Jacob Riis Beach hosts the day of body positivity and fun, in the city at the heart of the fat acceptance movement

Fat Beach Day events are springing up across the US in an effort to fight back against fat-phobia, reclaim safe spaces for the community and honor plus-size culture. Today, one of these celebrations is being held to coincide with Pride month at Jacob Riis Beach in New York, a location deeply ensconced in the city’s activism space.

  • WR5@lemmy.world
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    2 年前

    I may be ignorant of this, but weren’t plus-sized people already allowed on beaches? I’ve been to beaches along the Gulf of Mexico all of my life and have seen plenty of fat people there, and gone with my friends who are fat and never seemed to have any trouble.

    • Tiefling IRL@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      2 年前

      It’s not about being allowed or not. It’s about creating an inclusive space for plus size people to comfortably sunbathe without being oggled and judged for their size, a privilege that others have more frequently.

      • SPRUNT@lemmy.world
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        2 年前

        Great in theory, but fat people will always be oggled at and judged for their size. All this will do is make a big spectacle and draw attention to those who really just want to be left the fuck alone to live their lives.

        • XIIIesq@lemmy.world
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          2 年前

          It also adds to the HAES bullshit. Being obese is unhealthy, that’s not up for debate.

          Imagine if they had a smokers acceptance day where we all had to give them a pat on the back for damaging their lungs. It’s so stupid.

          No one has to accept or celebrate your lifestyle they just have to tolerate it.

          And as you’re saying, if you want to be super fat, good for you, but people are going to look and that’s not their problem.

          • otp@sh.itjust.works
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            2 年前

            I agree with what you’ve said here.

            At the same time, encouraging obese people to go outside and get some exercise without worrying about how they look to others seems like something to encourage.

            If they can go out to the beach and it wasn’t so bad, maybe they can go out to the gym on another day.

            This wouldn’t happen for everyone, but if it helps a few people, then I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing.

  • jpreston2005@lemmy.world
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    2 年前

    Pride is for people who were routinely ostracized, beaten, disowned, and murdered because they were different in a way they couldn’t change.

    Being overweight is something you can change.

    Being fat has always been accepted. It’s just not celebrated, because it’s not healthy, indicates that you don’t take care of your body, and/or you don’t have control over your eating habits. There are rare circumstances when weight is influenced by a medical condition, but generally it’s people eating too much and not moving enough. Being fat is looked down on the same way as being un-showered, wearing dirty torn clothes, or smelling bad. It’s not the person, but the way this person presents themselves, and it can be changed. It’s like if a guy wears offensive slogan t-shirts every day, and gets upset when people aren’t especially nice to him. It’s your own doing, my guy.

    Were you kicked out of your family because you’re fat? Were you fired from your job because you were fat? Were you denied healthcare because you were fat? When was the last time someone targeted fat people for a mass shooting?

    Fat acceptance is just an attempt at finding victim hood within habitual self-flagellation.

    But also, I’ve never fat shamed anyone, I’ve never picked on someone because of their weight, or “judged” them. People who do that are assholes. I’m just upset that pride is being routinely co-opted by other movements like furries, fat acceptance, and all this other nonsense that, again, nobody was ever actually hurt over. I’m sorry you feel judged at the beach, but gay people are routinely murdered because they’re gay and pride is a protest.

    • Feathercrown@lemmy.world
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      2 年前

      It should be separate from pride, but on the “it’s a choice” aspect: How is weight gain different from many mental afflictions? It’s a mental issue that causes detrimental effects to your lifestyle.

      • I agree with you, being someone who has fought with his weight my entire life. The excess calories are there to fill a need, with mechanisms similar to substance abuse or gambling addiction. “Just stop eating too much” can feel like an unachievable goal.

        Any weight loss of an obese person should be combined with psychiatric care, because if you don’t identify WHY you are eating so much, you might just trade one addiction for another one.

    • Yggstyle@lemmy.world
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      2 年前

      For the afflicted? No.

      For us as a species? No.

      For capitalism? God yes.

      Thin people consume the least. Once we stop growing we stop needing new clothes. Obesity changes this. Clothes wear out faster, you need new sizes. Obesity leads to depressive states where people buy more to feel better. Speaking of more: eat more! Have some sweets to feel better!

      Be bold. Be beautiful. Be you (for us!)

      Clothing stores and food chains done with you? Guess you are broken now…

      Welcome to the medical system you will now need to rely on to function and stay alive! Till death do we part.

      Obesity is an epidemic and it’s too profitable to actually do anything about. They don’t care about you, your feelings, or your health. You are literally livestock to these corporations that you think are caudling you and your way of life. This is a wake up call.

      Obesity is difficult to conquer. It requires change and persistence. It requires support. Not everyone can achieve a ‘healthy ideal’ but everyone can do better.

      • jpreston2005@lemmy.world
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        2 年前

        oh look it’s one of the three conservative jokes.

        Should probly identify as an attack helicopter that hates his wife, make this comment the trifecta of dumbfuck.

      • Feathercrown@lemmy.world
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        2 年前

        This isn’t even a “tolerance as a social contract” moment, because avoiding reading the comments section on a controversial topic is in no way intolerance anyways.