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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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“You Just Need to Lose Weight” summary
Aubrey Gordon
And 19 Other Myths About Fat People
17 mins
Table of Contents
“You Just Need to Lose Weight”
Summary of 7 key ideas
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Key idea 1 of 7
We should not be afraid of the word “fat.”
Author Aubrey Gordon was standing in airport security when she overheard a young girl call her a “fat lady.” The girl’s mother was horrified, but Gordon simply smiled.
“It’s okay. I am fat,” she replied. Refusing to accept this answer, the mother continued to warn her daughter that using this word was inappropriate and that she should never say it again.
Gordon has had conversations of this nature many times. Over the course of her life, she’s lost count of how many times she’s had to convince people that she is not offended by the word “fat.”
This isn’t to say that she hasn’t had her weight used against her as an insult. Unfortunately, Gordon admits that she’s been called much worse things than fat – often by complete strangers. She has overheard servers making remarks under their breath at dinner and has even been screamed at by angry men while walking down the street.
You may be surprised to learn that these kinds of experiences are not the ones that hurt the most. The moments that truly sting are when well-meaning people avoid the word fat by using euphemisms to skirt around it – like the nurse who referred to Aubrey as “sturdy” while explaining that there wasn’t a blood pressure cuff large enough to fit her.
For Gordon and many others, avoiding the word only stigmatizes it – making it seem as if it’s an insult to be fat. Instead, many fat people are choosing to reclaim the word. For them, fat is neither positive, nor negative – it’s a neutral descriptor of their bodies.
As a society, we’ve grown accustomed to seeing this word in a negative light – sometimes viewing it as the equivalent of a curse word or a slur. However, Gordon chooses to accept the word for what it is – just one of many that could be used to describe her. She is also blonde, tall, and a woman.
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What is “You Just Need to Lose Weight” about?
“You Just Need to Lose Weight” (2023) takes a deep dive into some of society’s most harmful myths about fat people. By revealing the facts behind these common misconceptions, Aubrey Gordon gives readers the tools to analyze their own internal biases, combat anti-fat discrimination, and support the goal of social acceptance for people of all sizes.
Who should read “You Just Need to Lose Weight”?
- Anyone who wants to learn about the myths surrounding fatness
- People interested in confronting anti-fat bias and discrimination
- Supporters of fat activism
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