Media and Research Roundup - March 2022
By Bill and Terri Weitze
CW: Some discussion of a dieting app directed at children.
For the latest information and research on fatness, check out the Media Research Roundup. This issue features: lack of plus-size representation in fashion week, being weighed at the doctor’s office, anti-discrimination in Brazil, WW’s violation of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act Rule and more!
April 8, 2020: Nova's episode about body fat shows how it is a fascinating and dynamic organ that has more to do with biological processes than personal choices.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/the-truth-about-fat
February 10, 2022: Luxury clothing brands are taken to task for lack of representation for plus size clothing and models for fashion week, missing out on the billion-dollar market for plus size fashion.
https://dailytargum.com/article/2022/02/fashions-plus-size-problem-heres-why-size-diversity-in-luxury-brands-matters
February 20, 2022: An article talks with healthcare professionals about Ginny Jones' cards for patients who wish to skip being weighed at the doctors (unless really necessary). The outcome is sadly predictable, with many physicians more interested in the data than the patient.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/patients-doctors-please-dont-weigh-150530128.html
February 25, 2022: Body neutrality is explained in The Washington Post as focusing on what your body can do rather than its appearance.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/02/25/body-neutrality-definition
February 27, 2022: Like much of the world, Brazil has had an increase in weight of its general population. Unlike much of the world, Brazil is working to adapt to larger bodies by providing appropriate accommodations and working against discrimination because of "gordofobia" (article requires subscription).
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/27/world/americas/brazil-obesity.html
March 8, 2022: Mark your calendars with these important dates for the upcoming Fat Studies: Rights, Personhood, Disposability conference.
https://www.fsnz.org/fsnz-2022
March 7, 2022: The Wall Street Journal discusses how weighing in at the doctors is often not necessary (article requires subscription).
https://www.wsj.com/articles/do-you-really-need-to-get-weighed-at-the-doctor-some-doctors-say-no-11646612301
March 8, 2022: WW (formerly Weight Watchers) targeted its weight loss app to children and is accused of violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act Rule by gathering data on children under 13 years old.
https://news.yahoo.com/ftc-weight-watchers-app-illegally-232438842.html
Editor Note: The original article linked from Yahoo News is no longer available but there is an article written by Forbes regarding this subject matter.
Terri and Bill Weitze have been active within NAAFA for years, and they currently coauthor the Media and Research Roundup in the NAAFA Newsletter. They both live and work in San Jose, CA, and met through a fat-positive bulletin board system before the days of the World Wide Web.