San Francisco The new self-described “anti-weight discrimination” expert attracted some attention online with a 2022 video in which she insisted that “no one should be healthy,” while speaking out against “fatphobia.”
Virgie Tovar, body positivity activist and author of You Have the Right to Stay Fat, made this statement in response to the question, “What is your definition of health?” In a YouTube video Published by cosmetics and beauty chain Ulta Beauty.
“You know, no one has to be healthy, right? There's no governing body…no one owes it to anyone in either the traditional sense of the word or any other, more innovative or even more politicized version of that word,” she said.
She went on to bring up “intersectionality,” or in other words, the experience of inequality due to two or more aspects of social identity, such as race, disability, and gender, simultaneously.
Virgie Tovar participates in the “Fat on Camera: Why It Matters” panel during the Bentonville Film Festival on June 23, 2022 in Bentonville, Arkansas. (Justin Ford/Getty Images for Bentonville Film Festival)
“Look at the disability community. I think people with disabilities have activists in the field who say, ‘I will never be your concept of health. And it doesn't mean I won't be a full human being (and) you have to treat me some way, I like taking that principle from the disability spectrum to obesity activism and understanding obesity.
A section of the exchange has Reactions with X, Some talk about the importance of healthy eating and exercise in preventing health risks associated with obesity, while others point to the high costs of health insurance or the comparison between obese people and people with disabilities.
Others criticized her for comparing the suffering of obese people to that of people with disabilities.
Tovar did not immediately respond Fox News Digital Request for comment.
Fergie Tovar has criticized GLP-1 weight loss drugs and “fatphobia”, seeking to raise awareness and advocate for those affected by obesity. (Istock)
The San Francisco Department of Public Health brought in Tovar, a consistent critic of “diet culture” and “fatphobia,” to consult on “weight stigma and neutrality,” though the details of the situation were not clearly defined.
She announced on her Instagram account on Monday that she had been appointed as the department's advisor, writing: “I am incredibly proud to serve the city I have called home for nearly 20 years in this way! This advisory is an absolute dream come true, and it is my greatest hope and belief that weight neutrality It will be the future of public health.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health did not respond when previously asked to provide specific details regarding Tovar's advisory role.
Tovar has been critical of GLP-1 drugs commonly used for weight loss, including… Type 2 diabetes medication OzempicShe said she could have gotten the medicine for free, but she refused to take it.
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Fox News' Yael Halon contributed to this report.
