WHAT WE'RE ABOUT

RBI focuses on using expressive writing, design-oriented work, photography, media, research, and community input to fuel fat positive, body acceptance, discussion, and outreach. Our goal is to redefine the way we view and think about body image, size, fat, discrimination, health, fitness, wellness, mental/chronic illness, stigma, and other related topics.

We are constantly redefining our own perspectives, and therefore tend to write a lot about our personal experiences. Many followers and contributors are living with anorexia, bulimia, body dysmorphic disorder, depression, and a variety of other body image disorders or mental illnesses, so please be respectful and remember that health applies differently to everyone. Any and all potentially triggering content will be prefaced with a trigger warning.

RBI supports all races, genders, classes, and sizes. We try our best to make this a safe space for everyone. If we are not doing our job or checking our privilege, we invite you to please inform us.

Some of the artwork you see here has been created by our founder or moderators, some sourced when applicable. Please be kind enough to source this blog whenever you share it's content.

We are not health professionals. Any and all advice provided on this blog is supported only by our own research, studies, and personal experiences; nothing more.

This blog is part of the Safe Space Network.

Q: I need your help. Today I was talking to my friends and they exclaimed, "Ugh, I can't eat anymore today/I'll get fat" etc. etc. and I suggested to listen to their body instead of against it - I mean, we need food for survival. I also mentioned, "What's wrong with fat?" And they responded, "Because it's unhealthy!!" How do I respond to this, seeing that fat does not correlate to health?

Asked Anonymous

I would suggest you read the great Kate Harding’s words on the subject:

http://kateharding.net/faq/but-dont-you-realize-fat-is-unhealthy/

She has laid it out much better than I could ever hope to.

There are also a ton of resources in the link on the side panel of the blog:

http://redefiningbodyimage.tumblr.com/post/17770763679/big-fat-list-of-myth-defying-health-resources

And take a peek through the health and resources tags for good measure!

I will be making some changes around here to make this kind of info more accessible (like an FAQ, more organized and detailed links page, etc.) but I do tag everything like a maniac - this blog has turned into an arsenal for my own learning process on everything, including fat health.

The best way to know how to come back at anyone in these arguments is to educate yourself on the subject as much as possible, assess the situation and relationship you’re trying to introduce this kind of dialogue into, and formulate a way to respond in your own way. When all is said and done, you will know the best way to go about it.

Know that your friends may not agree with you or find it hard to swallow, so go into it positively - but prepare for a possible negative reaction by knowing that some people need time to understand. Hell, some people will stare cold, hard facts in the face and refuse to acknowledge them. But you see the facts, you know what’s up, and that’s what’s most important. For you.

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\This was posted 7 months ago
zThis has been tagged with: Anonymous, Q&A, health, fat health, advice,
  1. redefiningbodyimage posted this

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