I get where you are coming from, I don’t think we need another name coz it is well known that being overweight causes health issues, most of us are aware of the complications that can arise with excess weight. Having fat acceptance doesn’t mean we are unaware of the risks or are in denial (some maybe, but that’s a minority). Knowing these facts doesn’t change our behaviours. I regularly get check ups because I know my weight can cause issues and my family has a history of diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol etc. Thankfully my tests are always great. Even knowing I have these risk factors doesn’t miraculously stop my eating disorder. I see a psychologist and have started trying hypnotherapy in the hopes to help. This doesn’t take into consideration the people who take medications that cause weight gain or suffer medical issues like PCOS, Prader-Willi syndrome, thyroid issues, digestive problems etc. I don’t feel changing the terminology will help, but that is just my opinion.

Foxxy, you are partly right, but the problem is that although you are not unaware of the risks or in denial, there are some people who are in total denial. There are also people who are on the cusp of whether they are in denial. For obese people to achieve their medically necessary changes, they will need to do achievable but consistent daily acts of discipline, e.g. to drink water over soda, to take a 20 minute walk. When the obese people, on the cusp of denial - but also the cusp of addressing their problem, are struggling through daily temptations you don't want them to believe that their obesity is in any sense 'acceptable.' That can easily give obese people a way to rationalize giving into their temptations and making the less disciplined choices. This is esp. likely when you consider how many people who struggle with obesity are less educated and/or young people. Not all of them realize the true gravity of their situation, and they need a clear, straightforward understanding.

Foxxy, I think we have common ground here. It's true that the term 'fat acceptance' could straightforwardly mean that decent interpretation you give. The problem is it can also, just as straightforwardly, be interpreted to mean that obesity doesn't create a host of health problems, when there is overwhelming evidence that it does. So maybe, we need some new term, like 'Positivity+PersonalReforms' - or something more catchy. What about that idea? That it's time for some new term that captures these two different goods that we've identified?

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