Uploaded November 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
This workout targets fatphobia, bias in scientific research, and discrimination in medicine. Anti-fatness and fad diets were around for hundreds of years before medical studies with current standards of scientific rigor (sample sizes, controlling for confounding variables, etc.) existed. Christian (specifically Puritan & Calvinist) spiritual ideals became white supremacist beauty ideals centuries before medicine entered the conversation.
We live in a society that holds problematic views, which are instilled in people, including scientists, and that perpetuates real harm. Fat people have been an acceptable target because of Christian white supremacist biases against them, which impacted the science that was produced.
This isn’t a body-positivity or activism video. It’s about bias in science, using anti-fatness as a case study. The Bad Astra team acknowledges that we are all straight-sized women and cannot speak to the experience of existing as fat people. We call for increased diversity in science, as societal biases like this can only be identified and countered when people with different perspectives are listened to and taken seriously.
Join our Patreon: Patreon.com/badastra
Facebook: facebook.com/BadAstraChannel
Tiktok: BadAstraOfficial
Twitter: @BadAstraChannel
Instagram: bad_astra
Theme: Gail Gallagher gailgallaghermusic.com
Credits Remix: Quantopix whyrecord.com/artist/Quantopix
Extended Interview: youtu.be/8WNwz2HWVaU
Kat Benson: youtube.com/c/UnlockedNutritionKatBensonRDNLD
Sabrina Strings' book: amazon.com/Fearing-Black-Body-Racial-Origins/dp/1479886750
Other Sources:
Impact of weight stigma on quality of care and outcomes for fat patients:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4381543
apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/08/fat-shaming
wellandgood.com/fat-shaming-medicine
scientificamerican.com/article/in-obesity-research-fatphobia-is-always-the-x-factor
Testimonials: buzzfeed.com/laraparker/times-doctors-were-fatphobic
Implicit Bias Study: journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0048448
Racial Differences in "Ideal weight": jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/195748
Stress impacts on health: mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037
Social Determinants of Health: youtube.com/watch?v=NTc7VWPLylc
Food Pyramids: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_pyramid_(nutrition)
Ryan Masters' Study: ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301379
History of at-home Scales: elemental.medium.com/the-completely-bonkers-history-of-the-bathroom-scale-35ba54e04805#:~:text=The%20first%20American%2Dmade%20bathroom,by%20over%201%20million%20people.
BMI History:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolphe_Quetelet#Criminology
elemental.medium.com/the-bizarre-and-racist-history-of-the-bmi-7d8dc2aa33bb
npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106268439
katsonga.com/random-thoughts/a-short-history-of-body-mass-index-bmi
Health At Every Size (HAES)
centralcoasttreatmentcenter.com/blog-1/the-health-at-every-size-haes-movement-size-does-not-equal-health
sizediversityandhealth.org/health-at-every-size-haes-approach
pubag.nal.usda.gov/download/8478/PDF
nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2891-10-9
hindawi.com/journals/jobe/2014/983495
theswaddle.com/all-the-arguments-you-need-to-prove-fat-isnt-necessarily-unhealthy
Restrictive Diets don’t work; Fatphobia doesn’t reduce obesity, Stress from weight stigma: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4654677/#R29
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666314003560?casa_token=QHrKK4bMOBgAAAAA:VkjkkYZO5ttPRnNTy_ryqAitRIv_i6tOSOKcwknDeuR-mp0lfh-rGSCj_VXT0H6QoHG3bIyf8w
blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/fat-is-not-the-problem-fat-stigma-is
How Obesity became a disease: theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/03/how-obesity-became-a-disease/388300
nytimes.com/2013/06/19/business/ama-recognizes-obesity-as-a-disease.html
Better measures of health:
cnet.com/health/6-health-stats-that-are-more-important-than-your-weight
heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/understanding-blood-pressure-readings
askthescientists.com/measuring-health
Prior Research:
Philosophy Tube: youtube.com/watch?v=9MGUWtTakQc
The Costume Codex: youtube.com/watch?v=rxwSsTCavOM
The Costume Codex: youtube.com/watch?v=UoZWG7oiGqQ
Jenny Le: youtube.com/watch?v=3iDBWJDlGyw
Laci Green: youtube.com/watch?v=QvKfPr7b_A8
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2725893
self.com/story/coronavirus-medical-anti-fat-bias
https://sci-hub.se/10.1002/1098-108x(199312)14:4%3C467::aid-eat2260140410%3E3.0.co;2-j
This workout targets fatphobia, bias in scientific research, and discrimination in medicine. Anti-fatness and fad diets were around for hundreds of years before medical studies with current standards of scientific rigor (sample sizes, controlling for confounding variables, etc.) existed. Christian (specifically Puritan & Calvinist) spiritual ideals became white supremacist beauty ideals centuries before medicine entered the conversation.
