Health At Every Size
Have you seen Khloe Kardashian promote a skinny tea? How about a fitness guru captioning a video of their workout to “shed pounds” or to “never look better”? These are examples of how the media promotes diet culture. Diet culture can be helpful with the right intentions, but I am here to make you all both aware of the negative impacts that our appearance-obsessed culture as become and invite you to use HAES when thinking about health. HAES, or health at every size, is an approach that was founded in 2003 to look past weight as a determinant of an individual’s health. As someone[MM1] who has struggled with their weight and self-image greatly, I think that this approach to weight is a positive and helpful way of dealing with body sizes and offers a more inclusive environment to all body types. Some things that I am going to talk about that may help you become a more supportive member of our society will include, what HAES is and what it does, weight stigma, and why you should adopt a HAES approach in your own lives.
I have struggled[MM2] with my weight since my freshman year of high school. My first ever party, I realized how out of place I was and subsequently felt. I was not like the other girls. I struggled from this point forward with my self-esteem. I was never good enough. I cut back on what I ate, went on numerous diets, trying anything to be skinny. I thought thin meant beautiful and healthy. I labeled myself as fat and unhealthy. This mindset could not be further from the truth. I wish HAES was taught in school. I wish someone would have told me I was healthy, and I was beautiful, not because of my weight.
As stated by the Association for Health and Diversity, “The Health At Every Size[MM3] (HAES) approach is a continuously evolving alternative to the weight-centered approach to treating clients and patients of all sizes. It is also a movement working to promote size-acceptance, to end weight discrimination, and to lessen the cultural obsession with weight loss and thinness.”
While HAES advocates for inclusivity and acceptance, an even larger part of their mission is to give people access to care. Weight bias towards people of higher weight bodies is problematic in numerous ways. Many call obesity an epidemic. A study published by the Canadian Journal of Public Health investigated how health care systems have negative biases against obese individuals. The study dove into the claim that obesity is economically costly. Stating, “The costs of obesity have been well studied with estimates in Canada reaching 7.1 billion annually.” (Canadian Journal of Public Health. 2018) However, what statistics often neglect to acknowledge is how weight bias plays into that. Weight bias is seen when individuals don’t seek out medical attention and avoid doctors because of the common harmful connotations people associate with larger-bodied individuals. Not seeking treatment delays interventions and can perpetuate obesity further. An article from HuffPost also touched on how in America, we tend to blame people for being higher weight. Believing that being of a larger body is a personal failure. (Hobbes, p.3) HAES is an approach that directly combats weight bias in the health care industry and can be cost-effective as well[MM4] .
HAES has five guiding principles that they stand for. They are: Weight inclusivity, Health Enrichment, Respectful Care, Eating for Well Being, and Life Enhancing Movement. These principles are important for communities, professionals, and policymakers alike. They are vital in providing adequate support mentally and physically to any size individual[MM5] .
People supporting people should be easy. We are all connected all the time. Why is it so hard, though? Internet trolls are everywhere. Mean comments on pictures, memes, tabloids all[MM6] are taking hits at individuals. When does this seem to happen most? When it concerns a person’s physical appearance. Where does it seem to all take place? Behind a screen. Public shaming and cancel culture are quite popular in media today. Celebrities once adored, are now struggling for money and ending up with all the other washed-up celebrities on Dancing with the Stars. Ok, in all seriousness, shaming is a more common reality than we may think.
We see posts all the time about trying Keto or doing a summer body workout. We all are familiar with Oprah’s Weight Watchers collab. “Fat Buring”, “Shredding”, and “Detox” are words in many influencers’ repertoire of common bait used to lure in people insecure about their body. These words are all perpetuating a huge issue of weight stigma. It is both subtle and completely overt. Media consumption directly affects our satisfaction with our bodies. Constantly comparing ourselves to an image so exquisitely face tuned that you genuinely believe that the model is perfect. We are a society obsessed with thinness. There is absolutely nothing inherently wrong with being thin. It is when people use thinness to disparage being of a higher weight. Idolizing being thin, sends the message that fat is bad. Pushing dieting and exercising to alter one’s appearance can be more harmful than helpful. The National Eating Disorder Association states that the negative comments and attitudes from strangers, family members, and doctors alike can cause depression, bad body image, and binge eating. Essentially this means, telling someone to lose weight or diet makes their situation worse. Feeling a sense of failure, guilt, or shame can perpetuate eating disorders, including binge eating disorder. (National Eating Disorder Association 2018) Weight stigma is real, and it is dangerous. It is further reinforced from the HuffPost article stating, “According to a 2015 study, fat people who feel discriminated against have shorted life expectancies than fat people who don’t”. (Hobbes, p.18) This is an ironic twist of fate that being fat shamed is more harmful than the weight itself. [MM7]
This speech paints a grim picture of our society. A bunch of vain individuals who are willing to tear anyone else down to soothe their own dissatisfactions within themselves. I don’t think that this is true. Times are changing, and people are becoming more educated. I think that everyone can be educated on the harmful effects of weight stigma and how using the HAES[MM8] approach can combat these effects.
