Rantz: Dangerous ‘fat liberation’ convention Fat Con in Seattle this weekend

The “fat liberation” convention known as Fat Con is coming to downtown Seattle this weekend.

The convention will feature over 30 hours of programming to gorge on, including a fashion show. Keynote speakers include Dr. Bianca Laureano, a sexologist and activist, and “Alotta Boutté,” a Bay area cabaret and burlesque performer. Programming includes sessions on how to “make fat friends” or survive as both “trans and fat.” It offers how-to’s on “chair yoga” and how to have better sex as “rad fatties.”

There are different ticket packages available for sale, including an all-access pass for those who want to stuff themselves with fat liberation knowledge.

While the gathering should add some dollars to the local economy, it’s an incredibly dangerous, backward movement that harms the very people it pretends to liberate.

Yes, Fat Con is real and it's happening in Seattle this weekend. Fat liberation, which this ridiculous convention espouses, is incredibly unhealthy and you're doing no one any favors to pretend otherwise. pic.twitter.com/X6fukJfk5U

— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) January 3, 2024

Let’s be honest about ‘fat liberation’

Fat liberation effectively promotes the acceptance of fatness. It’s part of the body positivity movement that likely started with the best of intentions but morphed into something untenably radical.

But the radical movement does not merely demand that society should stop mocking overweight people, which is, of course, a worthy cause. If this was about the laudable goal of better treating overweight people so that they can be more comfortable getting healthy, this wouldn’t be controversial. That’s not what this is.

Fat liberation demands that society and institutions pretend there are no significant health consequences of obesity. It’s a movement that tells patients to refuse to get weighed in a doctor’s office. Last year, a contributor to the local newspaper wrote a screed about how she was offended to be asked by her doctor to step on a scale. Nutritionist Carrie Dennett wrote:

On principle, I decline weigh-ins at my annual checkups and have never received pushback — until this year. When I declined, the medical assistant said, “OK … but getting a weight is really important for your health.” I responded with, “Mmmmm … I’m going to have to disagree with you.” Then he muttered, “And it’s important for getting the dose right for your medications.” I said brightly, “Well, I’m not on any medications, but if I suddenly need anesthesia today, I’ll happily be weighed!”

The movement even goes as far as to shame people who aren’t attracted to overweight people.

You’re doing no one any favors

A video from a TikToker celebrating Fat Con Seattle is making the rounds on social media. It epitomizes the dangers of this movement.

The TikToker is morbidly obese. Fat liberation deems we pretend she’s in tip-top shape and that she shouldn’t be concerned with her weight. How does that help her? What benefit is there to telling her to ignore a doctor’s warning her about her weight? There are no benefits.

She shouldn’t be shamed for her weight, nor treated without a basic level of respect. That obviously doesn’t help her and it’s flat-out mean.

But pretending she won’t live a healthier, longer and more happy life if she dropped a considerable number of fat doesn’t help her either. In fact, it ensures she’ll head to an early grave. That’s all the extremes of this movement provide — an early grave. Fat Con Seattle sure seems like an example of the extremes. They declined an interview request with The Jason Rantz Show on KTTH.

Disingenuous arguments

Fat liberators will argue that it’s unhealthy to feel judged for one’s weight and that if we unquestionably accept the fatness, the person will live a happy life. I posit that the person would only be pretending to live a happy life.

You’re not happy struggling to walk up a flight of stairs or dealing with diabetes, heart disease, and the myriad of other health issues you’re more susceptible to when obese. Putting your head in the sand as to the realities is a version of self-harm.

I’m much happier — and feel much better — having lost 40lbs with show sponsor Eastside Weight Loss Clinic. Almost immediately, I had fewer complications with my asthma and my energy level shot up. I started sleeping better and looking better on television.

‘Redefining standards of beauty’

We’re not talking about redefining standards of beauty away from what is very difficult to achieve — and almost as unhealthy as being morbidly obese. Dishonest activists say this is about allowing people to simply feel comfortable in their “normal” bodies, rather than fetishize wafer-thin models.

But the bodies this movement is trying to normalize aren’t normal.

With incredibly rare exceptions, one doesn’t become 360 pounds because of an illness (other than mental health). That is a weight that is earned. And spare me the transparently bad-faith arguments about how top athletes, because of BMI calculations, are considered obese which shows how we need to rethink things. No one is talking about professional athletes who are weighed down by muscle. We’re talking about the five-foot-four-inch person who weighs nine times their healthy weight because of lifestyle. It’s not healthy, no matter how much activists wish it so.

I’m a big believer that bullying and teasing are, generally speaking, counterproductive and mean-spirited. That should obviously end. But I’m also a big believer in the mountains of data showing obesity to be unhealthy. I’d rather people live longer, even if they feel unjustly judged by a doctor (or family member) who wants them to lose weight to survive.

Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3-6 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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