Media & Research Roundup - November 2024

Nov 25

*[Image description: An image of many red arrows floating to the right with one yellow arrow in the middle, signifying trends.]*

By Bill and Terri Weitze with additional contributions from the NAAFA Communications Committee

CONTENT WARNING: Some articles featured in the Media & Research Roundup may refer to stigmatizing events or use stigmatizing language.

October 24, 2024: This piece from The Harvard Gazette highlights a panel discussion called “Celebrating Bigger Bodies and Deconstruction Anti-Fat Bias.” This is a nice counterbalance to recent media from right-wing publications, where people are clutching their pearls about fat studies classes.

October 30, 2024: A one-year study claims that a personalized lifestyle intervention program (focusing on diet, exercise, and sleep, not the usually prescribed weight loss interventions) improves symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as cardiometabolic risk factors, in higher weight children.

October 31, 2024: NAAFA Community Voices Blog Editor Samantha Puc’s article in The Mary Sue explores fat representation in video games, celebrating Dragon Age: The Veilguard as an example of progress, while asking for continued efforts from game creators.

November 1, 2024: Bigger Bodies Boston was featured in local media for creating a welcoming community for plus-sized people while pushing for protections against discrimination.

November 7, 2024: Actor Colin Farrell and his recent appearance in The Penguin have been criticized for the use of a fat suit. This article questions Hollywood's approach towards fat people in general, and this portrayal specifically.

November 8, 2024: This episode of Scientific American’s Science Quickly explores whether focusing on size in health care might be doing more harm than good. Ragen Chastain is interviewed.

November 13, 2024: From in-depth interviews with ten patients from the US, the UK and Spain, IQVIA claims to have a new approach for long term, sustainable weight loss, while providing no new insights for achieving same, and seemingly missing the entire reason fat people have a problem with our current healthcare system.

November 14, 2024: Data released in advance of the American Heart Association’s meeting states that “ob*sity-related” ischemic heart disease mortality in United States adults increased by 180% between 1999 and 2020. Although this research abstract does point out particular groups with the highest percentage of increase, predictably, these numbers are presented without examination of the intersection of higher weight with other socio-political determinants of health, for example medical racism, medical weight bias, or socioeconomic and geographic factors related to healthcare access.

November 14, 2024: Pharmaceutical company Amgen’s stock took a plunge after its weight-loss drug MariTide (currently in Phase II testing) is linked with possible bone mineral density loss.

November 22, 2024: Fat Joke, a production by playwright Cheyenne Rouleau, will be playing at Anvil Theatre in New Westminster from January 31 to February 2, 2025. The play provides comedy and commentary on anti-fatness.