The question of whether or not fat is a derogatory word has a number of answers. Some activists say that “fat” is just an adjective, and they attempted to reclaim the term and strip it of its loaded meaning. Other people feel that calling someone fat is offensive, because of the cultural ideas which surround fat, and they prefer to use terms like “overweight.” You may want to think carefully before using “fat” to describe someone, unless he or she has personally used the word, because “fat” has become a very loaded term.

In the literal sense, fat is just a chemical compound, and the word “fat” has come to be used as an adjective to describe people who have large deposits of this compound under their skin. In some cultures, large deposits of fat are deemed physically unattractive, and therefore the adjective has become an epithet, because the assumption is that being fat is not desirable. Calling someone fat is supposed to be insulting, even when it is an accurate description of his or her body, because the name-caller assumes that the fat person is uncomfortable or perhaps unhappy with the fact that he or she is fat.

In the late 20th century, many activist and radical groups attempted to reclaim words which had been used as insults historically. The idea was that rather than allowing people to use language as a tool for verbal violence, activists could embrace such terms, thumbing their noses at critics. Some feminists, for example, embraced an epithet which is used to describe female dogs, while some people with non-heteronormative sexualities started referring to themselves as “queer.” Activists who focused on sizeism suggested doing the same thing with “fat.”

Many overweight activists refer to themselves as fat, and they may reference fat in the materials they distribute. Some make a distinction between “fat” and “overweight,” arguing that “overweight” implies that there is an acceptable or normal weight beyond which people should not go. By using the word frequently, they hope to reduce the sting of “fat” as an insult, and they invite people of all sizes to use fat as an adjective to describe people who are overweight. However, other people feel that even though a valid attempt to put this word back into its linguistic place is being made, “fat” should not be used without careful thought.

Some people believe that “fat” should only be used by people who would describe themselves as fat, and that people who would not be considered fat should avoid using this word to avoid causing offense. Others feel that all people who are friendly to the idea of fat acceptance should be permitted to describe people as “fat,” and to discuss the issue of sizeism and fat activism with people who question the use of this word. “Fat,” claim these activists, is not a dirty word, and it should not be treated as such.