Fatphobia is a term for this system of oppressions. A system that propagates that fat people are not attractive. A system that stops fat people from getting jobs and even making friends. A system where fat people cannot access proper health care. A system where fat people have their own section on YouTube under comedy. A system that tells everyone that our self-worth is largely dependent on body size, and that those who are too big (who decides that?) are worthless.

Fat, like everything else, is a social construct. The term was invented by people, and so it is open to debate. For the purposes of this article, I will try to reclaim the word fat as empowering; something totally different than what society thinks it is. It is a word we cannot fear. All our lives we’re conditioned to think that ‘fat’ is gross; why?

“I think the media has morphed [our] ideas and perception of what is actually realistic and what they portray as being realistic.” Randi Fogelbaum, Director of the McGill Eating Disorder Program, told The Daily.

“[We have] this distant ideal, [of] how people should look but it’s fixed up and photoshopped. Media affects how we think about body image.”

Fogelbaum, who has been working with the McGill Eating Disorder Program – a part of McGill Health Services – for seven years, believes that worrying too much about diet only creates more problems. This fixation increases the risk of not only eating disorders, but also of being dangerously overweight.
Instead, she thinks that every person has a “set point” of what their weight should be. It’s when people try to control their set point that problems arise. “Size doesn’t mean anything about health,” Fogelbaum insisted.

Health Services includes a multi-disciplinary team approach that gives individual attention to each case they are presented with. While they specialize in anxiety, depression, and mood disorders, they insist that they can help anyone with anything they are struggling with. This approach of unconditional help is what proves to be the most effective. There are ‘thin’ people who eat poorly and don’t exercise, and there are ‘fat’ people who treat their bodies very well. Ultimately, your weight is not necessarily an indication of your overall health. The Health at Every Size (HAES) movement has been fighting to prove that people can be healthy regardless of size. Their website proudly states, “People are tired of diets, tired of feeling like failures, and tired of being scared of food. They are excited to find a paradigm that respects the diversity of human bodies and starts from the very basic premise that they can trust themselves—a paradigm that respects pleasure rather than denial.”

Having fat can actually positively impact your life and increase lifespan by a few years. It has been proven that certain fluctuations in weight can cause health risks for some individuals, but even minor weight fluctuations are heavily criticized and looked down upon.

People are plagued with this idea that if we shame fat people enough, they’ll lose the weight. But, as Fogelbaum put it, “If someone criticizes, attacks, or has unrealistic expectations, it [just] creates more problems.” Making people feel bad about their weight and shaming them is not giving help, and it is surely not constructive.
Ragen Chastain, dancer, writer, speaker, and, most importantly, self-identified fat person and fat activist, has developed a cult following with a simple mantra, “Everybody of every size should be treated with respect.”
Chastain, who has won three National Dance Championships, still believes learning to love herself is her greatest accomplishment. She champions the idea that everybody deserves respect and that the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are not contingent on size.

“A lot of my ‘normal weight’ friends complain about having trouble finding the time to exercise. Imagine how much harder that is when carving out time to exercise also means carving out time to be ridiculed and humiliated,” Chastain told The Daily.

Although the parameters of someone’s size are largely genetically determined, people still insist on scapegoating fat people, and perpetuating fat discrimination.

The Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS), as part of its anti-ableist mandate, considers it vital to support people of all genders who have encountered fatphobia, struggled with eating disorders, or faced harassment because of body issues.

Too often, complaints of sexual harassment and attacks on overweight citizens fall on deaf ears. SACOMSS provides a non-judgmental and confidential service that anybody is welcomed and encouraged to use.

School Schmool, a planner pblished by QPIRG McGill and Concordia, addresses the issue of fat phobia and the importance of “[allowing] the focus of fatphobia to be shifted from aesthetics to health, [because] there’s nothing left to reap from the ‘being fat is unhealthy’ phase.” If that happens, it’ll allow people to focus on something else: accepting everyone regardless of the shape of their bodies.

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In January 2013, Executive Director Rob Shirkey founded the Our Horizons project. His goal was simple: to get people thinking about the planet. His plan of action is equally as austere: the not-for-profit organization wants to pass legislation requiring gas stations to place warning stickers on fuel nozzles similar to those on cigarette packages.

Shirkey spearheaded the project based on the belief that the first step to solving a problem is to address it. The graphic mock-ups proposed by the company undoubtedly force people to think twice about filling up.

Reeves discovered the project while doing a field study in Panama. It was there where she found out about a job on the Our Horizons team. Among the flurry of other job postings this one stood out because it wasn’t advertised as a job, but a lifestyle. “I felt drawn to it. All other jobs felt like starting at the bottom, which was okay too, but [here] I really had a chance to get involved in something globally unprecedented, get my hands dirty, and do some hard work,” she told The Daily.

She largely connects her determination in making Our Horizons successful to the Macdonald Campus community. “They all cared about similar things,” she raved, “and the professors were always supporting student initiatives.” She specifically noted groups like the Eco Garden and the Sustainability Club.

Currently acting as the Director of Communications for the Our Horizons team, Reeves spent her summer going door-to-door campaigning for this project. The team believes that success will be largely based on getting the word out and hopefully starting a chain reaction. Just like the global expansion of warning labels on cigarette packages creates awareness about the negative health effects of smoking, Our Horizons hopes to be the catalyst for spreading warnings on fuel nozzles.

While facing up to municipalities is currently their main concern, resistance has been coming from individuals who argue that these labels are ineffective. Some even go on to say that climate change and global warming is a hoax. To those who the facts can’t sway, Reeves simply replies, “Better be safe than sorry.”

For those interested in trying to help out the sustainability initiative, Reeve and the rest of the Our Horizons team encourage people to start small. “Bike, carpool, recycle,” she urges – a piece of advice that lines up with their project and the simplicity of thought. Anything is always better than nothing, and alas, too many people are doing nothing.

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