#MotsPourMaux: Can we talk about "fat" people, or is it an insult?
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20 minutes
In #MotsPourMaux today we talk about the word "fat" and grossophobia.
So why speak of "fat" and not "round" or "obese" people?
Simply because being fat is not a shame.
The idea is to remove the stigma around the word fat.
And then because the word "obesity" is a medical term, which gives a pathological aspect.
This is what explains Daria Marx, of the Gras politique collective, at
20 Minutes
.
In short, let's not be afraid of words!
Fat people are rarely seen on TV or in the movies.
And yet, they are numerous: in France, nearly one in two people is overweight, and nearly one in six adults is obese.
Discrimination galore
Fat people are among the most discriminated against.
With equal skills, for a reception position, an overweight candidate has six times less chance of being recruited than a woman in the “norm” of weight and skin color.
Testing on hiring in reception - Capture
Fat people are also paid 18% less than others, they have difficulty finding accommodation, dressing, traveling - often they have to reserve two seats - and even being treated.
Because the medical equipment is often not suitable, or the caregivers use guilty remarks.
We don't choose to be fat
We often think that if we are fat, it is a simple matter of willpower, and that it would be enough to eat less.
It's much more complicated!
Sometimes fat people have become fat because of medical treatment.
Or because they suffer from a family climate which does not give them confidence.
This is what Gabrielle Deydier tells us in her book On ne ne ne pas gros: she gets fat in particular at the start because she has Stein-Leventhal syndrome, and also because her mother hates herself, and always complains about feel fat.
Like Gabrielle Deydier, 80% of obese people who suffer from eating disorders report a hostile family climate.
We can also gain weight because of mental disorders, or sexual violence.
In
Hunger
, Roxane Gay, recounts having gained weight after the gang rape suffered at the age of 12.
She eats to protect herself from men, to make herself untouchable.
It is the story of a hunger that heals and kills at the same time.
80% of bariatric surgeries involve women
And then you are also more likely to get fat when you have a low level of education or earn little money, because good food is expensive.
In France, one in four smicard is obese.
There are also genetic factors.
Know that there are as many obese in women as in men, and yet, 80% of bariatric surgeries involve women.
You know those surgeries where part of the belly is removed, for example.
For women, it is double the penalty, because they are even more subject to the dictates of beauty.
And that's also why I chose the word "fat"!
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