WHO CARES ABOUT FAT FOLKS? We Should. We are all getting FAT! The Dear Abby of Fat People Helps The Diet Culture THRIVE.

Obese, Large, Overweight, Big & Tall, Plus Size, Cuddly, Roly Poly, Daddy's Little Fatty...or just plain Fat. If you have ever been called one of these names, and have honestly tried to lose weight, then according to Jean Anspaugh, author of Fat Like Us, you are part of what she has deemed the Diet Culture.

Obese individuals are ostracized from the main culture and constitute their own group, says Anspaugh who has been featured on CBS's 60 Minutes about her diet culture as described in Fat Like Us. Dieters have their own values, language and modes of behavior which are passed on orally through dieters' personal narrative experiences." The whole world is getting fat, and diet culture is growing leaps and bounds. "My job is to document it and figure out how to help. It's not merely about calories, or exercise, or finding one's self - it's about culture."

Anthropologists believe that a culture is composed of shared knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs, language and religion of a particular group of people. Culture is learned and shared through behavior and oral traditions. To be truly powerful, a culture must distinguish itself from others around it and form its own community. Through isolation, the community becomes homogeneous and solidifies its core values, which results in a group identity or belief system. Here are some examples of "Fatonics" (a blend of fat talk and phonics).

Chubby Chaser: A man who pursues fat women.
Gorilla: A very large, unattractive dieter.
Fat Head: Someone with a slim body who thinks like a fat person.
Nickel: A 500 pound woman.
Nylon Bob: A middle-aged man who thinks he's a stud. The term refers to the very tight running shorts often worn by such men. See the Glossary in Fat Like Us to learn more of the fat language!
Lifting the Apron: After a large amount of weight is lost, the stomach becomes flabby. One has to pull the excess skin aside in order to have sex.