Does Letting Fat People Dance Encourage Obesity?
Kate Harding —Long Beach, California’s Club Bounce caters to fat people “who might have some trouble getting past the velvet ropes at other night spots because of their size.” And where there are happy fat people, there’s controversy! The semi-reasonable controversy that attends any fat-specific gathering or event — nightclubs, yoga classes, pool parties, reality dating shows — is not even mentioned in the article, but I’ll recap it here anyway. “But why should fat people be segregated?” it goes. “Isn’t the point to be more inclusive, not to shove some people off to the side?” It’s a well-meaning argument, but I’ll tell you what, I rarely hear actual fat people making it. Because we know that while there may not be “No fatties” signs on many doors, there are velvet ropes and bouncers. And yoga instructors who have no clue how fat bodies work, and assholes who will sneer and snicker at the lardass who dares to wear spandex to the gym or a bathing suit to the pool (as if we don’t even kn
