Self-proclaimed fat activist claims 'fat oppression' as a whole new kind of victim ideology

Thursday, May 19, 2016 by: Daniel Barker
Tags: fat activist, obesity, Virgie Tovar

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(NaturalNews) A recent speech delivered to university students by a self-proclaimed "fat activist," is an illustration of how Americans have been coerced into accommodating the politically-correct extremist views of so-called "social justice warriors," whose tactics involve shaming the rest of us into accepting their beliefs and agendas, no matter how absurd or harmful they may actually be.

Virgie Tovar, a woman described in her own bio as "one of the nation's leading experts and lecturers on fat discrimination and body image," was invited to speak to a group of students at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health to mark "International No Diet Day."

From Heat Street:

"Tovar's talk, entitled 'Dispelling Myths: Fat, Fatphobia, and Challenging Social Stereotypes,' was designed to help students understand that 'fat phobia' is rampant in a 'white, heteronormative society' that is looking to actively oppress people with larger body types. Society's bias against fat people is, apparently, a form of bigotry and discrimination, evident in everything from sexual preferences to the size of seats on public transportation.

"She even, reportedly, compared society's anti-fat culture to so-called 'rape culture,' and chastised society for its obsession with what she termed 'thin privilege.'"

'Fat oppression' and 'thin privilege'

Tovar also spoke out against "fat oppression," and told students that they should not tell overweight people to lose weight, even when necessary for their health. She referred to diet and exercise as "social constructs," and said that "weight loss is not a realistic goal for most people."

Certainly it's true that our modern society reinforces an idealized version of beauty. Women, particularly, are made to feel that their bodies should be as thin as those of fashion models – an unrealistic goal for many whose bodies were simply never meant to fit into size 4 dresses.

At the same time, however, obesity rates remain high among Americans – the rates have doubled over the past 35 years – and the associated health cost is enormous. Obesity is the second-leading preventable cause of death in the United States.

Of course, not everyone can be expected to have the physique of a Greek statue, and no one should ever be "shamed" for being fat.

The sane approach to the issue would be to encourage people to maintain a reasonably healthy weight through proper diet and exercise, while ignoring any societal pressure suggesting one must look like a supermodel or an Olympic swimmer.

Is dieting a repression tool of the wealthy elite?

But, for liberal extremists like Tovar, that's simply not enough. Society must adapt by making bus seats wider, for instance, and "white heteronormative" folks –who are behind the plot against fat people – must make amends for the "oppression" they've inflicted.

"Dieting is all about the denial and repression of valuable instincts in the name of getting 'exclusive' privileges meted out by the nation's wealthy elite," Tovar wrote in one of her blog posts. [Emphasis hers.]

In Tovar's view, dieting is wrong in itself, and should be discouraged. Obese people should not be encouraged to lose weight, and should rebel against "thin privilege."

This defeatist and reactionary stance does not take into account the fact that millions of Americans are dangerously obese, and presumably many would prefer not to be – and for a variety of reasons, including their health. Is it really embracing "thin privilege" principles to simply want to be healthy – and dare I say it – attractive?

Is it blasphemous to suggest that any weight-related "sexual preference" bias might be at least partly based on a natural impulse of being attracted to healthy-looking (i.e. non-obese) individuals?

Is it wrong for someone to regulate their diet and maintain an exercise regime so that they can maintain a normal, healthy weight?

The bottom line is that individuals have the right and, at least to some extent, the ability to control their weight. No one should be made to feel guilty about being fat, but no one should ever be discouraged from taking the best possible care of their body either.

Sources:

HeatSt.com

StateOfObesity.org

WVDHHR.org

VirgieTovar.com

Science.NaturalNews.com