The dangers of a distorted self-perception of being fat (as in anorexia) are clear, present and well-documented.
But, what about a distorted perception of being thin? Or at least “not fat”?
British author Sara Bird examines this phenomenon in her book Fatorexia: What Do You See When You Look in the Mirror?”
Bird herself was shocked to discover that she was overweight. At 5’10″ and 238lbs, this may be hard for many to believe, but Bird says this of her epiphany;
When I looked in the mirror, I saw a confident thin person, when in fact I was obese.
How She Deceived Herself
Bird had developed what article author Suzanne Leigh described as a “magician’s menu of optical illusions”, which included:
- Wearing generously cut clothing with elastic waistbands
- Looking at hand mirrors to check her appearance, rather than full-length ones.
- Favoring ornate jewellery and fabrics to draw the eye away from the expanded flesh beneath.
- Using talc to avoid chafing, rather than stepping on the scales for a reality check.
More Common Than Once Thought
Since the release of her book, Bird has been flooded with emails of people who shared her disillusionment. Says one of her readers
I’ve said for ages that I suffer from the opposite of anorexia. My friends are sizes 10 to 14, I’m a 20. But, when I’m with them, I think that I’m the same size as they are, until I see photos of us together. Then I have an almighty shock to see that I’m huge compared to them.
Science seems to back up Sara Birds’ thesis. A study in the British Medical Journal found that one-quarter of obese or overweight adults did not view themselves as fat.
Another study showed that 70% of obese people just saw themselves as overweight.
Experts say our self-delusions about weight appear to be fed by the apparel industry with its prevalence of “vanity sizing” – cutting clothing to appear more flattering and skewing sizes.
Bird has since dropped 20lbs through minor lifestyle changes, and advises a similar approach to fellow “fatorexics”.
Fatorexia: big problem, minor problem, or no problem?
In my estimation, “fatorexia” is a legitimate concern for many individuals. Although I don’t necessarily think that really obese individuals see themselves as thin per se, I do believe there is a significant amount of people who are in denial about their weight being problematic.
I don’t think we’ll see funding, support groups, or treatment centers for “fatorexia”, but I don’t think it would be a stretch to say it is a form of body dysmorphia.
What do you think? Is “fatorexia” a real problem, or just some pop-psychology buzzword with little significance?
Source: SFgate
Ha,
I knew someone like this. She weighed around 210 lbs and would too small skimpy clothes that were too tight and didn’t fit, and give other overweight/obese people dieting advice and tell them they need to lose weight, as if she wasn’t fat.
so im 5’5 and weigh 179… yes its alot and i have 30lbs more i want to loose. i just had 2 babies back to back. when i had my 2nd baby i weighed 245lbs…mybaby is now 1 year old and my other is 2 years old. i thought i looked good last summe…lol boy was i wrong, lmao, i pulled out my old shorts thinking they still fit….size 18 fell right off me, and i looked at them like”omg iw as that big”….yea im 13/14 right now, and right now i think i look alot better then last summer…30 more pounds and i will be looking great!!!! my husband loves my size right now, but also said, “babe dont ever get up to 245 again”…lol i told him that that will never happen again. i was a size 11 when we first got together 5years ago. anyway i do belive in fatorexia…i had that last year…lol…happy dieting everyone, i no im looking forward to more weight loss for myself so i can be a milf…lol for my hubby and healthy for my little ones
Hi, this article is SPOT ON. I knew I was obese but it took losing 30 lbs to realise just HOW fat I was before. I needed to lose another 50 after that but as the article says I would avoid looking in mirrors, buying bigger clothes etc. or at least only when your posed, i.e. your chin’s up or tummy sucked in etc. sounds crazy now but was very real so thank you
People know they are fat, because other people won’t shut up about how fat they are. Now accepting your body is a disease? Not starving yourself thin is a condition? Really? Health at Every Size works, fat people can be healthy and still be fat. Being thin does not mean someone is in good health, they just LOOK like they are. Some thin people can eat fast food and not gain weight, does that mean they are healthy?
Maybe if we stopped focusing on weight, a scientifically poor barometer of wellness, and focused on health we wouldn’t have this kind of high school clique fat shaming. “OMG LIKE SHE HAS LIKE FATOREXIA LIKE!” That’s how this article comes across. People who accept themselves aren’t denying they are fat, they aren’t engaging in yo-yo dieting which has been proven to cause more harm than just being fat. I hope I don’t hear this stupid pop term in the media now, because some pathetic trendite couldn’t just leave fat people alone.
Sorry but you are wrong. It is highly unlikely one can be Fat and healthy. It is very possible one can be big boned. Or large and thick and still be healthy but fat means you have fat, not muscle and that is Not healthy. You are correct about the possibility of being thin and being unhealthy. A lot of thin people think they are healthy because of their size when in actuality if they have a poor diet they also are subjects of future illness such as diabetes, clogged arteries, heart problems etc. But America is skyrocketing in obesity and we do not need to stop focusing on weight. People just need to understand that large does not mean bad. Fat Does mean bad though. I hope I am not sounding condescending, you sound a bit sensitive but it is an issue because if a fat person does not see themselves in their true form it could lead to them worsening their health without consciously knowing it.
no.. not really
. . .and length. Good idea!
