Fat Talk

“Fat talk is damaging. Period. For the person saying it. And for those who are forced to hear it. And because we cannot know how damaging it is for those listening, we must put an end to it. The language of fat and body and devaluation is small and insidious and climbs in under the skin. It affects our behavior before we even know it’s happening.”

"When we say I feel fat, that’s fat talk. And fat talk is insidious and destructive. The one thing that I’d encourage anyone who wants to drastically and subversively change their life for the better to do is eliminate fat talk. That’s it. Don’t engage in fat talk, don’t encourage it, and if you can, call others on it: hey, that’s fat talk, enough of that. Or don’t speak that way–this is me looking out for you. 

Fat talk is absolutely everywhere. And one of the things I began to notice is that when my best girlfriends would talk about having gained weight or their unhappiness with this-or-that-body-part–as soon as they called my attention to it, they planted an idea and I would then see what they were talking about. Oh yes, there’s that extra weight.  Let me make this very clear: I did not see it, until they pointed it out to me. And even then who knows if I actually saw it or I just thought I saw it. And these are women I love and adore.

Such is the power of suggestion.” 

Quote taken from the amazing Meg Fee's latest post 

about the damaging effects of society-skewed self perception 

and the Western cultural emphasis on appearance.

I don't think I've ever gone a day in my life without hearing it from someone.

"I need to lose 10 pounds.", "I feel fat.",  and even "You look great! Have you lost weight?".

I think it's the least interesting and yet most popular conversation topic.

And I think it places a dangerously strong emphasis on a persons appearance above all else.  

What do you think? Do you notice it?

Would you be able to go an entire week without participating in any form of fat-talk?



Also, an interesting photography project dealing with the same issue.