Fat people are just 'wrong'? Well, so says Ruth Fowler

Well, well, well. Just when you thought we could take a breather after the LighterLife debating, along comes Ruth Fowler in The Guardian, blatant with her 'fattist' commentary in her article, 'Flab isn't fab'.

"You don't get fat by accident," Ruth says. "Eating so much requires Olympic-class stamina and athleticism." And in her scathing of what she sees at the British way of 'championing of fat', Ruth blithely ignores the fact that there has been an incredible amount of work done when it comes to looking at the reasons behind obesity, and that rarely do people sit down and say 'Hey guess what? From today onwards I'm going to become FAT!'

Ruth Fowler also cannot understand why Dove - in their Campaign for Real Beauty - are promoting images of beauty that do not align themselves to a size zero airbrushed stereotype. Now, I've seen the Dove advert on telly and I really don't think many of those women are anything like obese. In the billboard advert for Manchester (why not? It's where I'm from!), you'll see a few of the women are overweight (not many), but none are morbidly obese, so why she feels it necessary to say "I'm sorry, but there's nothing remotely beautiful about eyeing up a bunch of heart attacks waiting to happen" is anyone's guess. Except that maybe she is stupid?

Apparently, Ms Fowler is appalled by the "saccharine Dove adverts featuring stretch-marked women grinning broadly in granny knickers, their breasts dangling sadly like cows teats," feeling that the adverts are a suggestion that obesity and ill-health should be acceptable.

"Why is it so impossible for many of us to simply cut down on food?' the lady with the answer to the flab conundrum asks, in unashamed ignorance, further enquiring as to why such people cannot just 'walk around the block a few times.' Honestly, is she for real? So, Ruth, is the way forwards for the 'fatties' of the world to have you wag your finger at them while scolding them for their disgusting cake-shovelling actions that are just motivated by pure greed?

For crying out loud, have some sensitivity, woman! Of course it isn't okay to just resign ourselves as a society to obesity, anorexia, ill-health, or other weight-related or diet-related issues or disorders, but do you really think that people walk around consciously choosing to expand to 20 stone? And that they lack the willpower to moderate their eating?

Her final comment, which just about sums up the level of intelligence Ms Fowler chooses to show in her so called reasoned argument, is 'Chew on that chubby.'

Read Flab isn't fab

Comments

[Linda]

I called the piece "heartless shit" when I mentioned this the other day, and my opinion hasn't changed. Comment is Free is for people who are happy with £77 for their efforts, I think that about sums up the writing talents on show.

[Theresa]

Well, well, well. There you go. It seems like you managed to have your well deserved and longed-for breather after all.

Ruth Fowler clearly does not belief herself in what she is writing about. The article could have been written by Julie Burchill and is meant to provoke. Not to be taken seriously. It is meant to stir up emotions and to polarise the audience. The media is constantly under pressure to come up with new stories in order to attract the reader or listener. Especially lately as new competition in form of blogs has emerged. Thanks to the internet everybody can easily publish their own stories, commentaries and gain public attention.

People would stop buying papers, switch to another channel or to a different blog if the content was regarded as too lukewarm or too boring. Media reports are in general more and more 'sexed up'. In my opinion you overdid it with your anti Lighterlife stance just for the exact same reasons.

For me it actually was a good read. I was heavily overweight in the past and but it felt good that I was able to laugh about myself. However, I agree in terms of the content it is completely pointless just like the here often quoted sensationalist BBC Inside Out broadcast.

[Karen]

I would say that Ruth Fowler doth protest too much!
Her article suggests to me that she has food issues herself. One can feel the fear of fat in every word she writes!

[Linda]

Hi again Andrea - me back again, feeling a bit more fragile and defensive about my weight at the moment - I wonder if Fern read the piece in CiF before or after the op? :)

[yvonne]

instead on under mining large people people should first stop and think why are they fat before they turn round and say nasty things about fat people because there are many causes to people becoming fat e.g. medical
so dont shout at people that are fat its not nice we have feelings to
ruth before you start talking about like that take a look at your own self

[steph]

if fat people were flown to zimbabwe and ethiopoia and shown the children starving, and their parents misery as they die slowly from malnutrition, perhaps they'd get off their asses and stop stuffing they're bloody faces. cheap junk food is far too available now! and yes, for those people with overweight children, it IS child cruelty!

[sheila]

Don't you people understand satire?
Why do you have to be so serious about it?

[Retro Air Jordans]

Friendship is in my life a lamp which lights up my soul.