothing.
Firstly, we all have a propensity to gain weight; winter insulation, traditional Christmas battle of the bulge, summer holiday overindulgence- most of us have fallen victim at one time or another. That said, fitness model, bodybuilding stage lean also isn’t healthy and shouldn’t be considered sustainable year-round. A ‘normal’ softer, achievable, relatable body type is a beautiful thing and one that should be celebrated. However, where I draw a very resolute line at body positivity is today’s society validating and excusing severely overweight and obese people. If you are unable to perform day-to-day tasks like taking a leisurely walk, getting up the stairs without being out of breath or using generic seating at restaurants then you have a big problem, pun intended. Yes, different body types should be respected and big is beautiful… to an extent but severe extremes, be that dangerously under or overweight should be treated as a condition that requires help, not commended or excused.
So, as a businessperson myself and former employer; would I work with (extremely) fat people? No, I wouldn’t. Harsh but true (I’m sorry). For me, at best it demonstrates a troubled mind, lacking self-control and at worst it shows a severely disturbed individual who is likely to be lacking energy and suffering poor health. The way a person presents themselves physically says as much about them as the credentials they can list on a piece of paper. No, we shouldn’t judge people based on beauty, however as humans we can’t hide extreme, debilitating gluttony because we wear it as layers of fat. That’s biology not bigotry.
Six pack abs are not a quality I look for when choosing people to work with, but I do seek out individuals with enthusiasm and energy. People who, not necessarily exude health (although that’s a bonus) but at the very least don’t personify excess to the point of welcoming an early grave.
Battling the bulge isn’t easy, if you fall into the morbidly obese category, seek help from a medical professional. Gaining energy, confidence and a new lease of life are beautiful things but moreover, you are literally extending your life. Cliché as it may sound, life is our most precious gift.
Confidence and self-worth should always be nurtured and encouraged in every guise and I’m by no means condoning fat shaming or bullying, but equally let’s stop validating the result of toxic and harmful behaviour patterns. Obesity has now overtaken smoking as the largest contributing factor causing cancer. Let’s replace our misplaced kindness exonerating this damaging condition with catalysing change and providing help and encouragement to conquer this disease of modern times.
Surprise surprise! The fatties are outraged!!!
www.news.com.au
Full text of the article for those who can't access it:
Ok, yes, I'll accept that she was purposely trying to be provocative but a lot of what she says is accurate. She's not talking about people who are merely overweight - she's specifically talking about those who are severely overweight or obese. There is a difference. As she points out, if you are so big that you can barely walk or fit in a standard sized restaurant chair, then that is a serious problem. I love this quote: "as humans we can’t hide extreme, debilitating gluttony because we wear it as layers of fat. That’s biology not bigotry".
To be honest, I don't know why the fatties are so angry about this...what is the likelihood that a severely obese person would actually want to hire a personal trainer anyway?
The fitness journalist wrote the following article titled "Why You Should Never Work With Fat People":
I appreciate I’m likely opening myself for a tirade of abuse but with the hopes of inspiring some positive change- here goes nothing.
Firstly, we all have a propensity to gain weight; winter insulation, traditional Christmas battle of the bulge, summer holiday overindulgence- most of us have fallen victim at one time or another. That said, fitness model, bodybuilding stage lean also isn’t healthy and shouldn’t be considered sustainable year-round. A ‘normal’ softer, achievable, relatable body type is a beautiful thing and one that should be celebrated. However, where I draw a very resolute line at body positivity is today’s society validating and excusing severely overweight and obese people. If you are unable to perform day-to-day tasks like taking a leisurely walk, getting up the stairs without being out of breath or using generic seating at restaurants then you have a big problem, pun intended. Yes, different body types should be respected and big is beautiful… to an extent but severe extremes, be that dangerously under or overweight should be treated as a condition that requires help, not commended or excused.
So, as a businessperson myself and former employer; would I work with (extremely) fat people? No, I wouldn’t. Harsh but true (I’m sorry). For me, at best it demonstrates a troubled mind, lacking self-control and at worst it shows a severely disturbed individual who is likely to be lacking energy and suffering poor health. The way a person presents themselves physically says as much about them as the credentials they can list on a piece of paper. No, we shouldn’t judge people based on beauty, however as humans we can’t hide extreme, debilitating gluttony because we wear it as layers of fat. That’s biology not bigotry.
Six pack abs are not a quality I look for when choosing people to work with, but I do seek out individuals with enthusiasm and energy. People who, not necessarily exude health (although that’s a bonus) but at the very least don’t personify excess to the point of welcoming an early grave.
Battling the bulge isn’t easy, if you fall into the morbidly obese category, seek help from a medical professional. Gaining energy, confidence and a new lease of life are beautiful things but moreover, you are literally extending your life. Cliché as it may sound, life is our most precious gift.
Confidence and self-worth should always be nurtured and encouraged in every guise and I’m by no means condoning fat shaming or bullying, but equally let’s stop validating the result of toxic and harmful behaviour patterns. Obesity has now overtaken smoking as the largest contributing factor causing cancer. Let’s replace our misplaced kindness exonerating this damaging condition with catalysing change and providing help and encouragement to conquer this disease of modern times.
Surprise surprise! The fatties are outraged!!!
Reporter refuses to work with fat people
A UK fitness journalist has sparked outrage for claiming she wouldn’t work with an overweight person because it shows they have a “troubled mind”.
www.news.com.au
Full text of the article for those who can't access it:
Samantha Yardley has doubled down on claims being overweight shows someone “lacks self-control” — despite outrage over her fatphobic comments.
The 34-year-old said she didn’t believe in fat-shaming but claimed society shouldn’t be “validating” people who are overweight.
“As a businessperson myself and former employer; would I work with (extremely) fat people? No, I wouldn’t. Harsh but true (I’m sorry),” she wrote a blog post earlier this month.
“For me, at best it demonstrates a troubled mind, lacking self-control and at worst it shows a severely disturbed individual who is likely to be lacking energy and suffering poor health.”
Appearing on UK talk show This Morning on Wednesday Ms Yardley continued her comments by claiming obese people should “take responsibility”.
She also argued that plus-sized clothes should be made more difficult to buy to encourage people to lose weight. “We are all judged on how we look. I wouldn’t judge someone for being a little overweight,” she said. “But if it was someone who was extremely obese, I would think they are lacking in self-esteem, maybe they have the wrong lifestyle, maybe there’s an underlying problem.”
Ms Yardley then made unsubstantiated claims that people who are obese “take nearly twice as many days off” and are also “more lethargic and more lazy”.
Ms Yardley’s comments have sparked fury, with people tweeting that a person’s size is “none of her business” and weight can be impacted by number of factors, such as illness and medication.
Since her blog post first went viral Ms Yardley has address some of the controversy on Instagram, she was “sorry to have caused offence” but had no regrets about the article. “Like it or lump it, I got people talking about a pivotal issue,” she wrote. “A tirade of abuse is all worthwhile if I can help extend just one person’s life. That’s a huge privilege and so many people have reached out asking for help.”
Ok, yes, I'll accept that she was purposely trying to be provocative but a lot of what she says is accurate. She's not talking about people who are merely overweight - she's specifically talking about those who are severely overweight or obese. There is a difference. As she points out, if you are so big that you can barely walk or fit in a standard sized restaurant chair, then that is a serious problem. I love this quote: "as humans we can’t hide extreme, debilitating gluttony because we wear it as layers of fat. That’s biology not bigotry".
To be honest, I don't know why the fatties are so angry about this...what is the likelihood that a severely obese person would actually want to hire a personal trainer anyway?
