Disney is certainly NOT the “Happiest Place On Earth" for overweight or obese children

Well Disney is certainly NOT the “Happiest Place On Earth" for overweight or obese children anymore. I am appalled by the post I read last night by Ragan from Dances With Fat! Disney’s latest attraction “Habit Heroes" where the enemies are “glutton" and “snacker“.

 

 

Deeply Disappointed in Disney

 

Everyday people send me posts about atrocities committed against people of size all over the word.  I get frustrated, I get angry, occasionally yell at my computer, but I usually don’t cry.

That changed today.  As I sat in the  airport in Gainesville reading an article about Disney’s latest attraction “Habit Heroes" I couldn’t stop the tears.

This is a new game at Epcot wherein kids meet their “Heroes" Will Power and Callie Stenics and fight with them against “Enemies" The Glutton, Lead Bottom and Snacker.

And as I type I’m crying again. Disney is my absolute favorite vacation place. It’s where my Best Friend and I go for a week at a time to bond, go on rides, and watch the Lion King Show.   So I’m heartbroken that we may have gone for the last time.  I won’t go back now (except possibly in protest****il they get rid of this.

But that isn’t why I’m crying, I’m crying because I know how excited kids get about Disney.  Disney is supposed to be the happiest place on Earth and now fat kids – who are subjected to a barrage of shaming, humiliating, stigmatizing, and bullying messages from society on a daily basis – will go on vacation and find out  kids who look like them are villains who other kids fight for points and bragging rights. Disney might as well just hold fat kids down and let park guests kick them?

At the end of the ride kids can have their picture taken and e-mailed to them.  So what happens when the kids (or their moms, friends) look like the “enemies? What happens to the vacation that they’ve been looking forward to since their parents first said “We’re going to Disney World!"?   Shaming kids does not lead to better health, why is that so hard to understand?  You can’t tell how healthy someone is, how much they exercise, or what they eat by looking at their bodies, you just can’t.

This ride is in partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield.  Regional Market President Tony Jenkins said:  “As an insurance company, we have the information kids need to be healthier.  Our challenge was to tell that story in a fun, engaging way, which is what Disney does."  I think I might break my desk with my forehead.  What about their mental health? Do we really want to create more fear of being fat when we know that there’s been a 112% increase in the number of hospitalizations for children under 12, UNDER TWELVE, who have ED (eating disorders)?  The National Institute for Health just issued a statement that said that programs that shame kids:

carry a great risk of increasing stigma for those children who are overweight or obese which, in turn, can reinforce unhealthy behaviors (e.g., overeating). A number of research studies over the last decade have supported this concern. For example, studies suggest overweight children who are teased about their appearance are more likely to binge eat or use unhealthy weight-control practices, and weight-based victimization has been correlated with lower levels of physical activity. Not surprisingly, stigmatization of obese individuals, particularly adolescents, poses risks to their psychological health.

Other studies show the perception that obesity is solely a matter of personal responsibility, as opposed to understanding the complexity of contributing factors, can increase negative stereotypes of those overweight. It’s important, therefore, that public messages concerning obesity address this complexity when possible.

So the NIH is willing to admit that it doesn’t have all the answers for kids’ health, but Blue Cross Blue Shield thinks that they do?

I’m going to do something,I’m not sure what at this time.  I’m very tired now from 13 hours of travel, and deeply saddened that my vacation respite is ruined and that 44,000 people a day are being exposed to weight bigotry and body shaming by the so-called “Happiest Place on Earth".  Should we petition, protest at Epcot , start a letter writing campaign? I’m open to suggestions…

You know, I understand where we are as a civil rights movement and I understand that there will be days like this but it doesn’t always make it easier.  In good news, our Georgia billboard campaign got a major article in Huffington Post, some of the commenters even get it!

 

 

So please share this post with EVERYONE. I know we all want Disney to return to being a place where overweight and obese kids CAN be at the “Happiest Place On Earth" again!

 

http://www.formerlyfluffy.com/disney-is-certainly-not-the-happiest-place-on-earth-for-overweight-or-obese-children/

 Honestly... I don't see a problem with this. It's a very defensive attitude to immediately scream "fat shame" at something that was clearly designed to help kids understand what are good choices and what aren't. True, it isn't the fault of the children that their parents have fed them incorrectly. It is also true that young kids are not well equipped, mentally, to make good choices. They barely know what good choices are. That's why these programs exist, to try to educate kids in a visual way that they understand. Kids GET the whole superhero thing. It's a language they know from ordinary play. 

Our society is entirely too focused on what is and isn't PC. What could hurt someone's feelings or ostracize them. Unfortunately, these things are going to happen in life. Whether at Disney, the playground, at work, out shopping. Everyone of every age group is going to have stones cast at them for one reason or another. 

