Why Is Fat The Last Taboo For So Many Of Us?

I often find myself grasping for words to describe my own body. This happens more frequently than I would like to admit. Just the other day, I was trying to tell a friend – a thin friend with a lanky body that can be poured into a bias-cut dress as easily as a poufy one – why I would never buy a wrap dress.“They just don’t look good on people like me, who are...” I resorted to waving my hands over my midsection.

“You’re a goddess,” my friend said finally, landing on yet another polite, vaguely empowering synonym to fill the conversational void. “You are bodacious.” I tried not to roll my eyes. I tell her to remind me of that when I have to choose my body type on an online dating profile. I use the word fat not as a cheerful reclamation or political statement but as a no-frills description. Do I want to hear other people use it to describe me, let alone use it to describe myself? No. It still feels like an insult that makes me wince.

A fan of Jean Nidetch, who invented Weight Watchers in the 1960s, once wrote her a letter asking whether fat could ever be acceptable. Her response was unequivocal: “I don’t think fat is beautiful, and I don’t think many other people think so, either.” I spent three years writing a biography of her, and can hear her no-nonsense, adenoidal Brooklyn-accented voice in my head, telling me that. “Fat is anything but beautiful – the word itself is unattractive.

This disconnection between our actions and our words is everywhere in our culture. None of us want to say the wrong thing. The problem is we end up saying things that don’t mean anything. We don’t even really diet these days, instead we tell our partners and co-workers who look at our carb-free lunches and say that we’re going on a cleanse or eating clean. I have heard people call getting Botox self-care. Some of my favourite designers now offer “extended sizing” options.

Words are hard, but beauty is effortless. Girl, you are beautiful 3

United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

13 Reasons Why season 4 cast: Who is in the cast of 13 Reasons Why?13 REASONS WHY season 4 is due to land on Netflix soon and fans are excited to see the main cast members return. Who is in the cast of 13 Reasons Why?
Source: Daily Express - 🏆 26. / 68 Read more »

The Plastic Nile: Why pollution in Africa's greatest river threatens all our futuresSky News' special correspondent Alex Crawford spent weeks investigating illegal plastic bag manufacturers in Africa. Read more on this story: The big issues of our time, manufacturing of plastic bags. Imagine getting paid to investigate this for weeks.
Source: SkyNews - 🏆 35. / 67 Read more »

'I can't breathe': why George Floyd's words reverberate around the world | Ben OkriThese few words should become the mantra of oppression – and spark the real change our world so desperately needs, says novelist and poet Ben Okri Nose job remember? I'm sure the pregnant woman he tortutred her own home couldn't breathe either
Source: The Guardian - 🏆 84. / 53 Read more »

We have a Tory government, so why is the liberal establishment still in power?Earlier this year, Mark Carney walked out of his job as governor of the Bank of England and into a new government advisory role connected to the COP26 climate change conference, which the UK is hosting. TWWelsh Word salad alert TWWelsh How you can earn money from sir Brandon platform which has really helped me investing$500 and getting $4000 as my profit was the change of Life 🤗🤗....DM to get started .👇👇👇BrandonLas1010 TWWelsh It feels very much like the tail is wagging the dog. Get a grip Boris & quickly
Source: The Telegraph - 🏆 41. / 63 Read more »

Sophie Turner's spot on response to troll who questioned why she's protestingActress Sophie Turner game a spot on response to a troll over why she was protesting for Black Lives Matter, considering George Floyd's murderers have been arrested.
Source: Cosmopolitan UK - 🏆 134. / 51 Read more »