Society insists that laziness makes us fat – now science proves this is baseless bigotry
The IndependentSign up for the Independent Women email for the latest news, opinion and features Get the Independent Women email for free Get the Independent Women email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Few people hear the word “fat” and don’t respond with a subconscious visceral reaction. It is at once avoided by the mainstream in favour of “overweight” or “large” for fear of seeming offensive, while also used by people – mostly women – in the body positivity movement as a non-judgemental descriptor of size. Typically, such studies focus on people who are considered “overweight” – a loaded term many people deem to be based on arbitrary judgements. This time, researchers looked at people who were naturally slim, for whom portion sizes and dietary habits are pretty much irrelevant to their size, and found that this was directly linked to their genetic makeup, as opposed to “lifestyle choices”, which are often cited as the cause for obesity.
History of this topic
Sarah Jessica Parker doesn’t like being thin – here’s why it’s so tough to hear that
The Independent
Fatphobia Has Never Left Our Society
Huff Post
Women unhappy with their bodies ‘spend more time looking at slimmer females’
The Independent
Women are sharing the Nineties tropes that triggered their body dysmorphia
The Independent
Body Positivity Is Fine, But An Unhealthy Body Is Not — Why We Should Not Link The Two
ABP News
Cosmopolitan defends plus-size cover after Twitter users criticise magazine for ‘promoting obesity’
The Independent
Forty years of fake news has created the obesity crisis
The Independent
'Fat activist', 26, reveals the vile bullying she's faced online
Daily Mail
Why don’t the men obsessed with Tess Holliday admit they’re not actually concerned for her health?
The Independent
In A World Of Watered-Down 'Body Positivity,' The Tess Holliday Self Cover Is A Radical Choice
Huff Post
Man shares struggles of ‘being fat’ in emotional Twitter thread
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