Los Altos, CA (openPR) 5 October 2006

Building on previous movements for equal rights, the size acceptance movement gains strength. In this two-part interview with Dr. Deb Burgard, noted eating disorders specialist advocates and health at any size, Veronica Cook-Euell explores the fat and fat feminism and civil rights.


Dr. Burgard

work with women across the spectrum of weight has given him a unique perspective. “I realized early in my career running a hospital eating disorders program, and also means fitness classes for women over 200 pounds that I had with the sickest thin women work and healthier fat women.” Seeing the two groups that are less visible to the public have showed him that no one by the body of a person, what they do with food or telling the exercise. “You may die of hunger, even at a very high weight if you do not eat enough. If I have a thing in could change the world, what would we stop, assuming things about a person by their body size or BMI. “

fat people as overeaters, underexercisers, lack of self discipline stereotypical, such as health problems of Kiel, and drains on the economy. This stigma and discrimination caused great distress to many people. In most parts of the country it is perfectly legal to discriminate on the basis of the weight. People with higher BMI have more discrimination to employment, insurance, medical care, clothing, to receive training opportunities, and challenges to pursue their ability, by home or keep custody of children. The physical scaling of our shared environment denies some fat people comfortable access to public places, and the stigma with being fat causes many people to activities they concerned about avoiding humiliating connected. Fear perceived as fat affects most American women, if anyone else they see as fat or not, and a growing number of people. It applies to children aged younger.

fact, stigma fat causes deep problems for people who are not fat. Mr. Burgard argues, “prevention of eating disorders and size acceptance are closely linked. Men with eating disorders try to avoid despair what they perceived as shameful humiliation as exercise fat we will not be prevented in a position to eating disorders until she socially secure a broad range of body sizes. – The size of the bodies, the real man, thick and thin “.

Even so-called “war on obesity” stigmatizes fat people by calling for the prevention of obesity. Intervention to ‘prevent obese children is for children weighing more targeted high for more weight in the context of teasing and bullying as a champion of. “Health in all sizes” approach to weight problems, said Dr. Burgard: “If we concerned about the quality of the diet or physical activity opportunities for our children, why not, as in the thin children why the argument of diet on the backs of fat people? Public attitudes are that fat is to stigmatize politically useful be affected are food for activists to exploit the prejudices of fat to advance their cause. “Public opinion that stigmatize fat, making it useful to define for Big Pharma and other corporate interests to obesity as a chronic disease, medical care for life.” The fact that poor people and people of another race more resources can discriminate effectively without labeled a bigot heart. The public perception that “to bring to fat people on itself” and that “could lose her weight if she tried,” allowed to go, such discrimination unchallenged If you have insurance, which of your obligations to the poor and people of other want to get rid of skin color are -. People, the cost of insurance more than poor, and discrimination can be difficult for the health of people – you don ‘t call us on this if costs you a “people who are fat are millions .’”

There are people who are fat health problems, and all these problems are found in thin as well. There are people who are healthy fat and die of old age are. There are many ways to an overweight person, or become thin, and some of them are not natural health processes and other destinations. Mr. Burgard notes: “No one can tell by looking at a person they need for their health, we must learn to know them as individuals, even if all ate well and exercised, the weight of a population would be a bell curve weight should follow diversity. So, the aim should not be to avoid the natural variation in body size. Try to avoid health problems caused by “obesity prevention” is like trying to prevent AIDS by preventing homosexuality. Public Health is can focus on the decisions people their day make-to-day practices. you need to practice safer sex, if you reduce your chances of AIDS, if you’re gay or straight. you have to feed your body, if it to be healthy, whether you are fat or thin, dass “

Dr. Burgard and his colleagues created a research project to study the ways in which ordinary people, fat and thin, integrated health practices in their normal lives. “We are in the question that studies clearly sufficient interest, but how successful people have done. We must stop to weight loss and watch as people who listen regularly, in fact, exercise or music, their body through regular consumption decisions or regular seat belt, or whatever, they realized that despite all the distractions on the weight. “The project is called Sustainable Development and Health Practices Registry can be found online at www.albany.edu/ ~ Drew / health.

“Love Your Body Day” 18 October offers the possibility to how fat is a feminist issue to reflect. Women are earning their primary social power to the eyes. Mr Burgess said: “If your body for the bad treatment you from blaming others, you are vulnerable to the temptations of a Body Project” and more likely to experiment with their obsession with perfection. They invest in the myth that if you have a perfect body, you will have a perfect life. “But the tasks of the perfection of the body often drain money, energy and time the woman was real investment in their education, development, make financial security and so on.

Dr. Burgard notes that are the size acceptance movement feminist ideas and experiences of others who branded to see patterns and solutions used. “It is interesting to note that a similar number is projected of features: laziness, the appetite, lack of discipline, control, etc. These features were part of the stereotypes about the group by group why dominant groups in our history precisely the function body. a group of people (skin color, gender, weight) and a pathology? The target group members must somehow see the leverage that these things are not, or no more than any other group of people, at least randomly, and believe in themselves themselves and their own value, we need to understand much more about how this happened – c ‘is the story of resistance against oppression “.. Love Your Body Day is an opportunity to participate in this noble tradition.

To the show, tune http://www.sizematterstoo.com hear and click on “listen to the show this week.” Part 1, “Fat and Feminism” airs 10/5-11, Part 2, “Fat Civil Rights” airs 10/12-18

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more about the work of Dr. Burgard, visit the http://www.bodypositive.com

order in the registry a sustainable practices in the areas of health, visit participating http://www.albany.edu/ ~ Drew & Health

To learn more about Love Your Body Day, visit http://loveyourbody.nowfoundation.org/

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clear = “all”
inpatient eating disorder programs