Caught this gem of a quote from a fat shaming article.

I was going to bring up issues with the way this was conducted, but then I read something written by the lead author of the study.

Several years ago, working out at a local gym, I noticed a woman walk in whom I had never seen before. This woman was significantly overweight, but was clearly coming to the gym to work out. As she headed for the exercise equipment, I remember feeling pleased and thinking “good for her!” Just as I was about to turn back to my own workout, though, I caught sight of a group of teenagers off in the distance standing together, pointing and laughing at this woman. They were not subtle. The woman and I noticed them at approximately the same time. Instead of continuing on to the workout equipment, she turned around and hastily left the gym. I never saw her again.

His heart is in the right place, and he isn't advocating fat acceptance.

But I tend to take issue with the "how society influences personal health decisions" line of thinking in general. It's the sort of thing only a research-focused psychologist would focus on.

An actual therapist would focus on building the person up, knowing full well that for someone who lacks the tools to handle adversity, society - and life in general - is always going to be one big trigger.

Hell, telling people to log incidents where other people "stare at them in an unfriendly way" is outright encouraging them to be mind readers - one of the most basic cognitive distortions that are challenged in CBT.

If idiot teenagers being idiotic prevents you from doing something you want to do for yourself, the most glaring problem is with how you see and respond to the world.

Society will always have assholes and negative influences, if for no other reason than that we all start out young and stupid and lacking in empathy. This guy would better serve people by focusing on how we can build people up and arm them with the tools and habits necessary to face minor adversity without crumbling and doubling down on bad habits.

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