We live in a society that holds problematic views, which are instilled in people, including scientists, and that perpetuates real harm. Fat people have been an acceptable target because of Christian white supremacist biases against them, which impacted the science that was produced.
This isn’t a body-positivity or activism video. It’s about bias in science, using anti-fatness as a case study. The Bad Astra team acknowledges that we are all straight-sized women and cannot speak to the experience of existing as fat people. We call for increased diversity in science, as societal biases like this can only be identified and countered when people with different perspectives are listened to and taken seriously.
Join our Patreon: Patreon.com/badastra
Facebook: facebook.com/BadAstraChannel
Tiktok: BadAstraOfficial
Twitter: @BadAstraChannel
Instagram: bad_astra
Theme: Gail Gallagher gailgallaghermusic.com
Credits Remix: Quantopix whyrecord.com/artist/Quantopix
Extended Interview: youtu.be/8WNwz2HWVaU
Kat Benson: youtube.com/c/UnlockedNutritionKatBensonRDNLD
Sabrina Strings' book: amazon.com/Fearing-Black-Body-Racial-Origins/dp/1479886750
Other Sources:
Impact of weight stigma on quality of care and outcomes for fat patients:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4381543
apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/08/fat-shaming
wellandgood.com/fat-shaming-medicine
scientificamerican.com/article/in-obesity-research-fatphobia-is-always-the-x-factor
Testimonials: buzzfeed.com/laraparker/times-doctors-were-fatphobic
Implicit Bias Study: journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0048448
Racial Differences in "Ideal weight": jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/195748
Stress impacts on health: mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037
Social Determinants of Health: youtube.com/watch?v=NTc7VWPLylc
Food Pyramids: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_pyramid_(nutrition)
Ryan Masters' Study: ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301379
History of at-home Scales: elemental.medium.com/the-completely-bonkers-history-of-the-bathroom-scale-35ba54e04805#:~:text=The%20first%20American%2Dmade%20bathroom,by%20over%201%20million%20people.
BMI History:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolphe_Quetelet#Criminology
elemental.medium.com/the-bizarre-and-racist-history-of-the-bmi-7d8dc2aa33bb
npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106268439
katsonga.com/random-thoughts/a-short-history-of-body-mass-index-bmi
Health At Every Size (HAES)
centralcoasttreatmentcenter.com/blog-1/the-health-at-every-size-haes-movement-size-does-not-equal-health
sizediversityandhealth.org/health-at-every-size-haes-approach
pubag.nal.usda.gov/download/8478/PDF
nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2891-10-9
hindawi.com/journals/jobe/2014/983495
theswaddle.com/all-the-arguments-you-need-to-prove-fat-isnt-necessarily-unhealthy
Restrictive Diets don’t work; Fatphobia doesn’t reduce obesity, Stress from weight stigma: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4654677/#R29
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666314003560?casa_token=QHrKK4bMOBgAAAAA:VkjkkYZO5ttPRnNTy_ryqAitRIv_i6tOSOKcwknDeuR-mp0lfh-rGSCj_VXT0H6QoHG3bIyf8w
blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/fat-is-not-the-problem-fat-stigma-is
How Obesity became a disease: theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/03/how-obesity-became-a-disease/388300
nytimes.com/2013/06/19/business/ama-recognizes-obesity-as-a-disease.html
Better measures of health:
cnet.com/health/6-health-stats-that-are-more-important-than-your-weight
heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/understanding-blood-pressure-readings
askthescientists.com/measuring-health
Prior Research:
Philosophy Tube: youtube.com/watch?v=9MGUWtTakQc
The Costume Codex: youtube.com/watch?v=rxwSsTCavOM
The Costume Codex: youtube.com/watch?v=UoZWG7oiGqQ
Jenny Le: youtube.com/watch?v=3iDBWJDlGyw
Laci Green: youtube.com/watch?v=QvKfPr7b_A8
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2725893
self.com/story/coronavirus-medical-anti-fat-bias
https://sci-hub.se/10.1002/1098-108x(199312)14:4%3C467::aid-eat2260140410%3E3.0.co;2-j
