Bill Maher and the Issue of Fat-Shaming

(Disclaimer: I usually write from an outline, but this time I’m just working off the quotes I wrote down from the clip. This is going to be a little rough because I’m just trying to get my thoughts down quickly and efficiently.) 

The Bill Maher clip, “The Fudge Report,” where he discusses fat-shaming, or more specifically, the societal need to amp up our fat-shaming, has officially gone viral, as has the video of James Corden’s emotional but misguided response to it (there will be a seperate post on this response video). Before getting into the details, I first want to say that watching Bill Maher discuss the importance of fat-shaming was disgusting and upsetting. He is truly so ignorant about this topic, as so many are who choose to discuss it. It pained me getting through it the first time, and nauseated me the second. I will be providing links for anyone who has not yet seen the clip, but in all honesty, I don’t recommend watching it. The only thing you need to know about this video is that it was full of fatphobic rhetoric, and stock photos of fat people intended to shame anyone who might resemble those photos.  

So, let’s dive into some specifics. Bill Maher opens up by discussing the eating habits of Americans. “Americans eat shit, and too much of it.” He isn’t the only person who feels this way, and with the way our country is saturated with fast food chains, I do understand the concern. Hell, sometimes even I feel this way to an extent. But when I feel it, what I feel is a disdain for a system that makes it so a few lucky people can afford private chefs, while many are left choosing between eating fast food every day, or not eating daily. So, I say to those who share Bill Maher’s belief, if you want people eating less of this, your issue simply does not lie with fat people. Your issue lies with our economic system and the fact that food security is not even close to a guarantee, let alone “healthy” food security. If you’re sick of fast food, blame our system, don’t blame fat people.  

But having addressed that, let’s say someone still wants to eat a whole bunch of fast food, despite being able to afford to eat what you consider “better” food. Why do you personally care what someone else is eating? In what way does it affect you? What difference does it make in your life? We actually do have freedom to eat whatever we want, as long as we can afford to do so without stealing it. Now I’m definitely not telling anyone to go eat fast food for 3 meals a day every day. I’m just also not telling anyone not to do that, for the plain and simple reason that what foods other people choose to put into their bodies is just not my business. Would I personally do that? Probably not. Would I try desperately to explain to an autonomous person why this is the superior way to eat, through morality, science, or other tactics? Definitely not.  

He further demonstrated his lack of understanding for the nuances of this issue, he makes the bold statement that fat people are “killing themselves and the planet.” This is in the same vain that many vegans push for veganism as the solution to climate change and other environmental concerns. It totally disregards the lack of access to ethically sourced food products that so many people face, as well as alternative protein sources. If he feels that the poor dietary habits of Americans is contributing (which I won’t deny) to these environmental issues, his issue, again, is not with fat people. His issue is with the system that keeps food access so incredibly inequal. His ignorance about the fact that many people wouldn’t be able to eat every day if they were spending money on these kinds of foods.  

Bill Maher, like so many before him and certainly more to come, continuously conflates health and weight. He cites poor diet as the leading cause of mortality in the US. But most sources actually state that heart disease is the leading culprit. Heart disease is one of those medical issues that is so often conflated with being overweight. The cold hard truth is, heart disease can happen to anyone. We are so incredibly desperate to feel in control over our health and vitality, but when it comes down to it, most of it is out of our hands. So much of our health is effected by our environment and our genetics in ways beyond our control. This is terrifying, and I understand the urge to viewing diet and exercise as a means to gain control. It just doesn’t actually work that way to the extent that people believe it does. 

True to Bill Maher form, he used jokes to drive his points home. Let’s look at some of those jokes. My personal (least) favorite is, “Nobody comes out of the womb needing to buy two seats on an airplane.” I understand that this is a joke, and I actually don’t have a problem with fat jokes. I don’t have a problem with jokes about those groups to which I belong. I have always felt that in this world either everything is on the table, or nothing is. That being said, there is a difference between a fat joke that comes from a person who doesn’t actually hold these beliefs, and a fat joke that comes from someone who would spend over 6 uninterrupted minutes enthusiastically discuss the moral importance of fat-shaming.  

All jokes aside, this one struck me as totally absurd. Even the fattest of babies is still a baby. Again, I know this was a joke. I get that. I just genuinely don’t think it was well thought-out as a joke, or even as a point to make. Was Bill Maher trying to say nobody is born fat? I know some people who were 10 or more pounds at birth who would beg to differ. Aside from that, for people who were smaller babies, this interesting thing happens a while after we aren’t babies anymore. It’s called puberty. It’s a pretty grueling experience, and usually results in some significant bodily changes.  

The last specific statement made during this clip that I want to touch on seriously stopped me in my tracks. He was discussing how people react to skinny people and bringing up the way people say “eat something!” to skinny people. His response? “No, you should not eat something!” Imagine thinking fatness is so appalling and disgusting that you would tell someone not to eat. I’m sure a lot of people will think to themselves, “well, of course he didn’t really mean that.” Maybe he didn’t. I really like to hope that he didn’t. But, some part of him believes it enough to spend six minutes explaining why we need to fat shame people more.  

I want to emphasize two key points. First, I want to say that fat-shaming has not gone anywhere. It is hugely prevalent, and effects people in just about every aspect of their lives. Second, all of the research shows that fat shaming and weight bias is extremely harmful. It makes fat people fatter and makes health conditions worse. It leads to psychological struggles, such as body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, eating disorders, and even depression and suicidality. It keeps larger patients out of necessary eating disorder treatment because they don’t look “sick enough”. It keeps them from getting taken seriously at the doctors, and it keeps them from getting the care that they need, since the solution to all ailments is weight loss, despite the harmful long-term effects of weight cycling and dieting in general. 

There is no shortage of weight bias or fat-shaming in our society, and it is destroying people’s lives.