Title (as given to the record by the creator): Sexism
Date(s) of creation: 1974
Creator / author / publisher: Fat Underground
Location: Venice, CA USA
Physical description: one typed page
Reference #: FU-Sexism-1974
Source: Largesse Fat Liberation Archive
Links: [ PDF ]
POSITION PAPER
SEXISM
The Fat Underground sees sexism as a tool of oppression which is particularly injurious to fat people. The essence of sexism is that people may not be individuals. Sexism prescribes that people be assigned roles according to their sex rather than by their interests, talents, abilities or preferences. It further dictates what our bodies must look like, with varying standards for each sex, disenfranchising those who do not fit into the mold. Fat people are prime targets in this sexist society because society’s current concept of the ideal body is very thin. Our “defiance” of the national mania for thinness is seen as willful rebellion, and as such is a punishable “crime.” Our bodies are arbitrarily designated “not sexy” and we are denied our very sexuality. And since this is a sexist society, those denied their sex have no place – we are discriminated against socially, we experience discrimination in jobs, medical care, clothing, etc., and at the root of this is sexism–the body counts for all.
The Fat Underground repudiates all forms of sexism and announces to all that we are taking back our human rights.
THE FAT UNDERGROUND
c/o THE WESTSIDE WOMEN’S CENTER [Redacted]
Published by [Redacted]
A Fat Liberation Collective
Copyright 1974 by the FAT UNDERGROUND