You may be thinking that you don’t have the necessary tools or lack a certain education needed to use HAES. It is so simple that I know you all can use it. HuffPost makes one more important claim from the CDC that roughly 80%[MM9] of adults are overweight. This means that someone you know, people you interact with every day are overweight. You are probably unknowingly doing your part already. So, giving you the tools you need shouldn’t be too hard. Here is what you need to know, one, start with yourself. You cannot change anyone else until you work on yourself. Accepting yourself and your body as it is can improve yourself and empower you to take on things you may not think you could before. Two, accept that people are diverse, and that includes body diversity. Being inclusive is key. Three, be an active member of your community and exercise your right to vote. Voting on policies and supporting movements such as HAES can benefit all human life. Four, understand that eating and nutrition are individualized and promote eating based on your own needs, not by a diet. Finally, five; instead of working out until you pass out or nominate your loved one for the biggest loser, be accepting that exercise should be an enjoyable, accessible means of movement for everyone. (HAES)
As young, educated, and responsible individuals, we have a huge opportunity to make changes in our society. We have all heard the talks about how obesity is a major issue in our country and that more people in our country are overweight than not. We were all informed about Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign and Oprah’s Weight Watchers program. We were born and raised in a war. The one against a label of someone’s body size. Our country has fought long and hard on this. Strategies of using weight loss programs, or pills, or certain exercises used to take down the enemy. Our word’s being weapons that cut deeper than any sword could. Let’s cease-fire. Let us, young adults, make peace with each other, and more importantly, our bodies. If we all adopt the HAES approach to our bodies, we can go out and see what our society is like, as we make amends with our bodies and those of our neighbors[MM10] .
Bibliography
Fryar CD, Carroll MD, Ogden CL. Prevalence of Overweight, Obesity, and Severe Obesity Among Adults Aged 20 and Over: United States, 1960-1962 Through 2015-2016). National Center for Health Statistics. September 2018 Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/obesity_adult_15_16/obesity_adult_15_16.pdf
HAES Principles. (n.d.). Retrieved April 8, 2020, from https://www.sizediversityandhealth.org/content.asp?id=152
Hobbes, M. (2018, September 19). Everything You Know About Obesity Is Wrong. Retrieved from https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/everything-you-know-about-obesity-is-wrong/
National Eating Disorder Association. (2018, February 22). Size Diversity & Health at Every Size. Retrieved from https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/size-diversity-health-every-size
National Eating Disorder Association. (2019, June 27). Weight Stigma. Retrieved from https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/weight-stigma
Singh, K., Russell-Mayhew, S., Ranson, K. V., & Mclaren, L. (2018). Is there more to the equation? Weight bias and the costs of obesity. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 110(1), 17–20. doi: 10.17269/s41997-018-0146-2
I am trying to convey my credibility here through trustworthiness. I want to be genuine and sincere by opening up about my own struggles. [MM1]
I am using pathos here by giving a persoanl story about my own difficulties with weight. [MM2]
I felt that it was important to use a direct quote from the HAES website to give an explaination for what it is. This is important for credibility moving forward through the speech. [MM3]
By adding how using HAES can directly impact how health care industries can change is a use of logos to my previous points in the paragraph. [MM4]
This paragraph is an important transition into more information about HAES that will make it come across as a credible approach to health. [MM5]
I used example of traditional sources of weight stigma to support my speech with evidence. [MM6]
I used causal reasoning here to show the link between how discrimination has a direct impact on a overweight person’s health. [MM7]
This paragraph is a necessary transition as to avoid making the audience defensive, I instead want to open them up to the fact that they are people who have the capacity to do this [MM8]
I am using evidence here with statistics to back up my claims and to show that what I am talking about is credible. [MM9]
My conclusion is strong and ends witha call to action. I want people to be empowered so that they can go out and practice the approach that I have persuaded them to go and use. [MM10]
Megan's underrated thoughts 