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San Francisco’s new self-described “anti-weight-based discrimination” expert is catching some attention online for a 2022 video where she insisted “no one has to be healthy,” while speaking out against “fatphobia.”
Virgie Tovar, a body positivity activist and author of ‘You Have the Right to Remain Fat,” made the remark in response to the question, “what is your definition of health?” in the YouTube video posted by cosmetics and beauty chain Ulta Beauty.
“You know, no one has to be healthy, right? There’s no governing body … no one owes anybody that in either the traditional sense of the word or any other more innovative or more politicized version even of that word,” she said.
After bringing in “intersectionality,” or, in other words, experiencing inequality due to two or more aspects of social identity, such as race, disability and sex simultaneously, she continued.
Virgie Tovar participates in the Fat in Front of the Camera: Why It Matters panel during the Bentonville Film Festival on June 23, 2022 in Bentonville, Arkansas. (Justin Ford/Getty Images for Bentonville Film Festival)
“Look at the disabled community. I think people with disabilities have activists within that space that are saying, ‘I’m never going to be your notion of healthy. That doesn’t mean I don’t get to be a full human [and] you get to treat me some kind of way. I love taking that principle within disability to fat activism and to understanding the fatness. No matter what size you are, you don’t owe anybody else your health.”
A clip of the exchange has garnered reactions on X, with some talking about the importance of healthy eating and exercise in preventing obesity-related health risks and others mentioning rising health insurance costs or the comparison between obese people and people with disabilities.
Others criticized her for comparing the struggles of obese people to those of people with disabilities.
Tovar did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Virgie Tovar has been critical of GLP-1 weight loss drugs and “fatphobia,” seeking to raise awareness and advocate for those with obesity. (iStock)
The San Francisco Department of Public Health brought in Tovar, a consistent critic of “diet culture” and “fatphobia,” to consult on “weight stigma and weight neutrality,” though details of the position are not clearly defined.
She announced on her Instagram Monday that she was hired to consult for the department, writing, “I’m unbelievably proud to serve the city I’ve called home for almost 20 years in this way! This consultancy is an absolute dream come true, and it’s my biggest hope and belief that weight neutrality will be the future of public health.”
The San Francisco Department of Public Health did not respond when previously asked for specific details regarding Tovar’s consultancy role.
Tovar has been critical of GLP-1 drugs commonly used for weight loss, including the type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic, saying she could have received the medication for free, but has declined to take it.
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Fox News’ Yael Halon contributed to this report.
