Media and Research Roundup - September 2022
The graphic reads, "Media and Research Roundup" at the top. Below shows visual depictions of three of the subjects included in the Roundup listing: a “No Fat Shaming” symbol; a B&W pic of Sofie Hagen sitting on a couch; a screenshot of the cover of “Black Vans,” by Alex Smith and James Dillenbeck. Beneath the array reads NAAFA Community Voices Blog. At the bottom is a blue bar that states, "naafa.org" and shows the NAAFA logo.
Content Warning: Some references to fat shaming in medical offices and movies
By Bill and Terri Weitze
July 29, 2022: Comedian Sofie Hagen writes about her journey as a fat comedian learning about fat acceptance, body positivity, and her colleagues, who cannot be trusted not to turn to fat jokes for a laugh.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jul/29/is-there-a-single-comedian-out-there-not-fatphobic-apart-from-me-of-course
August 10, 2022: According to a recent study, when it comes to fat shaming and weight bias in healthcare, it's the support staff as well as the doctors and nurses who are causing harm to fat patients. The study suggests several methods of reducing this bias in healthcare.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/aug/10/obese-patients-weight-shamed-doctors-nurses
https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13494
August 16, 2022: Writer Alex Smith and illustrator James Dillenbeck have created a fat black-latino gay hero in the comic book series "Black Vans". The hero Bo is a cyberhacker in "Future Philly" who works with his assigned superhero Wildstar; but Bo is not the sidekick. He is the star of this series.
https://whyy.org/articles/gay-black-superheroes-comics-black-vans-fatphobia-philadelphia/
September 4, 2022: Researchers have developed new tools to study the nerves that connect fat tissue to the brain, which they hope will lead to a better understanding on the function of fat tissue in the body.
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220904/The-brain-and-fat-communicate-directly.aspx
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05137-7
September 14, 2022: Brendan Fraser dons a fat suit for his new film, The Whale, the story of a depressed 650-pound man. Critics have acclaimed the film and Fraser's performance; however, many people have major issues about the film and its content.
https://nypost.com/2022/09/14/the-whale-backlash-critic-warns-fat-and-skinny-people/
Pic is of Terri and Bill Weitze, a Caucasian couple, both wearing glasses
Terri and Bill Weitze have been active within NAAFA for years, and they currently coauthor the Media and Research Roundup in the NAAFA Newsletter. They both live and work in Michigan, and met through a fat-positive bulletin board system before the days of the World Wide Web.