Share this Story: Who are you calling fat?
Who are you calling fat?
Rita DeMontis
Photo by supplied /Deborah Capaccio
Fat shaming are two of the ugliest words in the dictionary – they represent a terrible criticism of a person struggling with weight issues that spill into areas of bullying and harassment.
For many, just reading or saying the words out loud can trigger anxiety, depression or worse.
Who are you calling fat? Back to video
And yet, just recently this messaging was triumphantly displayed on a massive billboard overlooking New York City's Times Square.
Feeling Fat and Lazy? blared the controversial billboard, over an image of an obese woman sitting with her head in her hands, sparking a social media frenzy across North America that continues to this day.
Deborah Capaccio, a certified high-performance coach and physiotherapist, and the person behind the billboard, admits, in an exclusive interview with the Toronto Sun , that she couldn't be happier with the response: "The words fat and lazy were specifically used on the billboard after interviewing hundreds of women suffering from yo-yo dieting and body image issues who felt frustrated and hopeless," she said recently via email.
"As painful as these words are for so many, until they were able to silence these voices … they were stuck in the vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting with plummeting self-esteem and the deleterious effects on relationships, jobs etc."
The idea behind using these words, added Capaccio, (a Toronto native who moved to the U.S., in early 2000 when she married her first husband, an American football player who played with the Toronto Argonauts) was to "act as a mirror, reflecting back to the women suffering, triggering a response of discomfort, and to motivate."
And she stands firmly behind her words and billboard, which cost Capaccio US$14,000, and was actually an advertisement for her fitness company, Sparkle Girl, ( getyoursparklebackgirl.net ). "Whomever read the billboard could go on our website, and see they aren't alone, see the success stories of many other women who've been there too, and be able to learn more about our program, called Brain First. Body Second.
"If a person were to read the billboard 'Feeling Fat and Lazy?' and answered 'no,' then my program would not be for (them), " added Capaccio, who was motivated after struggling with her own weight and body issues.
Sounds noble, but there's more to solving people's weight problems than with dramatic billboards. According to www.healthline.com , "fat shaming, the act of criticizing and harassing overweight people about their weight or eating behaviour, (is) often justified as a means to motivate people, but research shows it has the opposite effect."
In study after study of overweight people exposed to any type of fat shaming messaging resulted in that person suffering more stress and anxiety – and overeating.
And obesity issues are alarming. Recent stats from the World Health Organization reveals worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975, and that it's proving deadly in the fight against COVID-19 and its variants.
According to Dr. Sean Wharton, internal medicine weight management and diabetes specialist and an adjunct professor at McMaster and York Universities, "obesity is a complex, chronic medical condition, just like diabetes or heart disease, that is caused by a variety of genetic and medical factors.
"It is not purely about weight and managing it is not simply a matter of willpower, diet or exercise," as reported in a recent media email.
Fat-shaming, in general, has become a global health problem, and international comparisons between various countries have found how deep weight stigmas run. A survey recently published in the International Study of Obesity has found that over half of WW (formerly Weight Watchers) adult overweight members interviewed "say they have experienced fat-shaming from doctors, family, friends, classmates and coworkers," and has led to everything from self-blame to avoidance of health care, notes Dr. Gary Foster, Ph.D., and chief scientific officer with WW.
Capaccio, who says her programming has helped hundreds of women permanently overcome their problem with yo-yo dieting, stands by her controversial messaging, reporting her sign is still up – and she's receiving tons of positive responses.
"Some have asked if now is the time to be so direct in my messaging," she said. "My answer is, 'if not now, when?' Obesity is a health crisis. And now more than ever with the pandemic weight gain and inactivity at an all-time high. My husband is a physician and I have 20 years experience as a physical therapist, and we both have had years of working with patients who have suffered chronic pain and illnesses due to obesity issues.
"The consequences are devastating – yet avoidable most of the time. The clients who saw my billboard and reached out to me, thanked me for being so direct and let me know that, yes, they have been feeling fat and lazy and were eager to hear about my program."
Interesting to note, the controversy has done wonders for Capaccio's messaging: "So many great things have happened. I have been able to reach and help so many more women than I ever would have (imagined.) Overall, I'm thrilled with the result."