Critical Analysis Of Rethinking Weight By Amanda Spake

The article “Rethinking Weight” was written by Amanda Spake, and is about the hardships of losing weight and keeping it off. She makes note of the fact that healthy weight loss (medically supervised, slow and gradual weight loss) is in a completely unfair playing field against fast weight loss. She also talks about whether obesity should be classified as a disease so that it will get better treatment in the medical field. The article “Fat and Happy: In Defense of Fat Acceptance” was written by Mary Ray Worley, and is about learning to live in a “new world” as the author, Worley, describes it. This new world is one she experienced while at a NAAFA (National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance) convention. The articles are really about addiction
Worley is a member of NAAFA and writes about them in her article. She tells us of the time she visited a NAAFA conference, she describes it as “it was like visiting another planet altogether” (163). She describes her experience at a pool party where people were walking around happy and they were not worried that their hefty size would offend someone. She writes of the clothes that were sold there that were made for fat people and she thought they even looked stylish. She tells of a talent show where people get to try the lead role they did not get in high school as a result of the fact that they were not as beautiful as the skinny people. She writes that even though some researchers conclude that body size is genetically decided they still say large individuals should try to lose weight, but it may be futile. She calls them out and says they cannot align their findings with what they believe personally. The author brings in the mental health aspect and talks about the ridicule that is a part of a heavy person 's life regularly. She notes that people will make rude comments, or comment about what they have in their grocery cart at the store. She states that people are not that into getting medical help by reason of a doctor almost always attributing health issues to the fact a person is fat. She talks about how she has tried so many times to lose weight, but she realized that she needed
Spake talks about the large cost of addiction and the need to have it classified as a disease. She believes that if more addictions were considered a disease that it would be much easier and more cost efficient to get treatment for these issues. Spake also claims that it would give the opportunity for more research, which would allow for better treatments to emerge. Worley focuses more on loving and accepting oneself and being happy as an addict. She talks about the severe ridicule people face as an addict, for example fat people being publicly shamed. She believes that addicts should love and be happy with who they are as an individual. She says that at her NAAFA convention she “kept noticing how great everyone looked. They were confident and radiant and happy–and all sizes of fat” (Worley 163).She thinks that society should be more accepting to addicts. Worley says she wants them to be treated no differently than non-addicts. Both Spake and Worley both agree that individuals should get help, and that addicts need to be treated better. The articles are really about addiction and the problems that addicts and their families face, the differences are that Spake writes about getting help for the addiction and Worley writes about accepting who we are. These articles are about the issue of obesity, however the underlying meaning that is not obvious is about addiction and the need to get help. While one