Media and Research Roundup - May 2022
By Bill and Terri Weitze
Graphic shows 4 pictures: In the upper left is a pic of the lower legs and bare feet of a Black child standing on a scale, below says "Sign the Petition"; in the upper right is a pic of the cover of the Fat Studies Reader; in the lower left are illustrations of two plates, one with a salad on it and one with a large cookie; in the lower right is a pic of the outline map of Texas colored red, white and blue with a white star in the blue area representing the Texas flag, an unwinding tape measure is superimposed on the bottom of the map.
CW: Some articles reference medical antifatness, IWL, weight discrimination, food hierarchies, antifatness, racism and classism
For the latest information and research on fatness, check out the Media & Research Roundup. This issue features: , and more!
April 2022: Various people chime in on body positivity and why it is beneficial and important. One obesity specialist is included to tell us "we all know" how dangerous being fat is.
https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/video/benefits-criticism-body-positivity-movement-84346827
April 19, 2022: State troopers in Texas must achieve a certain waist circumference or face disciplinary action. The Texas Department of Public Safety claims this is for health and physical fitness; however, troopers who pass all the physical fitness tests but have too large of a waistline still face discipline.
https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-state-troopers-must-slim-down/285-8e65a9f1-35e2-45ef-a600-c197c23cda0e
April 20, 2022: A new study finds that there is no benefit to restricting eating to certain hours of the day.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/20/health/time-restricted-diets.html
https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2114833
April 20, 2022: This CNN article explains why complimenting someone on weight loss isn't always welcome, and includes ways to handle receiving such "compliments".
https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/20/health/weight-loss-compliment-harm-wellness/index.html
April 20, 2022: Confirming that no food is junk food, this article discusses how creating food hierarchies is a way to categorize the people who eat by class, race and size.
https://www.bonappetit.com/story/stop-saying-junk
May 2022: The most recent issue of Fat Studies is now available, focusing on Jews, Race and Fatness.
https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ufts20/11/2?nav=tocList
May 2022: If you think that weighing children at school is not appropriate, please consider signing Miriam Nelson's petition to State policymakers.
https://chng.it/ShjgXnyCtq
May 1, 2022: Size inclusivity is coming to rings. A New York Times article discusses sources for fashionable rings that come in larger sizes.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/27/style/rings-fit-for-all-fingers.html
May 9, 2022: Lizzo's shapewear brand, Yitty, is not an unqualified success. The size 6X translates to a size 28 (instead of the usual size 32) excluding everyone over that size. Others say that the idea of shapewear is the antithesis of the body acceptance Lizzo expounds.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/lizzo-yitty-shapewear-body-positive-200637109.html
May 13, 2022: Zeke Sanchez has been diving since he was 8 years old. Now 14 years old, he is taking his skills to competitions and posting his videos online and he is doing it all in a fat body. Way to go Zeke!
https://local21news.com/news/offbeat/14-year-old-diver-redefining-body-image-on-social-media-tiktok-instagram-water-polo-diving-east-valley-dive-club-mesa-airzona-phoenix
Pic is of Terri and Bill Weitze, a Caucasian couple, both wearing glasses
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.