I'm gonna need my own zip code

On one of the many blogs I read (Gawker), they recently had an article about the newest people to be offended by the movie "Wall-E".

Below is the letter that they posted summing up the feelings of said group:

All I can think of is how would you look at me? How would you look at someone’s sisters, cousins, uncles, aunts, fathers and brothers—are they funny? Are they less human or dirty or stupid? You had years to create the Axiom—didn’t you see any shape of a person that could be recognized or loved?
I was at Columbus GLBTQ Pride today and I saw people of all shapes and sizes laughing and being in love.
Are they worthless too? Are they dirty and stupid and responsible for ruining the planet? Does their shape make them inherently bad?

What they are talking about is the portrayal in the film where 700 years in the future, humans are fat. Caused by getting literally no physical activity (every one is on hover chairs 24 hours a day), drinking all food in liquid form and doing nothing but gossiping, getting hairdos, etc. If one person falls out of the hover chair, robots come by to put the person back there. The world is run by a retail corporation ("Buy'N'Large") that runs all almost aspect of society. Many people are interpreting this as "oh, so all fat people are lazy, huh?" Over a course of 700 years, without physical activity and with nothing but liquid processed food, people will get fat. Bone density will reduce greatly and body composition will change. The idea however is not that all fat people are lazy slobs, but perhaps more of a warning tht we should start taking care of ourselves better.

I'm not sure that the writer of the complain letter really get the point of the movie, or even that aspect of the movie. Now, I am all about being "fat positive". Perhaps the better phrase is the thinking of health at every size.

That does not mean that being fat is bad. It does mean if you're not taking care of yourself, you need to start. For instance, in the article, the writer brings up a scenario I've seen several times myself:

"They're shaking their heads at the people who pull up to the drive thru in their SUVs and buy six Gordita Supremes and scarf them down, sitting in their idling car on the side of the road."

Or parents driving their kids a block in their giant SUVs so precious doesn't have to wait in the cold for the school bus, instead, letting them sit inside with the car running. Or responding to teenagers building a wiffleball field on their own by calling the cops and lawyers.

Coming back around to the complaints, let me define what "Health at Every Size" means, at least to me. It means striving to be healthy by eating more vegetables and fruits, less processed foods and spending more time preparing food - and maybe even involving your family (be it your children, your parents, your partner or even your friends) in the process of cooking. It also means spending a little more time pursuing physical activity. By physical activity, I don't necessarily mean (a) buy gym membership (b) spend money on hiring a personal trainer (c) go to said gym five days a week until you are healthy enough to come in first place in a triathlon.

There are other ways to be physically fit. It can be spending 20 minutes each day walking around your block. It can be buying or renting a bicycle and riding through the park. I can even be dancing in your living room for a half hour. These are things you can do alone or with others, at any age, at any size.

Additionally, if you are not a size 8, that does not mean you are unhealthy. There are several people out there who constantly trash their body by eating processed foods, not getting the right nutrients as well as never exercising. Your body's ideal weight is not likely to be the ideal weight listed in Cosmopolitan magazine - a magazine that frequently makes the claim of accepting all body types, but rarely features women who are more than a size 4 or clothes made for people over a size 8 - at most.

By treating your body right, you can eliminate or reduce fatigue, gain flexibility (which can be especially useful as you age), and strengthen muscles through toning them. Concentration can increase as well as positive moods. Every size can be beautiful - looking good and subseqently, feeling good - can make anyone's outlook on life even more lovely.

Related links

Wall-E's Big, Fat, Offensive Problem

Association for Size Diversity and Health