New Year's Revolution 2011

[yakalskovich]

I'm part of a New Year's Revolution. I've joined this movement that inspires me to love my body and seek out Health at Every Size. Today, do something that makes you feel good in your own skin, and re-post this message to encourage others to do the same. For extra credit, take action to reinforce body love TODAY. Visit HAES Inspirations for ideas to get you started!

Since first reading about it via a link in dawning_star's journal, Fat Acceptance and HAES have changed my perception of myself, and given me a much more relaxed outlook on life. So, as New Year is, in recent tradition, the date to reinforce body hate messages and promote self-hatred and costly weight loss methods, some FA activists decided to pick this day to promote an alternative message.

There are strong indications that long-term weight loss does not work, and that fat does not necessarily mean bad health. I  want people to have access to these alternative resources and data, and decide for themselves, instead of following the mainstream paradigm of slimness = fitness = health, and the belief in sustainable weight loss as an attainable goal for everybody, and to encourage body diversity and autonomy.

It seems as if dieting and slimming culture is without alternative, and adapts to every world-view and subculture, just like Eastpak backpacks. This is simply not true and right.

I've posted about this before, I have a tumblr and a blog in German especially about Fat Acceptance, because I want to be part of that movement and promote the non-mainstream information that has been so very liberating to me. Body autonomy means that every choice along the continuum is valid as long as one doesn't try and impose one's own views and preferences on others.

I just want nobody to be stuck for lack of information.-