The solution for this particular case is for parents who are against this type of attraction to simply not take their kids to that area of Epcot. Epcot itself is intended to educate people. Environmental challenges, technological innovations, health and body. It is important for kids to be exposed to what IS the right choice. Maybe some people don't see this as the "right" way to present the argument, but at least they're trying to highlight the biggest problem in our country. That's more than the McDonalds, Coca Colas and Marlboros of the world are doing.

I honestly think that Disney's intentions were good, but this just is NOT the way to go about it in my opinion. It saddens me that some overweight kids will go there for the first time, and that THIS will be what they remember from Disney. :-(

 I think you're reading far too into this. Kids are way more resilient than adults are because they don't fully comprehend the negative connotations that we as adults pick up on. I really, REALLY doubt a kid is going to pout and be upset by one thing they may not even see, compared to all the sounds, sights and rides Disney World has to offer. They just don't think negatively like that. 

You know I REALLY hope you're right about that! I would just hate to see any child have a bad memory about Disney b/c of this. I think it will be interesting to see the feedback on this.

 It's always interesting to see the things people get up in arms about and the arguments on both sides. I do think this is a positive thing, though, and ANY light being shed on the obesity epidemic is a positive thing in my book. It's just as worthy of attention as cancer, AIDS or any other life threatening health problem, because it is 100% fixable. The fix starts with education.

I agree 100% Biscuit! I was thinking the exact same thing when reading the above post.

One thing I wanted to point out is on the post above the writer was saying (in short) you can not tell the nutritional choices, exercise habits, or health of a person ( in this case a child) just by looking at them. Uhhhh yeah ya can!! Let's get s gripe here!! We are (or some of us were) fat and in my case I'm down right obese. Let's just be honest here. Sure I take a med that possibly causes a bit of weight gain and sure I have hypothyroidism but do I blame my weight on those?? Uhhh no....I think t
snacking on unhealthy food, over eating at meals , and not exercising enough....in short "gluttony, snacking," got me where I am. I have been aware of this from a young age...it's no surprise. That ride is having them fight snacking....gluttony ....not a "fat kid". Maybe just maybe if we would take our over sensitive heads out of our ...Uhhh...bums .....we could see it's ment to teach them that these bad habits cause us to be unhealthy. The parents of these over weight kids that are getting so offended should seriouslly give their heads a good shake. How about this I'm offend by THEM ...the fact that they have done this to their children sickens me. Instead of worrying about how others might hurt their Childs feelings ....why not worry about how they are setting their babies up for a lifetimee of struggles and health issues. I have been over weight since I was a very young child.....and I have decided I will not allow my children to have the same fate. I bet if people would take the time in effort they put into bitc....I mean complaining...about things like this into themselves and their kids health there would be a lot less of an obesity issue in North America.


....end rant lol


In short let's put the Shane where it needs to be placed....ON THE PARENTS who are setting up their children for failure!!

I understand your points OP but to me, it seems like a great way to educate children in a fun and engaging way to eat properly. I know why I got fat. I can't say that seeing these as a child would have prevented my weight gain but maybe the effect of seeing this and being educated, over the course of a child hood would be worth it.

I think the better question is do you avoid educating children about proper eating habits in a possibly fun engaging way or do you avoid it because of ridicule? Even furthur, do you prevent the possibly effective campaign to prevent childhood obesity or do you prevent the bullying? I'd choose to do something about the bullying rather than the education.

I personally dont see this as a huge deal. As a parent who visits Disney often and who has an over weight child I dont think this will come off as negative. I believe that people need to start telling the truth, and as the other poster mentioned its done in a way that children relate too. It's a way to get the education out that being obese isnt healthy, it's a great way for parents to see the attraction and talk to the child about the game and what they've learned. Some times we read too deeply into things because we remember how we were hurt as children but it's not the same as another child poking fun of you, this is education.

My son and I talk about his eating habits all the time. I dont make him feel bad about it, and I love him regardless but if someone like Disney can help with educating him with this then I'm all for it.

Also it's not always the parents fault.  My son isn't overweight because of what I feed him. He's 12, and eats around what I feed him. My family feed him more than I would because they say I dont feed him enough. It's not alwasy the parents fault. I have went as far as to put locks on our food cabinet and frig just to keep him out of it in the middle of the night. He admit that he needs help. He walks to school now and has lost a bit of weight but it's still a struggle. We talk about it and his health risks and he's seen my issues. Sometimes kids will do what they want. I caught my son many of nights in the middle of the night eating, and snacking because I dont allow it. I dont mean snacking on chips, I mean eating food dry cereal, sandwiches, left overs anything to feel that desire to eat. I think I have a handle on things now but I can't control what he does when he's not in my presence.