Anti-Gluttony in Global Health

A question for MaryGrace Apostali, the senior president of the Global Health Club

Q: Swimsuit season is approaching the North American continent and the societal fat stigma is no longer exclusive to the U.S. An April New York Times article portrays the fat stigma spreading not only as an issue of self-criticism, but as a criticism of "fatties," of judging others based on their size without considering what personal mental factors have led to an overweight body. What is being done/should be done to stop this and then to prevent it?

A: In my opinion, the growing "fat stigma" is a direct result of the increasing presence of American popular culture throughout the world and a pervading personal responsibility sentiment that accompanies it.

Eating disorders (overeating or undereating) are just examples of manifestations of the same mental stresses (anxiety and depression) that can result in a host of other problems: alcoholism, substance abuse, cutting, etc. But they often aren't seen that way. You can hide your drug addiction more easily than you can hide your body, so eating disorders unfortunately subject sufferers to significantly more judgment.

The messages the American media sends around the world about what is attractive and realistic, particularly for women, are strong contributors to the stigmatization of obesity, but that's what sells. I don't know that it's possible to stop the media from selling the image -- we just need to stop buying it.

In the United States, rather than address the issue of increasing rates of obesity with policies that encourage cultural changes, we prefer to place responsibility on the people, assuming that obesity is associated with character flaws. This sentiment appears to be spreading abroad as well. To address the misunderstandings and judgments surrounding obesity, industries perpetuating these problems as well as government policies need to take more of a collective responsibility for the epidemic.

Institutional changes can encourage health without placing judgment or responsibility on people. There is also a lot more we can do to encourage healthy lifestyles. Initiatives like regulating the food industry, moving toward making healthy food physically and economically accessible to everyone, building bike lanes, improving parks and recreational space and incorporating gym memberships into employee benefits packages can all encourage healthy living, while sending the message that maintaining good health is a collective social responsibility, not just a personal one.