Netflix and Fat Shaming
I have noticed that there has been a grown swell of social media comments about a new Netflix show called Insatiable. The general premise of the programme is that a girl is bullied for being fat. Over the summer break she loses a great deal of weight and then when she returns to school she then exacts revenge on those who bullied her.
This has been seen as being an example of fat shaming being seen as being ok and that one needs to be thin to be attractive to the opposite (or for that matter the same sex). There is currently an online petition to get Netflix to pull the release.
Now regular readers will know that I have a great issue with “quack” therapists who claim that fat shaming is an effective way to lose weight. I say “quack” as there is no verifiable evidence base to back their claims up. In reality, it is just bullying someone to change. This goes against my views as a humanistic practitioner who embraces the core conditions. For many people their weight is tied into their self esteem. It is time for us to be far more understanding of this and help those who want to lose weight to lose it and for those who do not to stop vilifying them.
