Double Standards in Society

Notice this picture alongside this post. Do we see a problem? I do! I wanted to address a recent Youtube video I watched (and stopped many times in frustration) from a Jubilee channel episode. The guest? Jillian Micheals. The topic? Obesity. Before I dive into all the nooks and crannies of what irritated me most, I want to talk about the image I was searching for to accompany this writing. I looked for "fat person next to skinny person". This was the best image that popped up.......and I don't see anyone skinny, do you? I see 2 "normal" sized women, and 2 overweight women. Why is this? Why could I not do a quick search and find a fat person next to a skinny one?! Here's the answer: fat people are celebrated...and anorexics are demonized. The way I see it, both the obese and unnaturally skinny both have eating disorders. This brings me back to the Jubilee video complaints. Let's look at commonalities of the obese and anorexic/bulimics, shall we?

• Both use food (or lack thereof) for emotional regulation

• Both have dangerous comorbidities

• Both are avoidable

• Both are cured with proper diet and exercise

• Both can stem from trauma and/or abuse

• Both tend to have low self-esteem

• It's less about the food and more about the "feeling"

Now let's see how they differ:

• Obesity is not deemed a mental illness VS. Anorexia/bulimia is deemed a mental illness

• Treatment for obesity is weight reduction surgery, injections, medications VS. Anorexics see a shrink

• Obese people don't think they have a problem VS. Anorexics are a problem

• Obese people claim they are healthy when fat VS. Anorexics are unhealthy when skinny

• Obese people have doctors/insurance cosigning their disease (and pay for it) VS. Anorexics have to fight to be taken seriously and rarely get any healthcare coverage

• Obese people get GLP-1s that create yet another ED VS. Anorexics face the physical pain of recovery without aid

Listen, I'm not cheering on either demographic, both are unhealthy...but after this video, I was raging mad! Fat women arguing health facts by pushing their "feelings" as more legitimate? Yelling at Jillian for speaking truth? LICENSED nutritionists claiming that "obesity" (the "o" word as one called it) was an offensive term instead of an accurate descriptor? What in the sam-hell?! This entire show was utter nonsense, and an hour that I can never get back. Since when are morbidly obese people entitled to emotional coddling?! In my opinion, fat people need to be held to the same standards as skinny ones. If food is an emotional regulator and causes health issues...the answer is not to normalize disease and make it socially acceptable...but to address it head on, and with equal measures.