MARCH | 2020 | FRONT PAGE

STACK HAUSE

The tables of attraction have turned in recent years and have found many of us in love with all things THICK. The myth that the conventionally attractive pair themselves with chubbier Beauxs as a matter of financial convenience, along with the allegory of fat people only liking other fat people are but two ideals of a time (not so) long passed. Body image has always been a thing within the community, so much that an estimated third of our thicker Beaux brothers have experienced some kind of anti-fat bias. However, the winds of allure are blowing in a more favorable direction, and the realm of appreciation for the larger Beaux has expanded.

Once upon a time the thicker Beaux found himself invisible to the eyes of those who were considered as being “in shape”. His presence was generally ignored by many, and in the instances where he was recognized, and he was expected to act as the poster child of humility. Being thick, fat, overweight, or whatever you want to call it, was (and sometimes still is) seen as undesirable, weak, and even feminine. Attitudes such as these have caused insurmountable amounts of harm for the thicker Beaux as they find themselves metabolizing them and the messages that come with them as if they are valid.  

We can’t say for certain that the negative attitudes towards the thicker Beaux have zeroed out, but as previously stated, times are certainly changing. There is, and for many there always has been, something that draws some of us to a Beaux who carries a little extra weight. We marvel at the commanding nature of his presence, give second and third glances as he walks into and out of our lines of sight, and have grown fond of the way he bucks at societal standards of physical perfection. He is perfection. We’ve come to revere him and his natural form as things of beauty, and view him as nothing less than a work of art.

Many of us effortlessly meet the clinical definition of being overweight or obese. Such definitions classify a five foot nine Beaux who weighs 200lbs as being overweight. Most medical professionals operating under such a definition would suggest that he focus his efforts on slimming down to a more “appropriate” weight of 169lbs to ensure that he fits into the tail end of what’s considered as a normal weight.

However, not only is the definition of obesity insulting , it emboldens those who exist outside of it shame as much as it encourages them to blame. They attribute the weight of the thicker Beaux as a monster of his own creation, view it as a personal failure, and liken it to a lack of discipline or self-control.

Having a fat body in a world that constantly tells us that fat bodies are as flawed as they are unattractive can be difficult to say the least. While many of us are able to ignore or see past these messages, the fat shaming, bullying, and discrimination persist. What’s interesting is that those who perpetuate the negative ideals associated with fatness are no different than those perpetuating the ideals of homophobia.

They view fatness as a disease just as many once viewed homosexuality as a disease, as something that could be prevented, treated, and cured. Those with negative ideas about fatness see its opposite as being something easily achieved given that the willingness exists. But there’s more to it then that, there’s always more.

What’s important is that those of us who both know better and appreciate the fully figured Beaux continue to do our part by doing better. Doing better consists of more than lusting after the thicker Beaux. Doing better is us calling the out the fatphobic bullshit when we see or hear it, its about continually being there to offer support when they fall prey to the jokes, bullying, and discrimination. It’s about being their sword, as much as it is about being their shield.

The love that so many of us have for the bigger Beaux isn’t born of pity, but of admiration and attraction. It comes from a place of maturity, a place where we’re more concerned about his personality and feelings than we are his waist size. We care more about how he makes us feel, and the emotions he evokes, and less about whether or not he exists within some clinically defined ideal of normalcy. 

While attitudes and views of the thicker Beaux, of the Stackhouse, have evolved, we’re probably not as far along as we should be. The sooner we, as a whole, realize that thin is no longer the baseline standard, the sooner we’ll find ourselves part of a community that’s less superficial. Similarly, the sooner we accept that the thicker Beaux is no less deserving of our attraction, of our respect, or of our admiration, the sooner we’ll move forward down the path of acceptance and understanding.