fat

labeling people's appearance is rarely necessary. When description is called for, says John Paschetto, "Most politicized fat people prefer the simple word 'fat' to describe their bodies. Such words as 'heavy,' 'big,' and 'large'—while less offensive than 'overweight'—are frowned upon both because they are unclear and because they suggest that 'fat' needs euphemisms.... The usage of 'fat,' 'overweight,' et al. is complicated by different preferences among the people being named. A lot of fat people accept the ruling group's opinion of their bodies and so are put off by the free use of 'fat.'" A principal activist organization, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, prefers "fat." One woman asks, "When are we going to understand that fat is an adjective, not an epithet?" The late Bettye Travis, clinical psychologist with a long history of activism, fought assumptions that "fat" equals "lazy" or "ugly," and concluded that fat people were "one of the last marginal groups that are still targeted, that it's still OK to make fun of." The Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity recommends using the more even-keeled terms of "weight" and "excess weight" and their media guidelines included: avoiding portrayals of overweight persons merely for the purpose of humor or ridicule; ensuring news articles about obesity are fact-based; treating fat people like people, not stereotypes—show them smiling or working, "not eating a cheeseburger on the sofa." When discussing exercise and nutrition, avoid implying that fat people are the only ones who need this information. "We're hoping to get people to realize that being fat is not a crime." said Travis. See also fat shaming, looksism, obese/obesity, overweight.