The University of Illinois Chicago has published a health brief comparing fatphobia to racism, recommending that people stop using weight-based approaches to health.
The health brief claims Charles Darwin and "other race scientists" created a hierarchy of civilization by "placing white men on top and people of color, specifically black people, at the bottom." Fatness and differing body characteristics were used to justify a lack of civilization, with fatness used to mark "uncivilized behavior," according to the brief.
"This idea was maintained throughout the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries, as a way to justify slavery, racism and classism, and control women through 'temperance,'" the brief reads. "This ideology has perpetuated Desirability Politics — where thinness and whiteness are given more access to social, political and cultural capital."
CHINESE UNIVERSITY TOLD STUDENTS TO TAKE FINAL SWIM TEST ONLINE
The brief also argues the U.S. food system is built on stolen land with labor from "black and latinx indigenous people," which has created "a disconnection of indigenous people from their cultural practices and identities." Additionally, focusing on weight does not include people who use food "as a safe and secure coping mechanism" over trauma and stress. The brief claims that assessing the relationship between eating and trauma is "essential."
In response to these issues, the brief encourages people to use the term "people with larger bodies" in place of "obesity," a term it calls "extremely stigmatizing." Teachers are also encouraged to replace assignments connecting “obesity” to health or assignments that focus on weight loss.
The United States is the fattest country in the Western world, with an estimated 40% of people being obese. It is followed by New Zealand (30%), Canada (29.4%), and Australia (29%), according to the Daily Mail.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The University of Illinois Chicago has not responded to the Washington Examiner's request for comment.