Interesting. I was about to comment that I bought some pants from JC Penney’s that I love and they all fit me pretty well at the same time. They were sizes 4, 6, 8 and 10. Some a little more snug sometimes, sometimes looser, also depending on the time of the month. I know it sounds funny but it’s true. They are Penney’s brand and they all had some stretch. I think the Lycra plays a part in this vanity sizing issue.
I agree.
That is a good observation. This must be an older comment b/c Jennifer Hudson is on a campaign for WW and has lost a considerable amount of weight. Perhaps someone like Kate Winslet would’ve been a better example. I don’t watch her wt though; it may fluctuate. Most celebs are promoting wt loss. Some I notice say they’re happy with their bodies. Then next thing you know, they’ve lost significant wt. It’s like a fake out lol. I think celebs are speaking up and saying what is actually true. . .rail thin is not necessarily healthy and neither is being fat. Bodies come in so many different shapes and proportions. I love this article and I haven’t even read it yet. I’ve been convinced I have this syndrome for a while. Pics don’t lie though. A full-length mirror is a must.
5’10″ and 238? Maybe it is me, but you don’t sound that big. Did you have a lot of belly fat?
I am probably in the minority, but I feel like you should love yourself wherever you are. Thin DOES NOT mean healthy either. Healthy comes in a variety of sizes. Trying to give larger people a complex because you can see some extra lbs. will not work. The stress may make them eat more. People have to be self motivated – and NO ONE is perfect. Can we please move on to another subject? Hell, Whitney H. and Micheal J. were both skinny and now are dead vs while my 200+ mom is still walking around at 80 years old.
Meh. I challenge the reasons laid out her for fatorexia. It happened to me because I refused to see what was in front of me. Refused to acknowledge it – deeply. When I looked in the mirror I would concentrate on one thing and sort of fuzz out the rest. The only time I briefly acknowldged I was obese was when someone took a picture of me and showed it to me. I would stare at it in disbelief – “I am that fat?” it would depress me and then I would wipe it from the memory banks and proceed. I was not ready to drop the weight.
Clothing that flatters curves and people accepting fat people is NOT the problem. Ask any fat person. It is perfectly acceptable for people to openly mock and ridicule the overweight. How often have I read that people who are fat should not get nice looking clothes because it only encourages them? Ah well, see above.
Pffft.
Sizes are BS, honestly. They should really go by waist or hip measurements like guys do.
So true. BMI is THE WORST calculator of body fat that I have EVER seen. It’s mystifying ANYONE still uses it. There are other way to calculate body fat that don’t include going online and clicking in your height and weight. People need to go to either the gym or a doctor for that sort of thing, not the internet.
oh no fat people don’t hate themselves, let’s study it!
I completely agree that it is a dysmorphia, and as being underweight has health risks, so does being overweight. There is nothing wrong with looking in the mirror and seeing a beautiful and confident person, but how many times does that person struggle with their wardrobe and other clothes fitting frustrations? How much money has been thrown at insta-thin gimmicks. If a concept like this caught on, it could really change change the core issue: the human mindset. It could change the mind set of how people view health in relation to weight. An avantgarde idea, heck, I’d read the book.
I think ‘fatorexia” is dangerous. As someone who just went from a size 14 to an 8, I never realized quite how “heavy” I’d gotten. It makes something that can be dangerous health-wise (it’s not always for everyone)just too easy to ignore.
And a lot of the factors mentioned above (vanity sizing, media distorted images of normal, crazy portion sizes/ insane calories per serving, etc. etc.)all support us in thinking it’s either “impossible” to be “that thin” so why try at all. Or that we’re just not that bad compared to others.
But it’s not a comparing game it’s a healthy for YOU reality. I assure you very few people are “healthy” at 250 lbs, or certainly won’t be for long. Fatorexia, is opening a window to let out the smoke when the house is on fire.
The US Army uses a body fat calculator which uses height, weight, and measurements from the neck, waist, and hips to calculate body fat percentage. The measurements are supposed to accommodate people with higher muscle mass, as opposed to higher body fat.
I can’t say for sure how accurate it is, but it is almost certainly an improvement over BMI calculated only from height and weight.
I like what you mentioned about “skinny” versus “fat” health-wise. I find it interesting that there seems to be an overall misconception that thin people are comparatively more healthy then overweight people. I am 5’6″, and 185 lbs. I play indoor and outdoor volleyball, tennis, badminton, slow-pitch and orthodox baseball, in addition to my regular weekly workout schedule. I am extremely active, have great blood pressure and cholesterol levels, amd am overweight.
I coach adolescent sports and can run circles around some of my skinny but “fat” kids. They are waifer thin, weaker then a wet paper bag, and exhaust easily. I am not suggesting that all “skinny” people are like this, but I am saying that thin people are not necessarily more healthy then their overweight counterparts. It’s important to keep things in perspective. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise is really where it’s at health-wise. According to my doctors, I am not at risk for a heart attack or stroke, but am definitely overweight. What does this mean for me? It means I wear a larger size then some of the other people I know.
‘Fatorexia’ is pop-psychological fludd. The psychological phenomenon is quite banal, and it’s called motivated self-deception- quite a clever and useful coping mechanism when there is something unpleasant you don’t want to confront. I really don’t blame anyone for not wanting a ‘reality check’ on their weight when it has such significance, a significance made very apparent when reading through these forums.
Body dysmorphia is a completely different thing altogether to what has been described. Check the DSM.