To a degree, I agree with Ray's comment. There is a difference between being overweight and obese. Personally, I think the word "fat" needs to be removed from our vocabulary as a word to descrive onesself as it seems that these days, anything larger than a size 4 is considered "fat". The word is so engrained as a negative word that I, who am normally a size 0-2, feels it's an appropriate description of what I look like after gaining a few pounds, yet still fit into nothing larger than a size 2. I do not have body dysmorphic disorder nor do I really consider myself fat; this isn't a boo-hoo sob story. My point is, is that people who are far from being overweight or unhealthy are using the word to describe themselves and it is a putdown. Overweight and obsese are medical terms which may be more appropriate to describe onesself. I have friends who at most are a size 6 who feel "fat" and complain. They are not fat, nor overwieght. My boyfriend is the medical definition of "overweight" yet despite physical after physical (required for his job, among other reasons), he is consistantly given a flawless bill of health. I do think there is a fine-line. I know people who, by medical standards are overweight, yet they eat better than I do (a nutritionist and weight loss counsellor) and exercise more frequently. They are probably physically healthy despite the extra weight they're carrying around. Similarly, anorexics are thin, as are bulimics, as are cancer and AIDS patients. Labeliing a thin person as healthy and an overwieght person as unhealthy is akin to labelling all black people as being good atheletes. It's blatant - and incorrect - generalization. What does concern me is the pro-fat movement that seems to be occuring around me. Props to society for expanding their expectations of what's acceptable, but the more we open up to it, the less concerned we become of the medical issues surrounding a person who is truly overweight, be it heart disease and diabetes, or food addiction and depression. We need to stress healthy eating and exercise and if you wind up a size 2 or 14 due to it, you shouldn't be judged. If however you're ill which is contributing to being over or underweight, it needs to be addressed and that is something that should not be forgotten, lest we have their blood on our hands.

You can Fat and Happy! Fat and healthy NO! One must stay within there "BMI" Body mass index and anything radically over or under is unhealthy. I work in the city of BRANTFORD, ON and there are so many overweight and obese men and women. I think partially because BRANTFORD is a lower middle class uneducated commununity. Obese people put a stress on our health care system. BRANTFORD is also the scooter capital. So many POOR unhealthy people in BRANTFORD. Its really sad to see.

Who says you have to be a rake to be healthy? My BMI falls into the overweight category and ok yes i am fat there i said it. But I watch what I eat and I workout 6 days a week for one hour at a time. My blood pressure is normal, blood sugar is normal and my cholesterol yep you guess it, its normal too. Looking at my slender 145lb hubby, who is considered underweight has high cholesterol. Just goes to show that thin doesnt necessarily mean youre healthy.

Hello Jennifer and others, There is a huge difference between being large and being fat. You can certainly be a large or heavy person and be healthy, but I doubt you can be obese without experiencing fat-related health concerns sooner or later. It is well researched and well publicized that fat around the midriff - belly fat - is particularly troublesome. The bulbous gut proudly projected by pregnant-looking men, the jelly rolls squeezed into a too-small pair of jeans by women, will put you at considerably higher risk for all kinds of miserable diseases including certain cancers, diabetes and cardio-vascular problems such as congestive heart failure and stroke. The human body is not designed to sit in front of a television set 25% of the time eating fudge brownies and potato chips. Fatness, and therefore lurking unhealthiness is a North American problem and is due to inactivity and horrible eating habits. For those in non-physical jobs, you need to find something that provides physical movement and physiological stimulation - go camping (with a tent and a can of beans), play tennis, have an affair, walk to work (everyday), do something besides watching television. Please. Our health system cannot afford any more self-inflicted illnesses. In conclusion, no, you cannot glamorize or celebrate fatness any more than you can glamorize cigarette smoking. Ray

Hi Jenn, interesting topic. My take is that it's not healthy to base your entire self-worth on your weight. This is true whether we are fat or skinny - currently the only message to fat people is to lose weight to be healthy, however this would not change mental habits of self-blame/deflation every time we 'feel fat'. Let's not forget that the road to health includes maintaining a healthy self-concept, and in fact it's increasingly becoming known that liking yourself triggers taking care of yourself, which triggers better physical health.

Great article! I think we really do need to start talking about weight diversity. it's only when we move away from body facism and shame that we can be constructive and say: not all bodies need to look the same or be stick thin, what's important is to be healthy!