Virgie Tovar, a “fat activist” is visiting The University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health to speak to prospective dietitians, nutritionists and social workers about “fat oppression.”
[revad1]
Along with the School of Social Work and the school’s College of Food Agriculture, The University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health invited Virgie Tovar to speak in celebration of “international diet day.”
In Tovar’s talk, titled “Dispelling Myths: Fat, Fatphobia, and Challenging Social Stereotypes,” she aims to help students understand that in a “white heteronormative society,” “fat phobia” has become a serious issue because people are looking to discriminate against people with larger body types. This discrimination she says happens all the time, making examples of peoples sexual preferences and the sizes of seats on public transportation.
Tovar states that students that study public health should not try to force people to change their eating habits and lose weight even if it is for their overall health. She stated “weight loss is not a realistic goal for most people.” and that exercise and healthy eating habits are “social constructs.”
Reportedly, Tovar compared society’s anti-fat culture to rape culture and that society is obsessed with “thin priviledge.”
Tovar even created her own catchphrase for her ideology. She coined the term, “lose hate, not weight” and to rid society of “diet culture.”
Tovar, who has a masters degree in the field of Human Sexuality from The University of California, at Berkeley, did not go into detail about the health benefits of “losing hate.”
