WEB EXCLUSIVE

In the past few years in media, there has been an increase in the number of “plus-size” public figures, many of them self-advocates for self-acceptance and loving yourself. They say that it is alright to be at any size you wish and that you should simply love yourself. 

There’s been a lot of controversy  around this issue, with debates centered on if this type of discussion is beneficial or self-destructive. On one hand, it is always a good thing to appreciate yourself. But there is a difference between loving yourself and taking care of yourself. 

Can one really say that they love themselves when they are destroying themselves from the inside out? 

The problem with all of these “plus-size” public figures, is that they support being obese, and more specifically, morbidly obese. But I just can’t believe that people who are obese can truly claim to love themselves even after knowing that what they eat and what they do may impact their bodies in negative ways.

By continuing to support dangerous eating habits, that could develop into food addiction, they are really doing absolutely no one any good, especially the impressionable, young people who view them. 

Generally, if you are at a size where you’re having difficulty walking, you have already developed some sort of addiction to food, maybe without you yourself even noticing. Would you support someone to continue their heroin addiction? I really do hope the answer is no. 

Loving yourself is always a great thing, but it should not come at the price of harming yourself. There are many dangers to being morbidly obese, both mentally and physically. 

Physically, at one point, your organs can fail. That is just the most extreme possibility. Other problems that arise are joint weakness and arthritis from having so much pressure and weight put on your joints. And then we have the obvious physical problems, such as heart problems and high blood pressure from fat clogging up your blood vessels. 

Mentally, damage can be done too. Most people with obesity have a high rate of depression. This is due to the fact that your body is physically failing, so your mind is too. 

Along with that, almost all people with obesity have trouble sleeping, such as sleep disorders and sleep apnea, which are common among those with too much extra weight. This is due to fat physically closing your breathing channel which also causes snoring. 

As well as that, the ghrelin hormones in your body, the hunger hormones so to speak, increase with bad sleep, so it can end up being a vicious cycle of getting bad sleep, feeling hungry, binging, gaining weight, and moving on with your life. 

Self-acceptance is difficult, and I think that it is a great thing that so many people online are trying to spread the message that it is okay to love yourself and respect yourself. What makes my view different from those online, is that I think taking care of yourself is part of loving yourself, and that you can’t truly appreciate yourself without self-care. 

It is never too late to begin caring for yourself. Of course, at times it is incredibly difficult, but it is never too late. By starting to change habits, one at a time, and slowly learning to be better to yourself, anyone can love themselves.