Go read this now

I know we all read the fatosphere feed, but there is such a high volume, it can be easy to miss stand out posts. And so, with this in mind:

Bri has an absolutely brilliant post up at the moment examining models of illness in relation to fat. Definitely a ‘must read’.

It is the fattie who refuses to conform that is the problem and even more deviant. This fatty goes about their normal work and family tasks. They do not request assistance from others (particularly the medical profession) and do not acknowledge their state as inherently undesirable. They do not seek competent medical help (why would they when they don’t see themselves as sick?) and they do not co-operate fully in the recovery (diet) process.

Society does not see fat as an illness in that it doesn’t agree that being fat means someone should be exempt from work or family responsibilities. It sees the fat person as being totally responsible for their condition – the fatter someone is, the more responsible they are. Yet at the same time, society wants fatties to conform to the sick role in as much as we should be asking for assistance and acknowledging our fat as undesirable. We should want to ‘recover’ (get thin) and co-operate fully in the process (diet).