Fat Acceptance Movement - Modern Movement

Modern Movement

Members of the contemporary movement perceive negative societal attitudes as persistent, and as being based on the presumption that fatness reflects negatively on a person's character. Currently, the fat acceptance movement continues to strive for change in societal, personal, and medical attitudes toward fat people. Proponents engage in public education about what they describe as myths concerning fat and fat people. Organizations hold conferences and conventions: including "NAAFA", the "Association for Size Diversity and Health", the "No Lose Annual Conference", and "FatGirl Speaks". Several books have been written on the topic, including Fat!So? Because You Don’t Have To Apologize For Your Size by Marilyn Wann, Tipping the Scales of Justice: Fighting Weight-Based Discrimination by Sondra Solovay, Largely Happy: Changing your Mind about Your Body by Lynda Finn, and Don’t Diet by Dale Atrens and Bigger Fatter Politics by Mike "Fat Bastard" Gerard.

In recent years, more writers have written to promote fat acceptance: related online zines include Fat!So and Figure 8, related blogs include Kate Harding's Shapely Prose, Big Fat Blog, The F Word, The Body Love Wellness Blog, and PeopleOfSize.com. Several websites have sprung up to help connect fat people with fat-friendly service providers and products. Many books have been published challenging the medical claim that fat produces ill health and highlighting the issue of weight-based discrimination that fat people are subjected to by medical professionals and society at large. Size discrimination has been increasingly addressed in the arts, as well. Performance art groups such as The Padded Lilies, Big Burlesque and the Fat Bottom Revue, among others, intentionally feature fat people in their shows.

There has also been an emerging body of fat political and sociological studies, some with a fat activist agenda, developing within the academy. The American Popular Culture Association has an area in fat studies and regularly includes panels on the subject. In addition, student groups with a fat activist agenda have emerged in a number of colleges including Hampshire, Smith, and Antioch colleges. 'Fat studies' is available as a course to study at some colleges, similar to other minority studies such as transgender studies and African American studies.

In addition to what the movement is doing to raise public awareness, there have been a surge in studies both for and against fatness in scientific journals.