healthkittens:

As I’ve started to work at the Health Center, I’ve been over hearing the doctors advise patients on what they should be doing to live healthy lives. Today in particular, I overheard a doctor tell a patient over the phone that she should go out for walks more often, and when she needs to drive somewhere, to park as far away as possible. Anything to incorporate more physical activity in her daily life.

This got me thinking about what it means to put self-esteem over an individual’s health, or vice-versa. 

Sure, it’s not right to dictate what being “beautiful” means or what constitutes being beautiful. 

However, since when does the idea of all people being “beautiful” override the support of health in a society? And since when did feeling beautiful become more important that being healthy? 

I’ve seen arguments (mainly on tumblr) where individuals complain about what their doctors have said to them. Claiming that doctors are insensitive, and do not believe that she/he is beautiful. This is absolutely false, obviously. Doctor’s care for a patients health, and only advise healthy lifestyles so as to prevent issues in the future. Supporting an active and healthy lifestyle is in no way meant to be a stab at anyone’s self esteem. It’s a precautionary method meant to promote responsibility (for your body) and prevention of serious illness that can and will develop.

I also have the feeling that some assume that being healthy implies starving yourself and being stick-skinny. This is mixing ideas of health and expectations of beauty together. One can be perfectly healthy while not sharing the same pants-size as a super model, and one can be nothing but skin and bones but still be doing severe damages to their health. Being thin and being healthy do not go hand in hand, obviously, as shown by common eating disorders that rather destroy and deteriorate a person’s health. Victims of eating disorders are just as in need of more healthy lifestyles than those who are obese. In those cases, the idea of “beauty” actually overrides the importance of health in the individual’s life.

Where as on the opposite side of the spectrum, those who are obese neglect health due to irresponsibility. And I will firmly make that assertion. Obesity derives from irresponsibility. One can point fingers at their parents, their neighborhood, their economic status, evil fast-food corporations, but when it comes down to it, your body is owned by nobody else but you, and unless you are in a very strange circumstance where you are literally force-fed unhealthy foods, or forbidden from any physical activity, you should have full responsibility over your body. Possibly less as children, but most certainly as adults.

I don’t support “fat-acceptance” because I don’t believe it’s right to accept an unhealthy habit simply for the sake of self-esteem. 

I feel like fat-acceptance is a form of putting the importance of image, beauty and aesthetics before health, and that should not be urged to be a societal norm, especially when obesity and health-related risks due to obesity are high in the U.S. population. 

We should not be promoting such habits in the hopes that it will raise the esteem of the average Americans. This only leads to greater problems. After all, beauty is and will always be subjective and temporary. Good health lasts and increases a lifetime. 

If you truly love your body, treat it well. 

from my health blog~