The primary aim of Fat Planet is to explain the complex factors involved with the global obesity crisis. We need to educate the public about the realities of chronic health conditions, non-communicable disease, and the way our appetite is disrupted by access to hyper palatable food. We can no longer resort to blaming individuals whose physiology is compromised by our obesigenic environment.
Fat Planet
One unique component of Fat Planet, was the experience of being obese for a day. The idea originated from a visit I had at the Alberta Diabetes Institute, in Canada, which has a life like Obesity Suit for physicians to use to experience, and gain empathy, for what life feels like for their obese patients. Extending this investigation, I was able to experience being overweight for a day in Brighton.
Here are the Top 10 Insights from that day, and what I learned from that experience:
Weight bias exists and impacts health and personal relationships.
People judge. And, after a few hours, I stopped caring. Because…
You can learn a lot about a person who judges books by their covers.
Admittedly, activity was harder. 'Move more!' - how?
Many people believe chronic illness can be solved by 'personal responsibility' or will power alone. They are wrong.
Obesity is not a choice: Obesity is an illness. Let's stop treating sick people as though they've made bad decisions.
'Eat Less Move More' as a strategy to protect public health is shabby and sanctimonious rhetoric, dressed up as a health message.
When will there be a fashionable, affordable, clothing store for plus sized people?
A strategy for reducing weight - just like the disease itself - has to work on parallel systems. Social, psychological, and physiological issues need to be taken into account. There are so many simultaneous inputs, that assigning blame (or false hope) that an individual can singularly solve their 'obesity problem' is both wrong and calamitous.
Ultimately? I feel sorry for any person who relies on using a dress size to judge another human being.