“Your Fats Good friend” is not trying to unravel fatphobia or present a historical past lesson on fatness in America (which might require six seasons of hour-long episodes at minimal), and as an alternative makes use of the character-driven focus of Aubrey Gordon’s existence and activism as a reminder to the world at giant that society is permissibly merciless to fats individuals. Each time fats individuals speak candidly concerning the obstacles we face or justifiably complain concerning the rubbish remedy we obtain, we’re all the time advised to “love ourselves.”
Sounds good, besides loving myself is not going to make a health care provider prescribe me an antibiotic as an alternative of weight reduction after I are available in complaining a couple of sinus an infection. Captioning my photographs with “horny is not a measurement it is a mind-set” is not going to magically remind an employer that my work ethic will not be dictated by my weight in a rustic the place weight discrimination is completely authorized within the office in most states. Or as Aubrey Gordon places it, “you possibly can’t love your means out of oppression.”
The large lie about anti-fat bias is that folks imagine it has to take care of inside elements when the fact is that fats people who find themselves depressing really feel that means as a result of society is so inhospitable, discriminatory, and inaccessible. It is why I critically thought I used to be going to lose my f***ing thoughts listening to individuals name “The Whale” a “courageous” or “shifting” movie when it fails to acknowledge the precise issues fats individuals face and as an alternative presents “the nightmare of a skinny individual come to life, disguising a cautionary story as one in every of humanity whereas dehumanizing the protagonist at each flip.” This documentary is about Aubrey Gordon’s rise in fame, sure, nevertheless it’s additionally a mirrored image of the day-to-day expertise of thousands and thousands. It is trustworthy and empathetic with out ever begging the viewers to see fats individuals as human.
Both you see us that means, or you do not, and that is your situation to work by way of by yourself time and dime.
“Your Fats Good friend” is on the market in restricted theaters and on VOD by way of Jolt.
