A Movement of Large Porportions

Noelle Blair, Staff Reporter

Noelle_Blair@csumb.edu

April 17, 2008

The wave of anti-discrimination

movements may have swayed

public policy and opinion in the

1960s and 1970s, but some groups

are still fighting, like with the Fat

Acceptance (FA) movement, to

seek acceptance in the general

population’s eyes.

Being targeted in the move

to end the so-called obesity

epidemic, members of the FA

community contend that their

sizes do not prevent them from

enjoying life. Members of groups

such as the National Association

to Advance Fat Acceptance

(NAAFA) and International Size

Acceptance Association (ISAA)

have been campaigning to end fat

discrimination in the United States.

One example of the movement

to discriminate against the obese

was a proposed House bill in

Mississippi that would have made it

illegal for some restaurants to serve

obese customers based on “criteria

prescribed by the state department of

health,” according to the Mississippi

Legislature’s website.

Although the bill was only

created to prove a point about the

high population of obese persons

in Mississippi and not meant to be

passed, it did raise an issue: when

does fighting the obesity epidemic

become fat discrimination?

According to Tasha DabinPons, a

flight attendant of three years, obese

people are being discriminated

against, especially with airline

policies that require larger people

to purchase an additional ticket for

taking up extra space. DabinPons

stated that, “I absolutely think it’s

discrimination. It’s subjective, and

it puts customer service agents in an

awkward position. Are you supposed

to put them on a scale? Are you

supposed to measure them?”

CSU Monterey Bay (CSUMB)

student’s opinions differ on the

whether or not the country is actually

facing an obesity epidemic.

“I don’t know that it’s an epidemic,

but I think with the lifestyle we have

here, it’s really on the go and no one

takes the time to stop and eat healthy

or exercise,” said Jamie Kegerreis, a

sophomore in Kinesiology.

“It so much harder to find

healthier food, too,” added Chandra

Baughman, an Earth Systems and

Science Policies (ESSP) sophomore.

Hannah Potter, another ESSP

sophomore, said, “I think Americans

maybe have gotten carried away

with fast food. We should push for

organics and veggies. They may

not taste that great but they’re

good for you.”

Students who want to get

involved in the fight to end fat

discrimination can contact

NAAFA at naafa.org and ISAA at

size-acceptance.org.