What is Fat Liberation?
Fat Liberation or Fat Acceptance is a social movement with roots in 1960’s activism created for and by folks in larger bodies. Fat Liberation activists and allies work to end the oppression faced by those in larger bodies. This movement acknowledges that anti-fat bias and weight stigma can be traced to racism and the association between fat bodies and black bodies. Specifically, they challenge the assumption that those bodies are unhealthy, unwanted and can never meet the thin, white “ideal”.
Fat Liberation is not Body Positivity. Body Positivity is the movement for individual body acceptance. This movement, on it's own, does not address the oppression faced by those in larger bodies.
What is Health At Every Size?
You will see Health at Every Size (HAES) mentioned throughout BLB literature. HAES is a complete paradigm for health; including physical health, mental health, public health and individual behaviors.
“The framing for a HAES approach comes out of discussions among healthcare workers, consumers, and activists who reject both the use of weight, size, or BMI as proxies for health, and the myth that weight is a choice. The HAES model is an approach to both policy and individual decision-making. It addresses broad forces that support health, such as safe and affordable access. It also helps people find sustainable practices that support individual and community well-being. The HAES approach honors the healing power of social connections, evolves in response to the experiences and needs of a diverse community, and grounds itself in a social justice framework.” -https://asdah.org/health-at-every-size-haes-approach/
What is Body Safe?
BLB Defines a Body Safe Space as one that…
-Does not promote intentional weight loss under any circumstances
-Provides equal access to care and interventions to all bodies
-Acknowledges the harm in using derogatory language such as ‘ob*s* and ovrw*ight’ or any other language that pathologizes or medicalizes bodies
-Allows people to self-identify and be identified using language that is comfortable for them in terms of size, gender and ethnicity
-Does not allow negative/anti-fat/pro-thin comments about any bodies
-Actively makes efforts to accommodate bodies of all sizes and abilities (merchandise, exam rooms, chairs, ramps, bathrooms, treatment tables, beds, blood pressure cuffs, proper bolsters, etc)