Obesity influencers who claim that it is possible to be healthy even if obese are dying one after another.
This may be the result of the idea of eliminating prejudice against appearance being emphasized and spread in a way that is different from its original meaning through social media and the media.
In this context, measures such as the “sugar tax,” which imposes a tax on sugar content in drinks, have been introduced to “control obesity and encourage people to stay healthy.”
And recently, an idea has been developed that would be disadvantageous to obese people: paying according to your weight when travelling on an airplane .
A research team led by Markus Schuckert of the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in the United States has reported that younger people are more likely to support this “weight-based fare system” than older people.
So, is “weight based fares” a fair idea, or does it encourage discrimination?
Will it be accepted by people, encouraging them to lose weight and reduce fuel use?
“Social movements” and “extreme claims” against obesity
In recent years, the social movement ” body positivity ,” which advocates a positive view of all bodies regardless of size, shape, skin color, gender, or physical ability, has become widespread.
In addition, the ” fat acceptance movement, ” a social movement that aims to “eliminate the social prejudice against obesity ,” is also gaining momentum.
It is a good thing to eliminate prejudice and discrimination that causes suffering to people, but these activities and ideas can become extreme and stray from their original ideas and purposes through social media and the media.
For example, not only slim models but also obese models are increasingly appearing in fashion magazines, and more attention is being paid to “obese influencers” who sell their obesity and actively support the fat acceptance movement.
And some of these influencers claim that it is possible to be obese and still be healthy .
However, in reality, obese influencers who make such claims are dying one after another from diabetes and heart disease .
Many others who believed the influencer’s words may end up following the same path.
No matter what claims are made, the fact remains that excessive obesity is detrimental to health.
That is why there is also a movement against the acceptance of obesity.
Measures to prevent people from becoming obese are already being introduced in various parts of the world.
One of them is called a ” sugar tax (or soda tax) .”
This is a tax levied on soft drinks and other beverages based on their sugar content, with the aim of curbing consumption of sugar, which is believed to be one of the causes of obesity.
We tax sugar to stop people becoming obese.
Considering all these different claims and policies, it is clear that society is currently in turmoil regarding the topic of obesity .
And recently, in this unstable society, an idea has emerged that would almost be called an “obesity tax,” in which the heavier you are, the higher the airfare for passenger flights.
The controversial “weight-based fare system” is especially popular among young people
Most airlines impose restrictions on the weight and size of baggage that can be carried on board an aircraft.
If you exceed that amount, you may be charged an excess fee.
It also appears that in some cases passengers themselves are charged excess weight fees.
For example , Samoa Airways was the first airline in the world to introduce a “weight-based fare” system in 2013, under which the heavier the passenger, the higher the fare .
There were a variety of opinions, both for and against, regarding this proposal.
Certainly, the heavier the passenger, the more fuel is consumed, so airlines could say that this is a fair request to passengers.
The deal may also have the effect of reducing the use of aircraft by obese passengers and curbing obesity in the population.
Some argue that this is a better deal for the environment and people’s health.
On the other hand, many people criticized the move, saying it would amount to an “obesity tax” on passengers.
Incidentally, a while ago, a plus-size influencer took to social media to criticize the airline for being discriminatory in being asked to pay for two seats when she took up two seats (because she would have been too big for one) , which sparked a huge stir.
As this case shows (regardless of whether it is ethical or not), airlines and passengers have had a variety of opinions regarding “weight and size-based fares.”
So, in an age where social movements against body size and obesity are on the rise, will the idea of ”weight-based fares” be accepted in the future?
To answer these questions, Markus Schuckert and his team at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in the United States recently conducted a public opinion survey on “weight-based fares.”
1,012 American air travelers were asked about their opinions of the following fare systems:
Standard policy : All passengers pay a flat fare
Threshold policy : passengers over a set weight limit of 160 pounds are charged an additional fee
Weight Policy : Fare is determined based on weight and baggage combined
The results showed that the standard policy was the most acceptable overall.
As the research team predicted, the response patterns differed significantly between light and heavy people.
For example, 71.7% of people weighing less than 160 pounds (72.6 kg) accepted either the threshold policy or the weight-based policy, compared with 49.8% of people weighing 160 pounds or more.
However, in this study, differences also emerged depending on the age of the respondents.
Respondents between the ages of 18 and 35 were 20% more likely to accept weight-based fares than those aged 65 and over .
It is interesting to note that young people who are more exposed to the fat acceptance movement on social media are more likely to accept weight-based fare.
Maybe young people are more health and environmentally conscious than the extreme views portrayed in the media.
Either way, Schuckert calls the embrace of these measures among younger travelers an “encouraging trend,” adding that “their positive outlook leads to more open discussion.”
This research suggests there is some possibility that weight-based fares may be adopted around the world in the future, and also sheds light on the current state of the social movement against appearance, which has recently become increasingly radical.
Excessive obesity is harmful to health, but should this health issue really be linked to weight-based fare policies?
Also, do such practices promote prejudice, or are they fair in the sense of “individualized pricing”?
In a society in such flux, the debate is likely to continue.